Grand Canyon, Ariz. – Grand Canyon National Park joins parks, programs and partners across the country to encourage everyone to find their park and share their stories online at FindYourPark.com. Launched March 30 by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, Find Your Park is a public awareness and education campaign celebrating the milestone centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016 and setting the stage for its second century of service.

Find Your Park invites the public to see that a national park can be more than a place -- it can be a feeling, a state of mind, or a sense of American pride. Beyond vast landscapes, the campaign highlights historical, urban, and cultural parks, as well as the National Park Service programs that protect, preserve and share nature, culture, and history in communities nationwide.

“Find Your Park” will also be the theme for this year’s National Park Week, April 18 – 26. To kick off National Park Week, Grand Canyon will hold Earth Day festivities on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19. As part of the celebration, The Emerald Mile author Kevin Fedarko will present an evening program at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at the Shrine of the Ages Auditorium. The author will sign books after the presentation and the following day during the Earth Day celebration.

Earth Day festivities continue Sunday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center plaza. Join park rangers, Green Team members, and the park’s partners in a “green” celebration of unique and interactive activities related to the environment and all nature has to offer at Grand Canyon National Park. This event is free and open to all ages.

Also in celebration of National Park Week, Grand Canyon will waive entrance fees on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19. Park visitors are reminded that fee-free designation applies to entrance fees only and does not affect fees for camping, reservations, tours, or use of concessions. Visitors who plan to spend time in the park beyond April 19th will need to pay the regular entrance fee for the remainder of their stay.

For additional information about the park’s Earth Day events, please contact Marty Martell at 928-638-7834. Visit http://www.nationalparkweek.org to learn more about how you can join parks, programs, and partners in celebrating National Park Week across the country.