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THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA
Premiered on WIPB-TV September 27, 2009

The 6-part, 12-hour series traces the birth of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its evolution for nearly 150 years. Using archival photographs, first-person accounts of historical characters, personal memories and analysis from more than 40 interviews, and what Burns believes is the most stunning cinematography in Florentine Films' history, the series chronicles the steady addition of new parks through the stories of the people who helped create them and save them from destruction.

Through generous funding from WETA and the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, WIPB partnered with the Ball State University Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management to plan a trip for the children at the Boys and Girls Club of Muncie, visiting the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and State Park. The children documented their trip by taking pictures and writing about their experiences.