Without a doubt, America's national parks are among our country's greatest treasures. Last year alone, 87 million people trekked to one of our more than 385 national parks. Each visit was enhanced by a dedicated group of 120,000 volunteers who demonstrated their love of our parks by donating more than 4 million hours of service towards park conservation and preservation efforts.

Last fall, 47 of my L.L.Bean colleagues and I continued our company's tradition of caring and respect for the outdoors by volunteering at Maine's Acadia National Park. To read more about L.L.Bean's "Acadia Days" and just a few of the hundreds of other volunteer programs taking place across the country, I invite you to follow the link at the bottom of this page.

At a time when many national parks are strained by a lack of resources and staff, volunteers of all ages provide critical support and an invaluable service. In fact, the more you learn about our national parks, the more you will realize just how much they need our help. I hope you, along with family and friends, will join us by finding time in your busy schedule to help ensure that these special places will continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Learn more about national park volunteers.