Toyota and the National Parks

Seems to us that there are few things more tightly woven into the fabric of America than strapping the kids into the car and heading out to enjoy a few days and nights camping in one of our national parks.

Those parks are rightly seen as part of the national heritage, part of every American’s birthright. They represent, for all of us, adventure, renewal and the inexorable allure of nature at its very best.

But they’re something else, as well. Our parks also represent a unique opportunity to provide training for the next generation of environmental leaders. With that in mind, in a program known as Leadership in Environmental Awareness for the Future, or LEAF, Toyota recently announced a $5 million donation that will help support environmental leadership and educational programs at five national parks around the country. We’ll also donate 23 vehicles for use in the parks.

This grant will support environmental education programs at:

• Everglades National Park and the South Florida National Parks Trust;
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park through the Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park;
• Yellowstone National Park through the Yellowstone Park Foundation;
• Yosemite National Park through the Yosemite Fund;
• Grand Canyon through the Grand Canyon National Park Foundation;
• Other parks through the National Park Foundation.

These parks were selected because of their educational programs serving children and teachers. Programs include day-use and camp scholarships for inner-city and Native American communities; bilingual Junior Ranger programs; and the University of California intern program, which is designed to cultivate new leadership for the National Park Service.

So the next time you’re roasting marshmallows over a campfire in Yosemite or maybe peering into the Grand Canyon’s chasm, spare a thought for our nation’s historic heritage of preservation and stewardship. And spare a thought, also, for the need to perpetuate these parks through the stewardship and training of environmental leaders and teachers.

If you’ve got favorite park memories, take a moment to share them with us here – and while you’re at it, if you have national park photos on a Flickr account, be sure to post that link. We’d love to check ‘em out.

- Cindy Knight, Product News Manager, Corporate Communications

Comments

[Jon]

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is part of the National Park system. It is one of the premier surf fishing destinations on the East Coast. Access to prime fishing areas can be made with off-road vehicles, like the ones Toyota manufactures.

The Audubon Society is working toward restricting access to parts of the beach (to driving or walking).

Toyota recently gave the Audubon Society $20 million.

I'll hang on to my memories, since that may be all I have left of one of my favorite National Parks. I'm embarrassed to drive my Toyota down there anymore.

[Joe Rhoan]

Yosemite National Park has done nothing to work with American Indian groups although they have been busy removing the true history from the park and replacing it with fabricated nonesense.
The NPS of Yosemite has been approached on several occasions and found the evidence we have presented crediable, yet they refuse to acknowledge the real facts, instead they are promoting another tribal group who has no federal status but have allowed the NPS to desecrate sacred sites and remove artifacts which is a violation of federal law.
Its good to see that the Toyota Corp. has embraced this same concept by donating money to a non profit that does nothing for the American Indian culture or for the American public.