WASHINGTON, DC - The National Park Foundation, official non-profit partner of the National Park Service, will give grants to 20 projects designed to enhance the country’s national trails and wild and scenic rivers, as well as increasing public access to these national treasures. The grants also celebrate the 50th anniversaries of both the National Trails System and the Wild & Scenic Rivers System, both organizations founded in 1968. “Trails and rivers bring people together for shared experiences that last a lifetime,” Will Shafroth, president of the National Park Foundation, said in a press release.

The funds for these grants were raised as part of the National Park Foundation’s Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, which so far has raised more than $500 million in private donations to strengthen and enhance the country’s parks. The projects will benefit trails and rivers across the U.S. including rivers in Connecticut, West Virginia, California and New Jersey as well as the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, and more. 

A link to the full list of projects can be found on the National Park Foundation's website.