“The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”, Part II

The King County Library System is continuing to offer related programming throughout November in conjunction with the recent airing of Ken Burns’ “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”. The programs range from musical performances on a saw to meeting a nature photographer.

My recent nature photography attempt at Mount Rainier.

While there are no Washington State National Parks specifically featured in the film – Washingtonians know that we have plenty of spectacular nationally designated places in our own backyard!

Do you know how many sites the National Park Service manage in Washington state?  There are 14!  If you are from the Puget Sound area, two readily come to mind: Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks. 

Did you also know that the Klondike Gold Rush site in Seattle and Alaska is part of an International Historical Park with units also in Canada?  The fragmentation of the units also leads people to believe that the Seattle site is the smallest US National Park, but it is not.  The area totals over 13,000 acres when Alaska is properly included.

If you missed the September airing of “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”, check your local PBS listings in early 2010 for the re-airing dates. Visit the National Park Service’s website to find out more about how you can help continue to improve “America’s Best Idea”.