Happy 100th Birthday Party National Parks!

Getting into the HBD spirit with Parks Project

Photos of Bryce Canyon National Park by Liz Devine

The USA’s National Park Service turns 100 years old on August 25, 2016, and Stay Wild magazine knows we’ll see you at the party. What kind of gift do you bring to this epic HBD party? Ummm… no idea. Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii probably wants something different than the Grand Canyon. The National Parks are like that friend who doesn’t want “things”—they’d rather just spend quality time with you while you restore a hiking trail or clean up tourist garbage at a historic picnic area. But what’s a party without a birthday gift? 

Parks Project is a clothing brand that loves the National Parks. Their goods are responsibly made to promote, protect, and preserve the parks through an impressive list of projects ranging from Denali bear care to Laguna Coast plant restoration. We hit up Sevag Kazanci from Parks Project for birthday party advice, and he knew just what to say.

What’s the perfect gift for the National Parks?

A big basket of love from all of us, and a hefty dose of education for all park visitors on human impact and what we can do to better support our parks. Probably a little envelope of cash, too, like you used to get from grandma to cover a bit of the budget deficit. 

What kind of festivities does the Parks Project have planned for the party?

So wow, the ideal day has a little bit of everything. Morning hike to a peak, soak in the goodness. Then we gotta stick to putting on a volunteer event, trying to lead by example. Great way to bond and celebrate. Couple of cold ones creekside after, too. Maybe a little evening music and campfire laughs.

Who do you hope comes to the party?

Teddy Roosevelt brings the ideas, John Muir handles the guest list, Ansel Adams takes photos, Mardy Murie documents the party, maybe Bob Dylan and the Roots collab on music… and my mom’s comin’ too. 

Aside from your impressive list of current projects, what new ones are on the way?

More localized projects. Perhaps tackle a skatepark project, and some international ones, too. There are so many amazing stories out there, from rangers in African parks to sustainability efforts in Southeast Asia. We can’t wait to bring them to life.   

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