Category Archives: National Parks

Being In A Park Can Be Transformative

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Most Rangers I’ve met love what they do. They demonstrate a gentler way of living. An intrinsic value of imparting a little bit of wisdom, demonstrating a gentler way of living so others can be inspired to do the same and, hopefully leave the world in better place.

I recently read an article highlighting that travel isn’t accessible to everyone. While that may or may not be true for you, the reader, there’s something to be said about the power in dreaming or visualizing.   It is with that notion that I like to write articles about National Park sites. I have a list. It’s contains the National Park sites that I want to visit whether virtual or in person.

Last month I had the opportunity to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. However brief the visit it gave me an opportunity to be in a completely different element from my day-to-day life.  It reminded me of a day, long ago when I was a ranger walking around the campground at Glen Canyon to drum up an audience for my campfire talk.

During one particular tour, the sunset was especially beautiful, even breathtakingly surreal. The way the sunrays lit up the crimson and orange rocks reverberated into the skyline and highlighted the blue water. I paused taking in the beauty. How I loved being outside at this time of day when being part of nature, not separate from it, seemed so natural. I realized how we have become good at separating ourselves from nature, people, and the world around us. We live in gated communities to keep other people out and we build bigger houses to shield us from nature as a measure of success. And we kill animals to wear their hides so their hides can protect us from the weather.

I looked at the huge metal RVs parked so close to each other in the campground. They had every last comfort of home out here away from civilization—the American Dream of the open road. Yet actually these people were missing nature and the joys of being away from it all to stay inside a tin can parked ten feet from the next tin can.

While contemplating these insights, my moment with the amazing sunset was abruptly cut short by the unwelcome sound of the evening news blaring from a television inside the nearest RV.

Taking full advantage of my uniform, I knocked on the door and let myself in. A man dressed only in shorts didn’t have time to get up from his chair.

“Sir,” I said with authority, “how can you possibly be watching the news when you have the best seat in town for the world’s most spectacular show?”

Shocked at this bold woman ranger standing before him and not knowing what to do, the man got up from his chair and turned off the television. He followed me outside and we both watched the sunset in silent awe. I still wonder if he was too frightened and embarrassed to speak or if he was moved by the experience. I’d like to think that maybe it transformed both of us into better, more appreciative human beings.

National Park Week is taking place April 15 -23 where admission to our parks is free. It’s the perfect excuse to get into our parks and reconnect with nature, explore some amazing places, celebrate our heritage and possibly transform ourselves.

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Springtime in the Parks

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For many of us this time of year we get a little impatient waiting for spring to arrive. The March snowstorms dampen our spirits a bit and we are tired of shoveling and driving in snowy conditions. As the sun follows the moon, springtime will happen in the Northeast. I was fortunate to have a wonderful reminder of springtime on my recent visit to Colorado. While most people travel to this beautiful state for the incredible skiing, I was happily attending a 90th birthday party for my dear great-aunt. A couple of days before the main event I took the opportunity to visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. These dunes are the largest in North America. The elevation within the park range from 7,515 to 13,604 feet. The dunes start at 8,200 feet rise another 750 feet. Being from the east coast, it was a challenge to walk up the dunes due to the elevation. Although I didn’t make it to the top of the dunes the time I spent barefoot frolicking in the soft warm sand reinforced my hope in springtime. A bonus to the trip was knowing that the Sandhill cranes were nearby in the preserve. Estimated to number around 20,000, it was a site to behold!

While we await springtime in Vermont, we can be encouraged by another annual event in our parks, the famous blossoming cherry trees around the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. The cherry trees were a gift of friendship from Japan in 1910. However, the interest in bringing the trees to the United States started in 1885 when a woman named Eliza Scidmore proposed having the trees planted on the newly reclaimed land along the Potomac. The U.S. Army Superintendent of the Office of Buildings and Grounds denied her proposal, as did every Superintendent for the next 24 years. But Eliza Scidmore was persistent. She was a writer and photographer, a traveler to the countries of the Far East and the first female board member of the National Geographic Society. She started fundraising and ran a letter writing campaign, which included a letter to First Lady Mrs. Helen Taft. Getting the attention of the First Lady proved fruitful.

