With just a few days left until Halloween, the National Park Service is helping wildlife fans get ahead of the ‘carve.’
NPS released a new slew of pumpkin carving templates for Jack-O-Lantern festivities, with designs that are full of delight — and maybe even fright.
It’s all part of its annual pumpkin carving challenge, in which participants are encouraged to use the templates (or come up with their own designs!) to create national park-themed pumpkins and share them on social media.
To make things easier, NPS shared seven templates, featuring wolves, fall foliage, spiders, bats, beloved “fat bears,” and even a bison tossing a tourist, per some wildlife safety stories that made headlines among national parks this year.
While most templates are adorably festive, the aforementioned tourist-tossing design, titled “Close Encounter” is ideally spooky enough to knock some sense into future visitors.
The design depicts a tourist being tossed in the air by a frighted bison, inspired by a number of viral videos depicting irresponsible visitors getting too close for comfort.
Along with the design, NPS shared a link to wildlife safety tips, encouraging visitors to have “unscary” wildlife encounters on park sites.
Mostly, though, the NPS is just excited for another fun fall season.
“Orange you excited for autumn? Get ahead of the carve by creating a gourd-geous park pumpkin this fall season and give ‘em pumpkin to talk about,” NPS writes in a blog post.
The agency encourages folks to post photos on social media using the hashtags #FindYourPark or #EncuentraTuParque to join a digital pumpkin patch. And don’t forget to dispose of your pumpkin properly at the end of the season!
All of the designs can be found below and are available to download and print for free at home (or at your local library!).
The Close Encounter
“Few things are more terrifying than people getting too close to wildlife,” NPS writes. “National parks are packed with creatures of all shapes and tooth sizes.”
The Batty One
Did you know that national parks are roosting grounds or migratory stops for millions of bats? The NPS encourages folks to learn how to protect bats in their neighborhoods.
The Autumn Leaves
Leaf-peeping is a seasonal activity that brings thousands to state and national parks. Just be sure to leave no trace and clean up after yourself!
The Camper
Bundle up and camp responsibly this season! Always be sure to know more about fire restrictions to ensure the safety of you and the ecosystems around you.
The Full Moon
Tap into your inner werewolf with this design and pay homage to the stunning night skies in national parks or in your own neighborhood — visible without light pollution.
The Web Designer
No fears about creepy-crawlers here! Let this spider-centric template empower you to get connected to conservation inside and out of the country’s national parks.
The Fat Bear
These guys might be friend-shaped, but you’ll still want to be bear-y careful around them — especially as they gear up for hibernation! Once again, we urge you to practice wildlife safety.
Header images courtesy of NPS
