The  National Parks: America's Best Idea

An Evening with Ken Burns

On Thursday, June 18, Alaska Geographic and the National Parks Conservation Association welcomed Ken Burns to Alaska for a special preview of his latest film project, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Held at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage, this sell-out event drew an audience of nearly 2,000 people--and helped us connect hundreds of new supporters to Alaska's magnificent national parks.

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea airs this fall on PBS, a six-part film series that explores the astonishing natural beauty, rich human history, and enduring inspiration of America’s national parks. It  marks the latest contribution from one of the world’s great documentary filmmakers.

Since the release of his first PBS documentary in 1981 (The Brooklyn Bridge), Ken Burns has produced and directed nearly two dozen PBS films. In 1990, Burns’ landmark television series The Civil War attracted 40 million viewers, won more than 40 major film awards, and established him as one of the greatest documentary filmmakers of our time. In 1994 Burns released his next epic documentary, Baseball, to a record audience of 45 million—the most watched series in PBS history. His more recent works include The West (1996), Thomas Jefferson (1997), Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997), Jazz (2001), and The War (2007).

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, produced with Burns’ longtime colleague Dayton Duncan, carries on this tradition. The film tells a story both powerful and compelling, full of stirring adventure and enduring inspiration. But ultimately it tells the story of a magnificent idea—an idea that has grown, evolved, and resonated across the country for nearly a century. The current issue of NPCA's National Parks Magazine features an in-depth interview with Ken Burns about his latest film project. The first installment airs on September 27. Learn more.

All proceeds from this special fundraising event supported Alaska Geographic and the National Parks Conservation Association.

We would also like to thank our sponsors for helping make this event a success:

Leadership Sponsor

Conservation Sponsors

Community Sponsors

Camp Denali and North Face Lodge
Arctic Wire, Rope, and Supply
Jerryne and Wallace Cole
Lowell and Tay Thomas, Jr.
Fran Ulmer and Bill Council
Charles A. and Charlotte S. Bird
Mark and Deborah Moderow
David A. Pike, Pike Legal Group, PLLC
Alaska Wildland Adventures
Niebrugge Images

Photos (top right, middle left): Clark Mischler, Jason Savage