In January 1910, two thousand cherry trees from Japan finally arrived in America, but Eliza’s triumph was short lived. Inspectors declared that the trees were infected. Politically, it was a tricky situation. President Taft had the delicate job of informing the Emperor of Japan that his generous gift of trees were diseased and had to be destroyed to protect American growers. In a magnanimous gesture, the mayor of Tokyo agreed to raise over 3,000 trees cultivated specifically to be hardy, as well as disease and insect free. In March 1912, the new trees arrived in Washington. As she watched the planting, Eliza Scidmore could hardly have imagined what beauty her inspired vision would bring to our country one hundred and five years later.

How many millions of people have enjoyed the gentle beauty of the flowering trees without giving a thought to the person behind the movement to get them planted? How selfless was her gift? She carried on for so many years with little encouragement. And what would Eliza think of the admiring crowds now? I like to think she is smiling with satisfaction.

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First-ever Cultural Resources Climate Change Strategy Receives Approval from the Union of Concerned Scientists

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Our National Parks have been in the news a lot lately.  I’d like to think it’s for all the right reasons.  By training Interpretive Park Rangers disseminate facts and information.   They spend hours, days and sometimes, years researching and cross-referencing books, articles, interview transcripts, and other data to gain knowledge of the site they in which they work. They do so willingly so that they can pass their awareness and wisdom along to us, the visiting public.  On a national level the Park Service took a broad view to what affects our sites.  Every year the Park Service reports record breaking visitation.  It is no secret that tourism brings economic benefits along with the stress of more & more everything that goes along with people such as vehicles, impact on the resource, disposal of trash and the need for personnel to manage it all.  There was one factor that eclipsed record breaking visitation as the greatest threat to our National Parks ~ climate change.

 

On January 6, 2017, the National Park Service published their first-ever Cultural Resources Climate Change Strategy that received approval from the Union of Concerned Scientists.  The National Park Service is the lead cultural resource agency for the federal government.  In addition the plethora of buildings this new strategy includes archaeological sites, museum collections, ethnographic resources (heritage traditionally important to diverse cultural groups) and cultural landscapes.  Retired NPS Director Jon Jarvis noted that “Climate change poses an especially acute problem for managing cultural resources because they are unique and irreplaceable — once lost, they are lost forever”.

 

The study identifies 21 categories of direct and indirect climate change interactions that are already or will in the future affect cultural resources, including: increased temperature, wildfires, flooding and coastal erosion, permafrost thawing, high water tables and salt water intrusion to name a few.  One key strategy is for the NPS to partner and collaborate with others within the US and globally to discover best practices and innovative approaches.  Unique to the Park Service is the development of climate change literacy and interpretative training programs for park mangers and rangers.   “With over 300 million park visitors annually, the Park Service is poised to bring the best available climate science directly to the American people in ways that they can easily understand and in places that they care deeply about,” says Adam Markham, Deputy Director, Climate & Energy Program, Union of Concerned Scientists.  I have no doubt the professionalism and passion of our Interpretative Rangers will be a shining beacon in leading the education efforts in the all encompassing topic of climate change.

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The Power of the Pen

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Looking through the lens of history of our parks seem glamorous; conjuring up nostalgia for the way they were in their “hey day”. We yearn to experience our parks as the pioneers of nature conservancy did; to be on the cutting edge of saving special places for future generations. How fabulous it would have been to be part of the conversation that John Muir had with Teddy Roosevelt? What about standing with Ansel Adams while he snapped his magical photos? We are fortunate to have his exquisite works of art that capture the essence so completely that it is hard not to fall in love with the places. How can anyone look at any of his photos and not vow to protect those vistas as fiercely as a mother bear protects her cubs?

In December 2016, President Obama used the power within the Antiquities Act to create two new national monuments expanding the Park System to 416 sites. They are Bear Ears Buttes in Utah and Gold Butte in Nevada. This Executive Order will help preserve sensitive areas from development. Although some areas within our treasures have been sacrificed to development, in large part the backcountry remains as wild as nature intended.

For the last 100 years the National Park Service has done the best they could with what they have. Some would argue that their best isn’t good enough. That there should not be over a billion dollars in back logged maintenance, or visitation limits or compromises with concession companies. Or, or, or…

There are numerous non-profit organizations that partner with the National Park Service that picks up the slack where the government falls short.

The official charitable partner to our National Park system is the National Park Foundation. Aided by lobbying efforts of Lady Bird Johnson and philanthropist Lawrence Rockefeller it was charted by Congress in 1967. The Foundation is a way for private citizens to directly support our parks. The Foundation focuses “on promoting programs and projects that protect precious landscapes and wilderness, historical sites, and places of cultural significance”.

