Our Government Affairs team has focused on the national parks' ballooning maintenance backlog for years, with press releases, letters to the editor, and good old-fashioned lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. But the story was getting stale, and the numbers were becoming too difficult to comprehend, so they asked if we could show tell some of the key stories graphically. We focused on individual parks like Everglades, addressed concerns that new parks were only contributing to the problem, and reminded legislators that the recent government shutdown was largely focused on parks. As a result, our GA staffers received more than a dozen contacts from senators and representatives, and the White House called to voice its approval. The park's funding woes won't be solved overnight, but among conservation nonprofits, NPCA is recognized as leading the charge for America's favorite places. 

 

Concept, creative direction

Writing by Amy Marquis. Design by LouLou & Tummie 

 

One of our coworkers spent her 6-week sabbatical learning about the various ways national parks use food to interpret American culture and history. She wrote up a brief report, and we plucked some of our favorite tidbits, handed it over to the creatives at LouLou & Tummie, and produced this infographic for our magazine.  

Where the Wild Things Are
Art Direction
Illustration: Mike Kasun 
 
A review copy of the new book "Wildlife Watching in America's National Parks," came across my desk, but instead of running a short review or an excerpt, we thought it might be better to create a map that reveals the best time to see key wildlife species in our national parks.