National Park Trust to Honor Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, with the American Park Experience Award

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Sep 29, 2010, 02:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will accept the National Park Trust's (NPT) American Park Experience Award for his outstanding work to connect communities and young people to our public lands and the outdoors.

NPT's Board of Directors unanimously selected the Secretary to receive the Award for his work spearheading the America's Great Outdoors initiative, which will help reshape the nation's conservation policies and for his work to create Youth in Natural Resources Programs. NPT also applauds his initiatives at the Department of Interior to build a 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps to engage, educate and employ young people from all backgrounds to explore, connect with and preserve our country's unique natural and cultural heritage.

NPT also praises his lifetime commitment to protect the nation's public lands. This is exemplified by his past support for the creation of Great Sand Dunes National Park, by his work in the South Platte River Basin, and by his current work at the Department of the Interior to achieve full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and to expand protection of our treasured landscapes.

"The Secretary's passion to engage youth with the outdoors and in conservation, especially those who are underserved, is an inspiration for our Youth to Parks programs and for the many students, teachers, and families who participate in the Trust's youth programs, including our Where's Buddy Bison Been?® Program," says William Brownell, NPT Chairman of the Board.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN PARK EXPERIENCE AWARD

The American Park Experience Award was established in 2009 to recognize an individual or group that has made outstanding contributions to enhance the awareness and appreciation of our nation's parks, wildlife refuges, and historic landmarks. Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan were the first co-recipients of this award. The Secretary will accept the Award at a reception in Washington, D.C. this fall.

ABOUT NATIONAL PARK TRUST

National Park Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of our nation's critical parklands and reconnecting our youth – especially those that are underserved – to nature. NPT's mission is to provide important recreational and educational parkland opportunities for current and future generations. As people spend more time indoors and as successive generations grow up with less of a connection to nature, NPT wants to build greater awareness and appreciation for the importance of our country's public lands and parks. To achieve this, NPT seeks to champion the acquisition and preservation of critical national, state and local parklands and to build a greater awareness through education – focusing on our youth.

SOURCE National Park Trust