The National Parks Conservation Association was created in 1919 whose main focus is lobbying Congress on issues that either enhance or threaten our parks.

A relatively young organization established in 2003, The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks is one of my favorites. The Coalition brings together over 1,100 former or retired National Park employees that represent every discipline within the agency. Using their collective, boots on the ground working knowledge of our park system, they voice concerns about legislative and policy decisions that diminish the values and purposes for which the National Park System was established.

When visiting a park whether it’s a local, state or National Park keep in mind:

  • Someone was passionate and cared enough to lead a movement to conserve and protect the land for your discovery and enjoyment.
  • Volunteers continue to be the heart of day-to-day operations, say thank you once in a while.
  • Park staff do the best they can with what they have.
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Enchantment with our National Parks

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I was introduced to our National Parks on December 10, 1989.  I remember the date because it was the birth of my enchantment with our National Parks. I landed in Yellowstone National Park while on a skiing journey with a friend, Ginger.  Ginger’s friend, Arden was a geologist and a seasonal Park Ranger at Yellowstone during the summer.  He owned Yellowstone Expeditions and led overnight cross-country ski tours near the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River.

As luck would have it, Arden needed help leading a group while he continued to set up camp.  I had time on my hands and skis waiting for an opportunity to get off the car rack and into some snow. The experience of spending a week in the backcountry of Yellowstone captured my heart, drilled to my core and embedded itself in my DNA.  The magic that was unveiled led to my becoming a National Park Ranger.  I had the privilege of wearing the iconic hat and uniform for almost 5 years.  The values and mission of our National Park Service remain with me today.

I share this with you as I hope to inspire you to visit the national treasures, ours and those around the world.

Did you know that the National Park Service recently celebrated its 100th birthday on August 25, 2016?  That there are currently has 413 areas within its supervision covering approximately 84 million acres of land?  There is a site within every state in the Union as well as the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.  These areas include national parks, monuments, historical parks, historical sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trials, the White House and more. Our National Park system was created to ‘preserve and protect for future generations.’ The sites highlight the magnificent landscapes and natural areas.  They afford us a place to relax, rejuvenate, recreate and wonder.  They also are a bookmark of our history, the good, the bad and the ugly.  No matter where your interest may lie whether it be Native American, World War II, the Manhattan project, women’s suffrage, civil rights, President’s lives or natural history, there is a site for you.

The whet your appetite here are a few sites in the New England and New York area:

  • Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, Woodstock, VT
  • St. Gaudens National Historic Site – Cornish, NH
  • Weir Farm – Ridgefield & Wilton, CT
  • Touro Synagogue – Newport, RI
  • Cape Code National Seashore – Cape Code, MA
  • Acadia National Park – Bar Harbor, ME
  • Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt – Hyde Park, NY

The National Park Service began its next 100 years steadfast in its mission.  Seek out, discover, explore for these sites belong to all of us; to you. Begin your National Park adventure and wonderment wherever you chose and if you have the good fortune to visit any of our parks during the off season, magic happens.

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National Park Travelers Club

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Did you know that the National Park Service sites have a passport? It is a wonderful way of recording which National Park sites you have visited.  With a unique cancellation stamp for each park site one can get carried away with the excitement of the challenge to fill up a passport.  Each passport is divided into the regions of the Park Service system.  As such, you can fill up some regions (such as the mid-Atlantic region) with the cancellation stamp rather quickly while other regions prove challenging (i.e. the Western region).

I started my passport in 1990 during an epic adventure out west.  Subsequently, I purchased one for each of my children in 2001 when we visited the Everglades.  Filling up several passports with cancellation stamps is certainly on my list.  I look at my passports from time-to-time as a way to reminisce about the wonderful places I’ve been as well as a way to plan which park to visit next.  With 2016 being the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, several of the parks have created special commemorative stamps for the occasion.

Did you also know that there is a National Parks Travelers Club?  It’s a social club “whose mission is to provide networking and recognition opportunities for visitors to America’s National Park System.  The Club acts to support and expand appreciation of the U.S. National Park System.”  This club fulfills it’s mission in spades. In addition to an informative website where members post the latest and best information about park visits, they also have an annual convention with awards that recognize a number of categories: Lifetime Achievement, Lower 48 Special Achievement, Master Traveler,  and Flat Hat to name a few.

I became a member several years ago as a way to stay connected to like minded individuals who have a love for our parks.

Check it out at www.parkstamps.org

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