Park Preservation

We have inherited “America’s best idea,” our national parks. They guard, protect, and share millions of acres of irreplaceable landscapes, plants, and animals. They also preserve nationally significant historical and cultural places and tell the stories of people who made great sacrifices for our country.  

Parks are our classrooms, playgrounds, and places of escape and peace. They let us experience solitude and quiet, natural sights and sounds undisturbed by civilization, and beauty as simple as skies so dark you can see by starlight. The National Park System is ever-changing. There are new lands, water,  plants, and wildlife to protect, and as time passes, new history to commemorate. You can help us ensure that our parks are treasured forever.

Recent Projects Include:

Map of Our Park Preservation Projects

Park Preservation Highlighted Projects:

All States Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Federated States of Micronesia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Marshall Islands Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Palau Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Filter Protected Parks by State

Alaska

• Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, AK

  The first project completed by the newly formed National Park Trust in 1983 was to purchase a five-acre inholding in the interior of Gates of the Arctic National Park, at the headwaters of the Alatna River.

  Learn more about Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, AK

California

• Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA

  In February 2020, National Park Trust assisted the National Park Service in securing property for Lassen Volcanic National Park, California.

  Learn more about Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA
• Mojave National Preserve – Ivanpah Desert Tortoise Research Facility, CA

  The Ivanpah Desert Tortoise Research Facility was acquired and built by Chevron in 2011 as a creative partnership between the company, the National Park Service, and National Park Trust.

  Learn more about Mojave National Preserve – Ivanpah Desert Tortoise Research Facility, CA
• Yosemite National Park, CA

  National Park Trust partnered with the Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Yosemite Conservancy to acquire and donate an adjacent environmentally important property, a 400-acre meadow, for inclusion in Yosemite National Park.

  Learn more about Yosemite National Park, CA

Colorado

• Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

  Removal of the house and access road through the park will allow 33 acres of land to be included into the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Area.

  Learn more about Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

Indiana

• Indiana Dunes National Park, IN

  In 2020, the National Park Service contacted the National Park Trust seeking help to acquire 9 parcels of land of 0.65 acres, with the possibility of 12 more, 35.27 acres in a second phase. This land will be incorporated into Indiana Dunes National Park and the Marquette Greenway Trail. The Park Trust is supplying funding and acquisition expertise for the project.

  Learn more about Indiana Dunes National Park, IN

Kansas

• Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, KS

  National Park Trust played a singular role in the establishment of the first national park unit devoted to the natural and cultural history of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem –Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

  Learn more about Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, KS

Kentucky

• Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, KY

  In 2001, the Park Trust worked with Preservation of Lincoln's Kentucky Heritage, Inc. allowing them to to obtain an option to buy the 228-acre Knob Creek Farm.

  Learn more about Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, KY

Maine

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail – Bald Mountain, ME

  If you've seen the pristine waters and lush terrain at Maine’s Bald Mountain Pond, you’d understand why National Park Trust and our partners chose to acquire an adjacent 1,500-acre parcel of old-growth woodland to benefit the National Park Service’s Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

  Learn more about Appalachian National Scenic Trail – Bald Mountain, ME

Maryland

• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, MD

  The Park Trust is working with NPS and the State of Maryland to acquire land tied to the history of the C&O Canal.

  Learn more about Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, MD
• Fort Washington Park within National Capital Parks East, MD

  The Park Trust is helping NPS complete a 4.04-acre land donation to help preserve the Fort's natural landscape.

  Learn more about Fort Washington Park within National Capital Parks East, MD

Michigan

• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI

  In February 2017, NPS requested help in acquiring property for for inclusion in Picture Rocks National Lakeshore.

  Learn more about Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI
• River Raisin National Battlefield Park, MI

  NPS contacted the Park Trust seeking help to acquire land that is part of the battlefield.

  Learn more about River Raisin National Battlefield Park, MI

New Mexico

• Valles Caldera National Preserve, NM

  National Park Trust donors helped to save the geothermal wonders of Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico, and the last privately held parcel in the park. It marked the end of an 11 year-long effort to protect the supervolcano’s awesome features.

  Learn more about Valles Caldera National Preserve, NM

New York

• Women’s Rights National Historical Park, NY

  The Park Trust worked with partners to purchase properties connected to Elizabeth Cady Stanton in Seneca Falls, NY.

  Learn more about Women’s Rights National Historical Park, NY
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail – Pawling, NY

  The National Park Trust partnered with The Trust for Public Land, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and Oblong Land Conservancy in the $2.38 million purchase of 219 acres of wooded land which was transferred to the National Park Service on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in July 2018.

  Learn more about Appalachian National Scenic Trail – Pawling, NY

Oklahoma

• Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, OK

  National Park Trust worked with the National Park Service and the Oklahoma Historical Society on the acquisition of an important 3-acre property inside Washita Battlefield National Historic Site (OK).

  Learn more about Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, OK

Texas

• Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, TX

  At Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (TX), National Park Trust worked to preserve an archaeological area containing evidence of the Antelope Creek people, a Native American tribe.

  Learn more about Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, TX
• San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, TX

  The National Park Service contacted National Park Trust seeking help to acquire a 44.58-acre parcel of land. Adding to the park will protect the cultural landscape and historic agricultural lands that provided food to support life at historic missions from the Spanish Colonial era.

  Learn more about San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, TX

Utah

• Zion National Park, UT

  In 2018, the Park Trust helped preserve 35 acres in Zion National Park.

  Learn more about Zion National Park, UT

Virginia

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail – Hogan Hollow, VA

  The National Park Trust transferred ownership of 239 acres of land to the National Park Service.

  Learn more about Appalachian National Scenic Trail – Hogan Hollow, VA

Washington

• Olympic National Park, WA (1990)

  The Park Trust 6.22 acres on the north shore of Lake Quinault in Olympic NP and transferred it to the NPS.

  Learn more about Olympic National Park, WA (1990)
• Olympic National Park, WA (2017)

  In December 2017, the Park Trust completed the acquisition of a parcel of land on Lake Quinault in Olympic National Park (WA) – just under 0.5 acres. Although small in size, it is big in ecological significance. The parcel was surrounded on three sides by Olympic National Park; it was the only parcel in that block that did not belong to the National Park Service. Its acquisition will keep it in its natural state by preventing further development.

  Learn more about Olympic National Park, WA (2017)
• Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, WA

  In 1978, Ebey’s Landing in Washington state was established as Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. Fast forward 40 years to 2018, National Park Trust worked with Historic Whidbey, National Park Foundation, National Park Service, & numerous local partners to add land and property to this NHR.

  Learn more about Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, WA

Wisconsin

• St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, WI

  National Park Trust added 145 acres to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The complex project involved a land exchange in which the Park Trust worked with the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands to identify and then purchase valuable timberland; then that land was traded for three parcels of land owned by the State of Wisconsin in the north-central part of Wisconsin. Those three parcels were then transferred from the Park Trust to the National Park Service within days of taking ownership.

  Learn more about St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, WI