National Geographic Celebrates 100th Anniversary of National Park Service with Yearlong 'Power of Parks' Initiative
21st Century Fox Social Impact
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service, National Geographic has launched The Power of Parks, a yearlong initiative utilizing all of the organization's platforms to better explore and understand the world's national parks. The campaign includes dedicated programming on the National Geographic Channels, a major series in National Geographic magazine, and an Explore the Power of Parks web portal featuring the latest magazine stories and photos, travel guides, maps, and educational resources. 21st Century Fox expanded its partnership with the National Geographic Society in 2015 to create National Geographic Partners, bringing together all of National Geographic's media assets, including magazines, book and map publishing, National Geographic Studios, and more.
"Today, parks are more critical than ever to ensure the health and sustainability of our planet," said Chris Johns, Chief Content Officer, National Geographic Society. "They connect us with the natural world and inspire us all to be better stewards of our only home... We want people to explore and experience the wonder of these protected places with us and through us, and support our efforts to understand and preserve them."
The January issue of National Geographic magazine kicks off the initiative with powerful day-to-night imagery by photographer Stephen Wilkes and feature articles by David Quammen and Florence Williams, who looks at how spending time in the natural world benefits the human brain. The magazine series will continue throughout the coming year and will explore such parks as Alaska's Denali National Park, Seychelles, urban parks, Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba's coral reefs, and more. The May 2016 issue is dedicated entirely to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
The Power of Parks also mobilizes the remainder of National Geographic's global media assets. The National Geographic Channels will air multiple park specials throughout the year, starting with Nat Geo Channel's America's National Parks: Everglades on Sun., Jan. 24, at 8/7c and America's National Parks: Gates of the Arctic on Sun., Jan. 31, at 8/7c. Both specials will encore on Nat Geo WILD Sun., Feb. 28, beginning at 8/7c.
National Geographic's publishing arm will also release several new books on national parks this year, including an updated edition of the best-selling National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States and David Quammen's Yellowstone: A Journey Through America's Park in August. In addition, the organization will release educational resources for K-12 students, up-to-the-minute "National Parks Trails Illustrated" maps, and a segment on national parks in each issue of National Geographic Traveler.
"They teach us as well as delight us. They inspire active curiosity as well as passive awe," writes David Quammen of national parks the latest issue of National Geographic. "They help us imagine what the American landscape and its resident creatures looked like before railroads and automobiles and motels existed. Repeat: They help us imagine."
