The National Park Trust announced that former First Lady Laura Bush has received the 2025 American Park Experience (APEX) Award. Since 2009, this national award has honored an individual or group that has made extraordinary efforts to enhance the awareness and appreciation of the nation’s public parks, lands and waters.
The APEX award recognizes Mrs. Bush’s lifelong dedication to conservation, environmental education and the nation’s national parks, especially in her home state of Texas. A passionate advocate for America’s natural and cultural heritage, she has also championed programs that inspire future generations to explore and protect U.S. public lands.
As First Lady, Mrs. Bush launched the Preserve America initiative, a national effort to promote historic preservation, increase public awareness of cultural and natural heritage, and encourage community engagement in conservation efforts. Under her leadership, the initiative supported hundreds of projects across the country, providing grants to help protect historic sites and landscapes. She also played a key role in the National Parks Centennial Initiative, working alongside the National Park Service to secure investments in infrastructure, visitor services and conservation programs. Her efforts helped ensure that America’s national parks would be preserved and made more accessible and enjoyable for future generations.
Beyond her time in the White House, Mrs. Bush has remained a dedicated advocate for environmental stewardship. As Honorary Co-Chair of the National Park Foundation’s Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, she has championed efforts to expand park access and inspire future generations of park stewards. In her home state of Texas, she founded Texan by Nature, which brings conservation and business leaders together to advance solutions for preserving the state’s natural resources. Through this initiative, she has helped foster partnerships that promote sustainability, protect wildlife habitats and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities across Texas.
The former first lady also played a key role in establishing the Native Texas Park at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, transforming it into a restored prairie landscape that serves as an outdoor classroom for students and visitors to explore native ecosystems.
Mrs. Bush has also inspired young people to connect with the outdoors through storytelling. In Our Great Big Backyard, a children’s book co-authored with her daughter Jenna Bush Hager, she highlights the wonder of America’s national parks and encourages kids to explore the beauty of nature.
“Former First Lady Laura Bush embodies the spirit of the American Park Experience Award,” said Grace Lee, executive director of the National Park Trust. “Her extraordinary leadership over decades has greatly benefited our national parks and parks in Texas — and has inspired countless people, especially children, to discover, enjoy and protect our treasured parks and public lands for current and future generations.”
“Teaching children about our land — how to protect it, respect it, plant it, and care for it — is essential for the future of our state and our country,” Mrs. Laura Bush said. “Thank you to the National Park Trust for honoring me with this year’s American Park Experience award. You are helping the next generation find the joy in discovering and exploring our nation’s parks, and I am grateful.”
Past recipients of the American Park Experience Award include journalist Al Roker, Filmmaker Jimmy Chin, Park Ranger Shelton Johnson, Hydro Flask for their Parks for All program, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, filmmaker Ken Burns, and screenwriter Dayton Duncan.
Mrs. Bush was presented the 2025 APEX award on March 28, 2025, by the National Park Trust’s Executive Director Grace Lee.
Image courtesy National Park Trust. Shown Former First Lady Laura Bush at left receiving the 2025 American Park Experience (APEX) Award from National Park Trust Executive Director Grace Lee.
