National Park Travelers Club
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| Founded | 2004 |
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| Type | Non-profit social club |
| Location |
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Members
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over 1700 |
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Key people
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Roland Spies, NPTC President |
| Mission | To provide networking and recognition opportunities for visitors to America's National Park System. |
| Website | http://www.parkstamps.org |
The National Park Travelers Club (or NPTC) is a non-profit 501(c)7 social club organization. Its mission is to provide networking and recognition opportunities for visitors to America's National Park System. This Club acts to support and expand appreciation of the U.S. National Park System.
The NPTC was organized in 2004, at the second meeting of a small group of National Park enthusiasts. Since then, it has grown to over 1700 dues paying members (dues are $10 for the first year, and $5 per year after that), and over 9700 members of the free online site www.parkstamps.org. Paying dues gives members access to the Master List, Master Database, and Master Map of all known National Park Passport Stamp locations, in addition to voting in club elections. The online site features trip reports and hints for visits to parks, information on legislation impacting parks, and a message board for park related topics. The membership meets yearly at the NPTC Annual Convention and also arranges smaller group meetings at events such as park dedications or important park anniversaries. Additionally, awards are given out to members meeting visitation criteria, such as visiting certain numbers of park units within a year, or over a lifetime. The NPTC publishes a quarterly newsletter called The Stamp Pad.
The NPTC has hosted 14 annual conventions at various National Park Units. These meetings serve as an opportunity for club members to socialize, share trip stories, hear keynote presentations from National Park Service Rangers, and take group guided tours of the area. Attendance at the meeting is free and open to the public. A special official national park passport stamp is produced for each convention, and only available during the convention.
The NPTC awards travelers for lifetime achievement, as well as for annual visitation of the parks.
In addition to the articles referenced below, the club has been recognized by various organizations, including:
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Wikipedia