National Parks and Conservation Association

Every month we feature a different national park, so it seems only natural that for an issue on gardens and nature our Tour Host Pick should be the National Parks and Conservation Association, an organization whose membership carefully tracks and cares for all of the 388 designated sites in the U.S. national park system. 

The ancient remains of dinosaurs and Indian settlements, sand dunes and rock croppings, and of course millions of acres of seashores, mountains and deserts, make up the protectorate of this fabulous institution.  

What may be a surprise is that not only parks but other historic places, including the homes of presidents and poets, the monuments on Washington, DC’s National Mall, as well as New York Harbor’s Lady Liberty herself, are also included under the NPCA umbrella. Three sites noted for famous American struggles also fall under the organization’s protection: Civil War’s Gettysburg National Military Park; the American Revolution’s Cowpens National Battlefield site; and even the school in Kansas where the greatest civil rights battle of the 20^th century began – Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. 

But it is for its tours that the NPCA receives this month’s honors. Trips include On the Trail of Lewis & Clark, NYC to Washington, DC, and of course a visit to the country’s first national park and its mountainous companion, Tetons and Yellowstone. 

All tours incorporate the tenets of Responsible Tourism at its best — small group size, low impact on the environment and an inherent concern for all creatures, great and small. Its programs respect native peoples and the cultural diversity of each U.S. region, and honor the history of the communities NPCA comes in contact with. Of course the Association’s guides and lecturers are second to none, with deep knowledge and daily contact with locals. 

A fabulous web site insures that your research will be a delight. Even if your contact with it is only through a virtual visit, the National Parks and Conservation Association is sure to enlighten and educate.

—Sheri Leigh