National Park Travelers Club

The National Park Travelers Club (or NPTC) is a non-profit 501(c)7 social club organization.[2] 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.

National Park Travelers Club (NPTC)
Founded2004
TypeNon-profit social club
Location
  • United States
Members
over 1700
Key people
Roland Spies, NPTC President[1]
Websitehttp://www.parkstamps.org

Description

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[3]), 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.[4]

Conventions

The NPTC has hosted 14 annual conventions at various National Park Units.[5] 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.[6] A special official national park passport stamp is produced for each convention, and only available during the convention.[7]

Awards

The NPTC awards travelers for lifetime achievement, as well as for annual visitation of the parks.

Lifetime Achievement Awards[17]
  • Bronze: visiting 100 park units
  • Silver: visiting 200 park units
  • Gold: visiting 300 park units
  • Titanium: visiting 400 park units
  • Platinum: visiting all 419 current National Park System units

Annual Master Traveler Awards[18]
  • Special Achievement: collecting 20 national park passport stamps from 10 park units in 2 geographic regions
  • Clean Sweep: visiting a park unit in each of the 9 geographic regions within a year
  • Bronze: collecting 50 stamps from 25 units in 4 geographic regions
  • Silver: collecting 75 stamps from 35 units in 5 geographic regions
  • Gold: collecting 100 stamps from 50 units in 6 geographic regions

Other awards
  • Most Wanted (formerly "Ten Most Wanted"): for finding a park passport stamp that has been exceptionally difficult to locate[19]
  • Surprise Park (discontinued after 2012): for visiting a park selected each year by the President of the Club for having an anniversary of historical importance
  • Civil War 150th Anniversary (discontinued after 2015): for visiting a Civil War related site and collecting its stamp on the anniversary of an event which happened exactly 150 years ago.

Recognition

In addition to the articles referenced below, the club has been recognized by various organizations, including:

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References
  1. "About the NPTC". NPTC. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  2. "501(c)7 Acceptance Letter". IRS. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  3. "NPTC Membership Form" (PDF). NPTC. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  4. "The Stamp Pad". NPTC. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  5. "National Park Travelers Club 2015 Convention Preview". NPTC. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  6. "2010 Convention Agenda" (PDF). NPTC. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  7. "Master List Page". NPTC. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  8. "National Park Travelers Club Coming to Lowell National Historical Park". NPS.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  9. "Next Stamp... Lowell!" (PDF). Lowell Sun. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  10. "Travel club sets sights on Three Rivers and Sequoia National Park". The Kaweah Commonwealth. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  11. "Passport Stampers Convene At El Malpais". NPS.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  12. "Group celebrates 'obsession' with national parks". USA Today. August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  13. National Park Travelers Club 2013 Convention Preview. NPTC. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  14. National Park Travelers Club 2014 Convention Preview. NPTC. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  15. National Park Travelers Club 2015 Convention Preview. NPTC. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  16. National Park Travelers Club 2016 Convention Preview. NPTC. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  17. "Lifetime Achievement Award". NPTC. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  18. "Master Travelers Award". NPTC. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  19. "Most Wanted Stamps". NPTC. Retrieved August 13, 2011.

See also
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