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Yellowstone National Park’s Special ‘Inheritance Pass’ Can’t Be Used Until 2172

Yellowstone National Park’s Special ‘Inheritance Pass’ Can’t Be Used Until 2172
Posted at 7:00 AM, Apr 09, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-08 14:26:42-04

If you have a love for nature that you’re hoping to pass down to you future descendants, America’s oldest national park is offering a unique way to do just that.

Yellowstone National Park is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2022 and is marking that milestone with special passes that let you — and a person still to come in your family tree — experience the natural wonders it possesses. The park’s limited-edition Inheritance Pass gives you one pass for a year of visits starting in 2022 and another pass that isn’t valid until 2172, which is 150 years from now and 300 years from when Yellowstone was dedicated.

National Park Service / Jim Peaco

This one-of-a-kind fundraiser was thought up by marketers at Havas Chicago, who were tasked with creating a campaign that would celebrate the park’s big birthday without immediately driving up foot traffic, according to Chicago’s WBEZ radio. The pandemic has already led to an uptick in visitors to Yellowstone, but these passes are meant to help generate donations while holding off half of the visitors they cover for another century and a half.

To get an Inheritance Pass, you’ll have to donate $1,500 to Yellowstone Forever, the official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park. The donation is tax deductible and will be used on “priority projects that protect wildlife, preserve resources and enhance visitor experiences,” according to Yellowstone Forever.

National Park Service / Diane Renkin

When you make the donation, you’ll get a thank-you note and a complimentary pass to Yellowstone that must be used at some point during 2022 and will last for a year from the first date it’s used. If you donate before July 2022, your Inheritance Pass (the one that can’t be used until 2172) will be shipped in August 2022. If your donation is made after July 2022, the Inheritance Pass won’t ship until January 2023.

If you’re worried about the Inheritance Pass getting lost or destroyed during the next 150 years, a record of all donors will be kept by Yellowstone Forever in case a backup is needed.

National Park Service / Neal Herbert

Here’s hoping Yellowstone is just as gorgeous in 150 years as it was in 1872 and remains today.

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