Leadership

Thursday Buzz: This Association’s Celebrating the National Parks

President Obama joins the National Parks Conservation Association in marking a major milestone. Plus: What’s with annoying event rules?

A hundred years have come and gone; and yet, the forests and wildlife contained within are as young as ever.

Today, the National Park Service marked its 100th anniversary with a brand-new addition.

President Barack Obama designated the nation’s 413th national park—Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

And the National Parks Conservation Association, also has plenty to celebrate,  as it played a key role in bringing the 87,500-acre space to life. NPCA worked closely with Elliotsville Plantation Inc, a local nonprofit, in maintaining the park space for years prior to the formal designation.

“This land is truly deserving of national park status and protection. It has vast boreal forests, abundant wildlife and flowing rivers that are all idyllic and so uniquely Maine,” noted NCPA President and CEO Theresa Pierno. “Now families across the country and around the world will be able to go hiking, horseback riding, skiing and fishing in this incredible area for generations to come.”

Now, day-to-day management of Katahdin Woods will be handed off to the National Park Service, which will help to bring an economic and employment boost to the area.

“It may be one of the last large national parks that we see in our lifetime,” Pierno said to The Washington Post.

Google also joined the anniversary celebration by providing an interactive 360-degree tour of several national parks. The tour includes Bryce Canyon, in Utah, and the Kenai Fjords, in Alaska, among others.

Those Gosh-Darn Rules

To run smoothly, an event has to have a few rules, but sometimes there are some frustrating guidelines that pester all of us.

For example, we may be asked to wear badges, put away our smartphones, delay social media use, or abide by a dress code. It’s the 21st century, right? The Event Manager Blog team shares 11 crazy event rules and what planners should do instead.

Wake up before dawn? Yup. Apparently, starting your day at 4 a.m. boosts productivity incrementally. Marcel Schwantes, over at Inc., wrote about some strategies for starting off well before the break of dawn.

Travel can be stressful, and a U.S. State Department travel advisory can make things even more worrisome. Without fretting, Danica Lo at Conde Nast Traveler highlights the difference between alerts and warnings.

Will change bring change or continuity? Pinterest bought the popular read-it-later service Instapaper this week. So will it be revamped, or will it be just a new addition to the Pinterest community? Virginia Backaitis shares her thoughts at CMSWire.

(via the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument's Facebook page)

Patrick deHahn

By Patrick deHahn

Patrick deHahn is a contributor to Associations Now. MORE

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