Homestead National Monument of America and other national parks in the Midwest are pleased to offer live virtual tours of their sites during National Park Week on Sunday, April 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Using distance learning technology, visitors will be able to interact live with a national park ranger from selected national parks. In partnership with the State of Nebraska through Educational Service Unit #5 in Beatrice, Nebraska, Homestead National Monument of America has been offering distance learning connections since 2001. Through this collaborative effort other national parks have come on line to offer enrichment activities to students throughout the U.S. Badlands National Park, Minute Man Missile National Historic Site, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, all in South Dakota, are tentatively scheduled to offer connections as well as Nicodemus National Historic Site in Kansas, and George Washington Carver National Monument in Missouri. "This is a great opportunity to not only celebrate our national parks, but also learn more about these other sites of national significance." said Mark Engler, superintendent of Homestead National Monument. "We encourage visitors to visit us on April 23 and discover these other parks from the comfort of Homestead National Monument. The technology we use will allow real-time interaction with park rangers at these sites. It's even possible to plan your summer vacation on this day." Throughout the day on April 23 each of the parks will give a presentation about their park and then allow visitors participating in the connections to ask questions of the ranger. Park programming, special events and other activities that may be offered throughout the summer season can be learned during this event. To learn more about this event and others contact Homestead National Monument of America at 402-223-3514 or visit on-line at www.nps.gov/home. The park is located 4 miles west of Beatrice on State Highway 4. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
