Natural Resource Stewardship & Science
Partnership Program

This photo, taken at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, FL, is one of the fifty winning photos from the NRPC Olympus Photo contest.

Who We Are

The Natural Resource Program Center (NRPC) partnership program creates new relationships and sustains ongoing partnerships that increase the level of care given to preserve our natural heritage in national parks.

Why Partnerships?

The NRPC relies on partners to help carry out the important natural resource work that healthy parks depend on. We could not accomplish many of our most needed programs and projects without the support of our many friends.

"The National Park Service recognizes that its most effective results come from engaging and collaborating with others, expanding awareness and understanding, discovering mutual goals, attracting resources and support, and building relationships, trust, and commitment to participation in collective efforts that extend the reach of all."
—Making Friends Handbook, National Park Service

Our Partners

	Olympus Camera: The National Park Service and Olympus Cameras have partnered to create many exciting opportunities within our national parks. Highlights include: Air Quality Web Cameras: Olympus cameras have been installed in 15 national parks for the purpose of monitoring air quality and pollution. In 2008 alone, NRPC web cams experienced more than 4 million visits. To learn more, visit the Natural Resource Program Center air quality web cams web page. NRPC Olympus Photo Contest: The Natural Resource Program Center, in conjunction with Olympus Camera, sponsored a photo contest highlighting natural resource research, management, and visitor enjoyment of natural resources in the parks. To learn more and view contest finalists, go to the contest winner web page. Educational Programs in Katmai National Park: The Olympus Loaner Program shares cameras with Katmai National Park and the Pratt Museum for use in kids' educational programs as well as teacher science workshops.
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	"America's Best Idea"–Ken Burns: The National Park Service partnered with acclaimed director Ken Burns, creator of the film series America's Best Idea. The series chronologically covers the history of the National Park System and highlights all the important people along the way. This film series was produced in partnership with Florentine Films.
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	The National Park Owner's Manual for New Citizens: This popular booklet introduces and welcomes new citizens to our national parks and has been circulated to more than 3,500 new citizens at naturalization ceremonies all across the National Park Service system. These event locations include Everglades National Park, Jefferson Memorial in St. Louis, and Constitution Hall in Philadelphia, among others.
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	National Geographic: Our relationship with National Geographic goes back to the inception of the National Park Service. Projects include: Geomapping: Originally begun with Trails Unlimited, this partnership allowed the NPS to further develop its trail database using National Geographic's Topo Maps. In collaboration with the National Interagency Fire Center, the National Park Service offered technical support and database maintenance in exchange for the rights to offer Topo Maps with trail overlays of National Park Service lands free to the public. BioBlitz: Leading up to the National Park Service centennial in 2016, National Geographic is helping to conduct one BioBlitz each year throughout the decade. A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event in which teams of scientists, volunteers, and community members join forces to find, identify, and learn about as many local plant and animal species as possible. Recent BioBlitz events have been done in Rock Creek Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The 2010 event will be held at Florida's Biscayne National Park. Wild Cam Grizzlies: In 2006, National Geographic On-line began streaming live video of grizzly (coastal brown) bears in their native habitat along the border of Katmai National Park on the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary. This program allowed the general public to safely watch wild brown bears catch salmon, play, and interact with each other in the wild. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Wildlife Alliance, and the Pratt Museum also partnered with the National Park Service to make this program possible.
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	Plantwise: The Plantwise program gives gardeners easy tips on how to manage their garden to preserve the unique qualities of neighboring wild lands. It is a partnership between the National Park Service, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the Garden Club of America, National Invasive Species Council, Student Conservation Association, and many others with a goal of reducing invasive plants in the urban landscape. The Plantwise website houses the popular Invasive Translator to find native alternatives for invasive plants.
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	Park Flight: The National Park Service has partnered with Latin American national parks to create the Park Flight Program. This program works to protect migratory bird habitat, promote educational awareness about cooperative conservation of shared bird species, and create opportunities for technical exchange and cooperation.
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	Invasive Species Project: The National Park Service has partnered with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) to create the Invasive Species Project. Since 2004, this program has provided student volunteers land management leadership roles with the goal of controlling invasive species on National Park Service lands. Since its inception, the program has been adopted by other land management agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As a result of these these efforts, thousands of acres of invasive weeds across the country have been eradicated. In 2006 the SCA earned the U.S. Department of Interior "Take Pride in America Award" for this program.
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	Natural Resource Laureate Program: This program matched skilled senior volunteers with National Park Service professionals in parks across the country. These volunteers were selected for their specific natural resource knowledge and varied technical expertise. Park projects with Laureates include Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Biscayne National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Richmond National Battlefield, and Lake Clark National Park (in partnership with Alaska Fish and Game and the Pratt Museum, Alaska).
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	National Park Foundation and Choice Hotels: With a $10,000 grant from Choice Hotels via the National Park Foundation, the Natural Resource Program Center (NRPC) was able to fund five educational specialists to create coastal brown bear educational materials in Alaska through Lake Clark National Park and the Pratt Museum.
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Other Partners: The NRPC also partners with many local, state, and federal agencies helping to facilitate on-going dialogue and cooperation. These partners include U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Geologic Survey.
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Partnerships in Parks

If you would like to become a partner with the Natural Resource Program Center and support natural resource science and stewardship, please contact us using the information below. Or, use the contact form and select Parternships as the category.

Diana Maxwell
Partnership Program Manager, Natural Resource Program Center: 303.969.2078

Linda Drees
Program Development and New Initiatives, Manager: 970.225.3595

Useful Resources

Last Updated: September 21, 2012

Explore Nature

Natural Resource Stewardship & Science Partnership Program