Training Program to Benefit National Parks

The new training program funded by Alcoa Foundation will benefit areas like Dettifoss waterfall in Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park. Vatnajokull and the Smokies are exploring a possible sister park arrangement. Dettifoss can also be seen in the movie Prometheus. (The Herald/Submitted Photo)

Alcoa Foundation has announced it is providing grants to Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) to launch a two-year Icelandic National Parks Training Program, which helps promote and protect national parks and reserves throughout Iceland.

The program is designed to develop the capacity of Icelanders working on the development, management, and conservation of Iceland’s national parks—both park staff and employees of partner organizations. Fourteen Icelanders have been selected to participate in two study programs; both will be held in the United States.

The fourteen training fellows will receive classroom instruction on topics such as managing natural resources and building partnerships, while also observing and interacting with staff at several national parks in the United States. They will return with management skills and peer networks for conservation and park development. The fall 2012 training session will be held near Washington, D.C., and the spring 2013 session will be held in Washington State and Oregon.

“Alcoa recognizes the importance of supporting the stewards of our protective lands and sharing and leveraging their best practices to enhance our parks,” said Paula Davis, President of Alcoa Foundation. “By partnering with two strong organizations from regions where Alcoa operates, we aim to identify conservation solutions that will help protect the Icelandic national parks so that future generations of residents and visitors from around the world will continue to benefit from their beauty and significance.”