Join us as we trace the birth of the national park idea through its evolution for nearly 150 years using archival photographs, first-person accounts of historical characters, personal memories, and analysis from more than 40 interviews.
KLRN is pleased to partner with our local San Antonio Missions National Historical Park to bring to light personal stories about our historic missions.
SEE YOUR LAND | AMERICA's NATIONAL PARKS
After you've been inspired by the series, take a first-hand look at the national parks with one of three tours offered by KLRN in partnership with Collette Vacations.
For more information, contact Lisa Marie Gibson at 210-270-9000.
GET INVOLVED!
Making America's Best Idea Even Better National Park Service Gears Up for Ken Burns Effect
WASHINGTON - Millions of Americans are tuning in this week to watch Ken Burns's latest PBS film The National Parks: America's Best Idea. Viewers will be glued to their TVs as the nation's preeminent storyteller trains his lens on the national parks. Then what?
Here are a couple of ideas from the National Park Service, the people who have been entrusted with the care of these special places by our fellow citizens for nearly 100 years:
Visit: The best place to enjoy a national park is in one. There are 391 national parks to choose from. Find one close by or plan a trip to one across the continent. Start at www.nps.gov.
Volunteer: We welcome more than 170,000 volunteers every year who help parks with everything from clearing trails, to staffing information desks, to counting species in a BioBlitz. Find a place to volunteer at www.nps.gov/getinvolved/volunteer.htm.
Donate: The generosity of our citizens through their tax dollars and their donations helps to sustain America's national parks. The National Park Foundation and more than 100 Friends Groups raise friends and funds for parks. Find out more at www.nps.gov/getinvolved/donate.htm.
Help Your Community: The National Park Service also works outside of parks, helping those committed to revitalizing their own communities create places to get outside and be active and preserve local history. See how we can help your community at http://www.nps.gov/communities/index.htm.
Help Us Make America's Best Idea Even Better: We see being America's best idea as a challenge to live up to, not a title to be content with. Take a look at what we are doing today to make the idea even better at our new website http://www.nps.gov/americasbestidea/
"The Burns film is reinvigorating America's love of their national parks," said Jon Jarvis, who was confirmed last week as the 18th Director of the National Park Service. "We invite all Americans to embrace their ownership of national parks, to come out for a visit, and to renew or create personal connections, and make memories that will last a lifetime. National parks are for everyone. National parks belong to every citizen. Please join us in caring for these special places."
"Earlier this year, we made Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan Honorary National Park Rangers in recognition of their support of national parks and the gift they are giving all of us through their film. As you watch The National Parks: America's Best Idea, you will meet people whose actions made a difference in the creation and preservation of the parks. Two more names must be added to that list: Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan," said Jarvis.
National Park Service
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 30, 2009
Contact: David Barna (202) 208-6843
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RECENT EVENTS
SPECIAL PREVIEW SCREENING Saturday, September 19, 6 - 9 PM
Mission San José, 6701 San José Drive
Pack a picnic and bring lawn chairs or blankets for an evening under the stars in one of San Antonio’s most beautiful historic settings! Join us for fun family activities, mariachis, and a preview of the upcoming Ken Burns documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.
The first 250 kids will get a free tree!
Also, see the new photo exhibit, Faces of the Missions, on display in the San José Visitor Center.
Faces of the Missions/Share Your Story The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and KLRN are seeking photos and stories about our local San Antonio Missions to be included in the upcoming “Faces of the Missions” exhibit and KLRN’s Share Your Story website. Please join us at one of the events below as we work to preserve the missions and celebrate their people and communities. For more information, click here.
Tues., July 14, 2009 11am-7pm
Mission San Juan
9101 Graf Road, 78214
Sat., July 18, 2009 9am-5pm
Mission Concepción
807 Mission Road, 78210
Ken Burns Visits San Antonio On March 24-25, 2009, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan made a whirlwind visit to San Antonio to promote their upcoming film, THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA. Stops included The San Antonio Missions, where they got a tour by park rangers and children from “First Bloom” showed off a garden they had recently planted; The Lila Cockrell Theatre, where they shared a free preview of their film to a crowd of nearly 1,000 and answered questions for an hour; and Brackenridge High School, for a taping of KLRN's Conversations program, a screening, and Q&A with enthusiastic students gathered.
REFLECTION BY REV. DAVID GARCIA It was a privilege to be able to tour San Jose Mission with Ken Burns. As I explained the story of the missions he was very engaged in understanding how these magnificent structures came to be and how they continue to be so alive almost three centuries later. It was obvious he was very interested not only in the past history but also in our efforts to preserve these treasures for future generations. I could not help but think as we spoke and laughed and enjoyed the visit that documentaries about history are not just videos but the very walls that we passed through that day.
The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
These missions formed part of a colonization system that stretched across the Spanish Southwest in the
seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Today, visitors can retrace the footsteps of the mission Indians and friars. And, possibly, meet descendants of those first inhabitants.
National Parks Conservation Association
Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice of the American people in protecting and enhancing the country’s park system’s most significant lands and landmarks. National Park Foundation
The National Park Foundation, chartered by Congress, strengthens the enduring connection between the American people and their national parks. San Antonio Public Library
In addition to resources on national parks, the San Antonio Public Library provides books, media, and online information for San Antonians of all ages and interests.
