Veteran public lands advocates announced the launch of the New National Parks Project (NNPP), a DC-based initiative that will wage a national campaign to expand America’s National Park System. The New National Parks Project will help bring together national park advocates so they can speak with a united voice that will be heard in Washington.

“We need more national parks. Everyone deserves to have a park nearby,” said Susan Tixier, Director of the Project’s Southwest Office. “Everyone needs the chance to experience the adventure of the out-of-doors, where the unpredictable can happen — where there are bears and eagles, wild rivers and avalanches, crashing thunder and blissful silence, butterflies and blinding sunlight. This is the America our ancestors experienced — it’s a vital part of our national heritage.”

Proposals for new or expanded parks include the Maine Woods, West Virginia’s Blackwater Canyon, Washington’s Mount St. Helens, Oregon’s Mount Hood, California’s Giant Sequoia, Pinnacles, Los Padres, and Tejon Ranch, New Mexico’s Valles Caldera, and Utah’s Glen Canyon.

The New National Parks Project comes at a time of renewed interest in national parks. The Ken Burns PBS documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is receiving an enthusiastic public response. With the approaching National Park Service centennial celebration in 2016, the Obama administration is showing a level of interest in protecting and expanding national parks that has not been seen in decades.

The Alabama Mountain Lakes Association (AMLA) recently honored Wild South’s Janice Barrett with its 2009 Northern Star Award. The award is among 11 that comprise the PEAK Awards that were presented on September 24 during the AMLA annual meeting in Hartselle, Alabama.

The PEAK Awards, the highest achievement in North Alabama tourism, honor individuals and organizations that have had a major impact on tourism in North Alabama. History tells us that tourism really began with navigation by the stars. The Northern Star Award is presented to an individual, such as a ranger or guide who is a front-line employee, who has gone “above and beyond” expectations.

Janice was nominated for the Northern Star Award by Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce president, Kim Hood. In her role as Outreach Coordinator for Wild South, Janice’s promotion of hikes, educational and volunteer opportunities for adults and children in the Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey Wilderness bring many people from all over Alabama and from surrounding states into North Alabama.