The Great Outdoors

June 17, 2021

Grand Canyon National Park, NPS

Summer is upon us and with COVID-19 cases declining across the country, Americans now have the opportunity to experience family outings again. And as temperatures are warming, Americans as well as foreign visitors are making national parks their favorite outdoor destinations.

No one values America’s great outdoors more than our President. In his Great Outdoors proclamation, President Biden encourages all Americans to “explore our Nation’s beautiful outdoor spaces.  As we enjoy the great outdoors — from national parks to our own backyards — let us rededicate ourselves to conserving our Nation’s natural spaces for our own well-being, and for the health, safety, prosperity, and fulfillment of generations to come.”

If you are still planning that special destination you may want to acquire this helpful guide about how to prepare and check out in advance the details of a trip to America’s National Park System.

To help you make the most of your trip, visit the Government Publishing Office online bookstore for incredible natural wonders to explore across many national parks from the rocky coast of Maine to the deserts of southern California and Arizona.

Check out our national park resources at: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/national-parks.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN NATIONAL PARKS RESOURCES?

Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the US Government Online Bookstore.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.  Email orders to ContactCenter@gpo.gov

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

Leave a Comment » | Landmarks & Monuments, National Park Service, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

GPO Summer Travel Series: Bandelier National Monument

July 10, 2019

River-carved valley landscape, Bandelier National Monument. NPS.

Welcome back, summer travelers. If historic caves, petroglyphs, and ceremonial grounds inspire you, get excited. Thousands of years ago, in what is now modern-day New Mexico, Ancestral Pueblo people built homes carved from volcanic tuff. Today, the National Park Service protects the structures and cultural architecture at this next destination. So, what are you waiting for? Mentally prepare to climb lots of ladders, and let’s pay tribute to the place that preserves ancient Ancestral Pueblo dwellings—Bandelier National Monument!

With activities for kids from first grade to seventh grade, Bandelier National Monument Junior/Deputy Ranger Booklet is just what you need to make sure your trip to this National Monument is an educational adventure. First things, first! Together, let’s learn to respect and protect the park with a fill-in-the-blank challenge. Little Junior Rangers will be challenged to cross off things they see at the park – like cliff dwellings, the village, and ladders. To spot some of the ladders, we’ll head to the Alcove House. A series of four ladders and stone stairs make up the 140-foot climb to get to the house. Archeologists believe this house was once home to about 25 people. Another trail with ladders will lead to the Ancestral Pueblo village of Tsankawi. Here you’ll find distinct paths that the Ancestral Pueblo people themselves used – and experience the views of the mesa as they did thousands of years ago. Did you know human presence in the area goes back over 11,000 years?

Next, Junior Rangers will be challenged to interview a Ranger at the park. And once they climb the ladder into a Cavate Home, readers will be challenged to decide the best spot in the home to build a fire, store food, and sleep. Now, we’re going to take a stab at being an archeologist! Junior Rangers will look at structures, such as Big Kava and Tyuonyi ruins, from Ancestral Pueblo times, and think about what questions they would need to ask about each of the structures to determine their uses. Remember, the Ancestral Pueblo people lived here from about 1150 CE to 1550 CE, so they didn’t have the convenience of modern technology like we do today.

Another neat thing to check out at Bandelier? The Long House! These cliff dwellings were three to four stories tall. Here, you’ll see hundreds of petroglyphs, or carved drawings. Painted Cave, which can be accessed from the Bandelier Visitor Center or the Dome Trailhead, is a great place to observe even more of these illustrations.

In a valuable lesson about protecting species, the National Park Service booklet discusses animals that used to live amongst the Ancestral Pueblo people but can no longer be found in the park today. The booklet asks children which species they believe could be reintroduced to the park, as well as what they can do to help keep other species from disappearing from their original habitat.

We’re impressed with how much you were able to see at the park! Now that we have finished exploring for today, let’s head back to the visitor center and give the booklet to a Ranger to complete your challenge.

Awesome work. We hope you enjoyed getting a taste of life as an Ancestral Pueblo person as well as learning about the importance of protecting and respecting places we visit, especially ones with rich culture and relics that we want to keep safe. Summer is just getting started, and so are we. We can’t wait to take you to our next destination. Keep following along!

