New Nature Reserve Audio Tours and an Atmospheric Microsite Enable Visitors to Hear the Best of Forest Park

Contact:
Katy Peace, Marketing & Digital Media Manager | kpeace@forestparkforever.org | 314.561.3290

ST. LOUIS, June 15, 2016 – Forest Park Forever, the nonprofit conservancy that partners with the City of St. Louis to care for Forest Park, is thrilled to introduce two new audio projects to help Park visitors and fans learn about and engage with Forest Park.

Audio Tours of the Forest Park Nature Reserve

With support from longtime partner the Missouri Department of Conservation, Forest Park Forever has unveiled a new series of free professional audio tours that enable visitors to learn more about three sites within the Park’s 180-acre Nature Reserve system: Deer Lake Savanna, John F. Kennedy Memorial Forest and the Savanna in Kennedy Forest. Each audio tour is narrated by Fox 2's John Pertzborn. The tours have been built to be available on any device, allowing visitors to enjoy listening via their phones as they walk through the areas themselves or on their desktop computers before a trip to the Park. Tours can be accessed by visiting forestparkforever.org/audio.

Listenforestpark.org: A Soundtrack to Calm Your Busy Day

Listen Forest Park makes the sounds of our region’s greatest natural gem accessible no matter where you are in the world. Whether you want to tune out the office chatter and get some deep thinking done, ease an infant into sleep or simply — on a day you can’t actual visit Forest Park — summon what it sounds like, just visit Listenforestpark.org on any device. Press ‘Play’ on hour-long recordings of five iconic Park locations, including Picnic Island and the Emerson Grand Basin, and your frenzied day will suddenly feel calmer. The high-fidelity recordings were captured for Forest Park Forever in May 2016 by St. Louis company Hugmonster Sound. Later this summer, Forest Park Forever will introduce short ringtone versions of these Forest Park sounds.

“We are very excited to offer the community these new ways to experience Forest Park,” said Forest Park Forever Strategic Communications Director Stephen Schenkenberg. “The Nature Reserve Audio Tours are packed with interesting details about these special natural areas, from the flora and fauna visitors can see to how the areas are cared for. With Listenforestpark.org, we were looking for a way to let anyone around the globe improve their day by queuing up the beautiful soundtrack that Forest Park offers. With both projects, we are proud to help people form deeper connections to one of the most beautiful urban parks in the world.”

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About Forest Park Forever
Founded in 1986, Forest Park Forever is a private nonprofit conservancy that works in partnership with the City of St. Louis and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry to restore, maintain and sustain Forest Park as one of America’s greatest urban public parks.

Along with the City of St. Louis, Forest Park Forever raised $100 million between 1995 and 2003 and dramatically restored many landmark destinations in Forest Park, including the Emerson Grand Basin, the Boathouse and the Jewel Box.

Today, Forest Park Forever maintains Forest Park with the City of St. Louis; raises funds for and helps manage capital restoration projects called for in the Forest Park Master Plan; delivers experiential educational opportunities to teachers, students and adults; and provides information and guides for the Park’s 13 million annual visitors. Not part of the Zoo-Museum Tax District, Forest Park Forever is supported by private donations from throughout the community, including its 7,000 members, 1,100 volunteers and many leading community and corporate partners.

Connect with us at facebook.com/forestparkforever, twitter.com/forestpark4ever and instagram.com/forestparkforever.

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