If You Love National Parks, Here's What You Can Do Today
Even with the hot desert sun pressing its radiating heat against my face and my backpack stuck against my back with a sheen of sweat, I felt nothing but joy.
I was listening to a Park Ranger, a woman in her late fifties dressed in that classic beige ensemble, Stetson and all. It was a look I envied, and I dreamed that someday I would wear it too. She was explaining how the tectonic plates were responsible for the iconic round boulders that emerged from the taupe sands of Joshua Tree National Park.
I'd been to Joshua Tree quite a few times before. My University was located just forty-five minutes away and my grandmother lived equidistant in a small desert town. However, it was not until this moment, listening to the enthusiastic ranger that I felt my curiosity piqued. Suddenly, I wanted to understand how such a place existed, why it felt so uniquely different from the other parks I’d visited before.
I was there with my parents, and we were not the only hikers who were listening to her. There were families, older couples, and solo hikers all standing next to us.
How could anyone think this career and the passionate people who filled these roles were disposable?
What's happening with parks and other national associations?
There has been a lot happening since Trump's inauguration. To be honest, I've struggled to keep track of everything that has taken place or what half of it means.
I think maybe that's part of a larger strategy. If the general public is unsure of what’s happening and why, they’re less likely to put up a fuss. This is why I think we might want to drop all logic and attack back with unhinged chaos instead (only half joking).
I appreciated the helpful articles that the National Park Conservation Association has been sharing about how the new administration may affect parks and highlighting how valuable their parks staff is.
The TL;DR is that there have been big layoffs for National Park workers.
Though the total number of visitors to national parks was flat last year to what it was in 2019, the congestion in the most popular parks has been overwhelming (for example Zion saw a record high of 5 million visitors and Glacier National Park had to pilot a vehicle reservation system - similar to what we now see in Muir Woods - to solve for the congestion into the parks). As you’d imagine, these crowds necessitate workers to help facilitate, keep people safe, and keep the parks protected and thriving while still enabling everyone to experience their wonders.
This is why it has been shocking to hear that. 5% of the National Park Service staff has been laid off.
If you want to go straight to the action items you can take today, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post!
To me, this feels like a way to separate us from nature, and in doing so, decrease our attachment and appreciation for it—resulting in a lack of desire to protect it. With the new administration’s hyper-focus on extracting energy resources (threats to re-draw the barriers of protected lands) this would make sense.
My mind returns to a moment twenty-five years ago. I can still remember the feeling; I was ten years old standing at the edge of a forest, staring up at a totem that stretched high to the sky. I'd never felt more American, a deep heartbeat that belonged to me and to this land, grounding me in place. I could feel the wind, and I could feel the wild. It was in Alaska that spoke to the Orcas and they surfaced near the boat. It was in Alaska that I watched a vixen teaching her cubs how to hunt. Moose peering out from trees. Bears stepping across snow. The magic of this world opening.
Now, I read the White House's "Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Potential" and my stomach tightens. It speaks of today and it speaks of money. It does not speak of the world of tomorrow and it does not speak of the wealth that comes with thriving, healthy ecosystems and life outside of economics.
"The State of Alaska holds an abundant and largely untapped supply of natural resources including, among others, energy, mineral, timber, and seafood. Unlocking this bounty of natural wealth will raise the prosperity of our citizens while helping to enhance our Nation’s economic and national security for generations to come. By developing these resources to the fullest extent possible, we can help deliver price relief for Americans, create high-quality jobs for our citizens, ameliorate our trade imbalances, augment the Nation’s exercise of global energy dominance, and guard against foreign powers weaponizing energy supplies in theaters of geopolitical conflict.
Unleashing this opportunity, however, requires an immediate end to the assault on Alaska’s sovereignty and its ability to responsibly develop these resources for the benefit of the Nation. It is, therefore, imperative to immediately reverse the punitive restrictions implemented by the previous administration that specifically target resource development on both State and Federal lands in Alaska."
In her book "Braiding Sweetgrass," Robin Wall Kimmerer explores the ways that we have lost track of our mutually beneficial relationship with the land. If we do not consider the land and its needs, our Circle of Us is limited to only ourselves, and our Circle of Now is limited to only today, not the days and generations that come after us.
Her book is 300+ page book and I don’t expect everyone to have the time to read it. Luckily, the same sentiment is shared in "The Giving Tree," a children’s book that we all have time to read.
How can a concept that is simple enough for a child to comprehend have gotten so lost?
If we cannot trust our government to protect America (with its purple mountains majesty that we have so long admired as Americans), then who do we turn to?
Are we forced to take action into our own hands and do we have the means to do so? The protagonist of Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Last American Man" had only one mission: to buy as much land as possible to protect it. I am beginning to wonder if this is the only solution. I, unfortunately, do not have billions of dollars to invest in buying land as a private owner.
Instead, I am focusing on not losing track of what’s happening (no matter how confusing it is). I have also asked staff and read enough articles to know that there are some steps that I can take today.
What you can do to help our National Parks:
Despite how it may seem, there are things that we can do today to support our National Parks.
You can sign petitions like this one to speak up for our National Parks Staff. Call or email your local officials. Express how distressing this is, and why our parks are important to you and the community. Make it clear that they need to be protected and supported.
You can look into volunteering opportunities as the Parks will be understaffed (though be conscious that they may not have the capacity to support official volunteer efforts either). TBD.
You can invest/vote with your dollar by supporting National Parks through their designated shops or donating to the non-profit organizations that support them (examples: The Grand Teton shop, Yellowstone.org, Yosemite Conservancy).
You can be your best self when visiting parks. ALWAYS pack out what you pack in. Leave it better than you found it. Stay on trails to avoid damage and reduce your chance of needing help/a rescue. Be patient with those who are working as they’re understaffed.
