The 4th National Park Passport Stampers Convention Was a Success

Empire, MI, August 22, 2006 --(PR.com)-- The 4th Annual National Park Passport Stampers Convention, sponsored by the National Park Traveler’s Club, took place at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire, Michigan from August 11-13, 2006. The Convention allowed people with an interest in National Parks to come together, tell stories, and show off their Passport To Your National Parks® books. In these books, park visitors receive cancellation stamps at each of America's 390 official National Park Units and at many of the more than 100 Affiliated Areas and other designated areas under the administration of the National Park Service. There are presently well over 2000 stamps; many units have multiple stamps. There was a special passport cancellation stamp available only to convention attendees.

Attendees at the convention included people from many states, including California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia, and Alaska. Sleeping Bear Dunes chief interpretive ranger Lisa Myers and National Parks Conservation Association executive vice president Tom Martin were the keynote speakers. Additionally, there were raffle prizes, group dinners, a group boat tour to South Manitou Island, and a special reception hosted by park superintendent Dusty Schultz.

The Convention served as the third annual meeting of the National Park Travelers Club (NPTC), which has been formed "to provide networking and recognition opportunities for visitors to America's National Park System." All avid National Park visitors are encouraged to sign up for the club; visit www.parkstamps.org for more details. Officer election results were announced. Nancy Bandley was voted in as the 2nd president of the Club. John Giorgis was elected vice president, while Glenn Morton and Craig Bailey were reelected to the posts of treasurer and secretary. At the convention, Bandley appointed outgoing president Mike Brown to the post of president emeritus.

Next summer, the Club will host its 5th annual convention. The location and date of this event will be determined within the next few months. Visit the NPTC website for more details.

Though Eastern National, the non-profit company that has run the stamping program since its inception in 1986, does not officially sponsor this event, Brown "would like to thank Eastern National for all of the support they have given us leading up to this year's Convention, and of course, for creating the Passport to Your National Parks® program."

For additional information about the annual convention, and the current master list of all cancellation stamps (compiled by member Nancy Bandley, with contributions from all of the members of the group), please visit http://www.stampconvention.com and http://www.parkstamps.org.

Eastern National owns the trademark to "Passport To Your National Parks®."

Neither the 4th Annual National Park Passport Stampers Convention, www.parkstamps.org, the National Park Travelers Club, nor any of the parties involved are affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service or Eastern National.

###