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2009 National Park Foundation
America's Best Idea Grants Program
Made possible by the National Park Foundation
and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund
Ken Burns' New Film-The National Parks: America's Best Idea
The National Park Foundation (NPF) and the National Park Service (NPS) share a common goal of engaging new and traditionally underserved audiences in the educational richness of the national parks. The 2009 broadcast of Ken Burns' new film The National Parks: America's Best Idea, a co-production of PBS/WETA and Florentine Films, created an unprecedented opportunity to use the dynamic medium of film to reach out to young people and adults through outreach programs that engage teachers, families, and community groups in using the national parks as living classrooms. The combined partnership of PBS/WETA, NPS and NPF provided a powerful and compelling platform to connect more Americans to their national parks by:
- Uncovering new national park stories that resonate with minority and traditionally underserved audiences;
- Creating opportunities to connect to the national parks; and
- Creating wide-ranging communication vehicles for broad dissemination.
UNC-TV was granted a National Parks grant, extending the reach of the important lessons offered in Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea to reach new/ethnic minority/traditionally underserved groups and to inspire their future stewardship of our majestic national parks. One specific way that this was effectuated was through Ken Burns' focus on including the "Untold Stories" of how African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and Native Americans were involved in the creation and protection of individual parks.
The scope of the project included the development of pilot programs, such as with UNC-TV, that strengthen the National Park Service's ability to reach underserved audiences.
"Hop Into A National Park" Grant Events:
UNC-TV educational outreach staff conducted "Hop into a National Park" Just For Kids events during September and October 2009 at five national parks, including:
* Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
* Blue Ridge Parkway
* Wright Brothers National Memorial
* Moores Creek National Battlefield
* Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail/W. Kerr Scott Dam & Reservoir
Overall goal: UNC-TV's goal was to attract many families who have never visited a national park to enjoy a special fun-filled day at one of North Carolina's five national parks. UNC-TV's popular book-loving marsupial mascot Read-a-Roo and PBS Curious George invited children of all ages to visit some of our state's national parks to learn firsthand about the exquisite treasures. In particular, UNC-TV partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs, NC Cooperative Extension and NC 4-H Youth Development in selected counties to bring underserved families into North Carolina parks. Through screenings of the Ken Burns Untold Stories or The National Parks: America's Best Idea, storytelling by local authors, and completing the activities in the Junior Ranger booklet, tours, scavenger hunts, and other fun interactive activities, families left with an increased awareness of the role that minorities or underserved played in the development of the park system and have an increased awareness of their role in being good stewards of this resource.
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