Since its inception earlier this spring, the Zion National Park Forever Project, the park’s official nonprofit partner, has raised the funding necessary to accomplish several goals as set out in its 2018 Field Guide.
“The Forever Project efforts are not about nostalgia for a park experience that is lost,” said Lyman Hafen, executive director of the Zion National Park Forever Project. “Rather, they are integrated actions to protect the integrity of the Zion experience for generations to come. We are humbled and grateful to so many who have captured the vision of this project right from the start. They all are part of Zion’s legacy by providing unwavering support, monetarily and otherwise.”
Over 4,000 people purchased a plush sheep as part of the Adopt a Bighorn Sheep program. The proceeds of this program go to ensuring the herd’s health and extending its range to other public lands.
Hundreds of children from local Title I schools visited the park for the first time in 2017, and thousands more became Junior Rangers.
Nine interpretive park rangers brought curriculum-based programming to those unable to travel to the parks. Rangers from Zion, Cedar Breaks, and Pipe Spring National Monuments shared lessons on science, history, and social studies with kids in southern Utah and northern Arizona.
A $150,000 grant was awarded to the park to produce a new park film, and a $150,000 pledge helped the park and its gateway partners secure a new park shuttle system.
“Critical to the future of Zion National Park is a recommitment to the care and sustainability of the park in order to facilitate the millions of visitors that come from around the world every year,” said Zion National Park Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh. “What we have experienced this past year with Zion Forever Project is a collaborative and necessary partnership that has set a new standard for national parks throughout the country. I could not be more proud of our efforts.”
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