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the US Government Online Bookstore.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Visit our Retail Store: To buy or order a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up(s).

Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.  Email orders to ContactCenter@gpo.gov

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.

Leave a Comment » | Landmarks & Monuments, National Park Service, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

GPO Summer Travel Series: What to Do and See in Washington DC

May 21, 2018

The kids are out of school, the sun is blazing and the suitcases are packed. Summer has returned in all her glory, which means it’s time to travel. And this season, we’re bringing you our GPO Summer Travel Series. We’ll provide you with places to go, things to do and, of course, resources from the GPO Bookstore to help you plan, so you can make the most of your travels.

If you live in the United States (or really anywhere for that matter), a trip to our nation’s capital is a must. There are endless exciting things to do in DC.; so here are just a few ideas and resources to help you plan a trip you won’t forget.

Start your journey in DC by taking a stroll around the U.S. Capitol. On a nice day, you’ll find the area filled with everyone from students on field trips, to engaged citizens peacefully protesting, to working men and women in fancy business suits. You never know who you may bump into – be on the lookout for Members of Congress! Order the Congressional Pictorial Directory so you can address the Congressmen and women by name … and maybe ask them to take a selfie … if you spot them out and about.

Just a short walk from the U.S. Capitol, stop and smell the roses (and lots of other plants) at the U.S. Botanic Garden. Go in prepared with A Botanic Garden for the Nation from the GPO Bookstore. It includes full-color photos of the building and plants as well as helpful information such as how to read a plant label at the Botanic Garden and a map of both the Conservatory building and Bartholdi Park outside.

Next, it’s time to see what it’s like to live like the POTUS. Requests for a tour of The White House can be submitted through one’s Member of Congress. If you’re bringing along any junior rangers, make sure you’ve got The White House Junior Ranger Activity Guide Book. It’s packed with activities that teach children about the history of The White House.

Depending on the time of year, you may be able to stroll among a wonderland of blossoming cherry trees that border the Tidal Basin and frame the Jefferson Memorial. Before you go, make sure to have in hand this National Park Service Handbook that describes the Jefferson Memorial and includes a biography of Thomas Jefferson. The National Park Service also offers a handbook on the Lincoln Memorial.

Take a break from the city life and get your nature on at Rock Creek Park! A Photographer’s Path: Images of National Parks Near the Nation’s Capital from GPO’s Bookstore includes a collection of colorful photographs from the park as well as other natural and historic sites in the Greater Washington DC area.

And last but certainly not least, don’t forget to visit the history exhibit on the first floor of the Government Publishing Office during the week. Not to toot our own horn, but you’ll be amazed to see historic materials such as White House menus, inauguration invitations, hand bookbinding tools and more.

Don’t forget to check out our latest catalog America The Beautiful.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.

Leave a Comment » | Landmarks & Monuments, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism, U.S. Botanic Garden, U.S. History | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Stunning Images of National Parks Around DC

November 16, 2016

Washington, DC is populated with renowned stone edifices and towering monuments. Some even call our nation’s capital “American Rome.” Of course, national treasures are not limited to the metropolitan and man-made. Sublime natural beauty abounds in the parks of the Potomac River watershed.

Battlefields, wildlife preserves, canals, aquatic gardens, forests. The National Capitol Region has them all. And the National Park Service celebrates them in “A Photographer’s Path: Images of National Parks Near the Nation’s Capital,” available through GPO.

024-005-01275-3_a-photographers-path-images-of-national-parks-near-the-nations-capitalA Photographer’s Path: Images of National Parks Near the Nation’s Capital

National Park Service photographer Thomas Paradis spotlights the idyllic, artful, and even curious scenes within the region. It’s a “pictorial journey” that “reveals the subtlety and nuance of our natural landscapes.”

Now, I’ll let the images speak for themselves:

Swallowtail perched on branch. Manassas National Park

Swallowtail perched on branch. Manassas National Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking toward Chimney Rock. Catoctin Mountain Park

Looking toward Chimney Rock. Catoctin Mountain Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heron over Great Falls. Great Falls Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway and Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park

Heron over Great Falls. Great Falls Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway and Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS PUBLICATION?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

 

Leave a Comment » | Art, Department of the Interior, Landmarks & Monuments, National Park Service, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins