Today's the day, folks. The last day of 2015, and the last day you can make a donation to the national park friends organization of your choice and claim a tax deduction if the group is a non-profit.

December 31 for many has taken on a significance much like the first day of spring, Thanksgiving, or the Fourth of July. While we can donate to groups whose missions we believe in any day of the year, often it takes a special day -- like the last day of the year for making a tax-deductible contribution -- to motivate us to actually pull the trigger. Or, in today's cyber age, click the button.

Why donate to a friends group or cooperating association? Because they play increasingly vital roles in the continued existence of the National Park System. While it'd be nice if these organizations truly could focus on providing an extra layer of excellence on the parks, more and more they are providing dollars and services key to day-to-day operations. For instance:

* The Grand Teton National Park Foundation has worked to raise $17 million to help pay for the restoration of the Jenny Lake area of Grand Teton National Park. This multi-year endeavor aims to erase social trails, rebuild crumbling trails created by the Civilian Conservation corps in the 1930s, and in general lessen the human footprint in the backcountry and even around the frontcountry facilities of the area.

* Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park supports a full-time trail crew that works on maintaining the 800-odd miles of hiking trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

* Friends of Acadia also does trail work in Acadia National Park, and helps eradicate non-native species from the park and restore watersheds.

* At Saguaro National Park, Friends of Saguaro helps support research into saguaro and other plant and wildlife species, and also underwrites trail work.

* Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore funds the lakeshore's newspaper for visitors, funds restoration of historic buildings there, and helps fund staffing for the "ice cave" tours in winter.

* The Shenandoah National Park Trust provides funding for research in Shenandoah National Park, and brings in experts to address a wide variety of issues in the park; some, for instance, come up with solutions for restoring decaying historic facilities.

* Friends of Virgin Islands National Park helps support the Cinnamon Bay Archeology Museum and Lab at Virgin Islands National Park, and supports coral reef research. 

* Washington's National Park Fund works year-round to support three parks: Olympic, North Cascades, and Mount Rainier. This organization underwrites trail work in the three parks, funds night sky interpretation programs, and even purchases gear for backcountry rangers to use.

* The Appalachian Trail Conservany supports trail crews that maintain the 2,185 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The organization also works with the National Park Service to monitor the natural resources found along the trail.

* The Mississippi River Connection works to help the National Park Service protect and preserve resources along the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, such as the Coldwater Spring area the Park Service acquired from the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Together the groups are restoring the area to an oak savanna prairie with blufftop woodlands and wetlands.

* The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is a national leader in getting kids out into parks, supports the traditional mountain music of the Blue Ridge Mountains through the Blue Ridge Music Center, and helps fund restoration projects, such as the repairs to the waterwheel at the Mabry Mill.

The above is just a random sampling of the good work these groups do. The list of projects, and organizations, goes on and on, and your dollars provide great assistance in helping these organizations accomplish their missions, be it rebuilding trails or producing educational and interpretive materials. You can find a somewhat recent list of friends groups at this NPS page. Or, simply search the web for "national park friends groups," or reach out to your favorite park to see if it has a supporting organization.