On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson established the National Park Service. The Organic Act proclaimed it would “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.”

Celebrate National Park Service Founders Day this August 25th with special programming on WTIU:

Nature: American Horses – 1pm

Discover the origin story of American horses, which can be traced back to the 50-million-year-old fossil beds of Polecat Bench, Wyoming. From these ancient beginnings, Equus spread around the globe, but mysteriously went extinct in North America. Arriving aboard ships of Spanish explorers, horses reclaimed the continent after a 10,000-year absence. With their return, the stage was set for a new generation of American breeds and a lifelong partnership with humans. American horses are icons. Mustang, Appaloosa, Morgan, Quarter Horse. Follow the history of the uniquely American horse breeds that helped shape our nation and meet the people who are continuing in the long tradition of caring for them.

Nature: Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons – 2:30pm

Grizzly 399, the most famous bear in Grand Teton National Park, has an exceptional litter of four cubs to raise. Every day, the family must contend with threats to their survival, including a warming climate and human encroachment in bear country. Now the stakes are higher than ever as Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana seek to remove grizzlies from the endangered species list—which would make it legal to hunt them. In a riveting story full of twists and turns, hope, and heartbreak, Grizzly 399 stands as a symbol of the clash between humans and the wild.

Ken Burns: The National Parks – 4pm

The National Parks is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. As such, it follows in the tradition of Burns's exploration of other American inventions, such as baseball and jazz. The National Parks is a visual feast, featuring some of the most extensive, breathtaking images of the national parks system ever captured on film.