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To celebrate Earth Day, we are bringing you a series of special articles that we hope will be timely, informative and inspirational. Today's edition is dedicated to issues related to parks and the outdoors.
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 America's Best Idea
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El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, one of our nation's first. Photo: Phil Schermeister, National Geographic
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National Parks and Recreation Areas Are Economic Drivers
It is hard to imagine our country without its national parks. President Franklin Roosevelt said it best;
"There is nothing so American as our national parks.... The fundamental idea behind the parks...is that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us."
At the time the National Parks were first created in the late 19th century, America's sense of national pride centered around our nation's natural wonders, which we believed rivaled the great castles and cathedrals of Europe. Even today they remain one of the largest tourism draws in this country.
Despite Americans' historically strong affiliation with the outdoors, conservation advocates have struggled to translate support for parks and conservation of public lands into political power. But yesterday the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) released a report that aims to show lawmakers the importance of national parks, by providing detailed information about the value of parks and recreational areas to the economy. E&E Daily reports on the group's economic study that details recreational spending by visitors broken down by state and even Congressional District. An OIA spokesman summed up the report this way, "outdoor recreation makes America's communities stronger," and he added. "It really is a powerful economic driver in congressional districts across the country: urban, suburban and rural districts."
Why This Matters: In a poll taken shortly after the 2016 election, approximately three in four voters said that protecting and maintaining national parks, public lands, and natural places should be a “very important” goal for the federal government. Indeed, according to the same survey, nearly two-thirds of voters who voted for President Trump oppose the idea of privatizing or selling off some areas of America’s national forests and public lands. As Earth Day approaches, we hope our political leaders will think twice about the long-term consequences of selling off and developing our public lands and protected areas. Once they are sold for development, there is no getting them back.
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 Land
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Earth Day 2018: Conservation Leaders Speak Up
Our first in a series of special one-one-one interviews to mark this year's Earth Day is with Jonathan Jarvis. Jon worked for the National Park Service for 40 years, serving as Director from 2009-2017 in President Obama’s administration. He is currently the Executive Director of the Institute for Parks, People and Biodiversity at the University of California, Berkeley.
ODP: The President has proposed to shrink many national monuments. Do you think he has the power to do that under the Antiquities Act? What do we stand to lose if he does?
JJ: Whether the President has the legal authority to shrink the national monuments will be tested in court. The fact that he reduced Bears Ears National Monument, based on the recommendation of Secretary Zinke, ignored the appeal of the five Native American tribes. This is truly a sad statement of our trust responsibilities to people who have used these lands for thousands of years. While this terrible decision works its way through the courts, there will be filings on these lands for the extraction of oil, gas, uranium and other minerals, potentially scaring these lands forever.
ODP: We are facing a massive extinction crisis all over the planet. What should we be doing in the U.S. to ensure we retain our biodiversity? Why does it matter?
JJ: According to my friend Harvard Professor Dr. EO Wilson, we have only recorded 20% of the species with whom we share the planet. Within that remaining 80% could be countless new discoveries for medicines, food, technology, energy, and sustainability. Their presence and biological activity help make this planet livable for humans. We need nature and all its biological diversity to survive on this planet. And of course, it’s not all about us, all these species have a right to live here just as we do. We must begin to protect all the biodiversity hotspots in the US and link them across the landscape with corridors that allow species to migrate.
ODP: Conservation of our natural and cultural heritage has historically been a bi-partisan issue in our country. Why is it so divisive now?
JJ: The environment has been an easy target for loss of jobs, in sectors such as coal mining and the timber industry when the reality is many factors including trade and new technologies contribute to the change. As a society, we do not do a good job helping families and communities that are subjected to swift economic change that shifts from extraction to other industries. I believe this can be fixed because everyone wants clean water and clean air, green spaces to recreate and a positive future for their children. Conservation is at its core deeply patriotic and with a more unified approach can help bridge our political divides. This the essence of our new book.
ODP: You have just written a book entitled The Future of Conservation in America. What is the key to successfully creating a conservation ethic among a diverse group of citizens going forward?
JJ: The key to the future of conservation, as Dr. Gary Machlis and I spell out in our book, is to unify the many branches of conservation that have been traditionally siloed. The branches include nature conservation, historic preservation, education, public health, environmental justice and civil rights, ecosystem services, science and business sustainability working together for common conservation goals. We state: There will be a time when the physician, the pastor, the park ranger, the business leader, the scientist and the school teacher all working together for conservation will seem not unusual but expected.
ODP: People often ask us what they can do for conservation. What is your answer to that question? What can each person do to make a difference?
JJ: Each person can make a difference for conservation. As Teddy Roosevelt said: “do what you can, with what you have, where you are”. The best place to start is near home, as everyone needs parks and open space near home. Volunteer to clean up the local creek, plant native plants, or lead walks for kids. Run for elected office and work for conservation goals. Be a citizen scientist by using an app like “INaturalist” to document nature when you are out in it. Read about the issues like climate change so that you can help explain them to friends and neighbors. Mentor young conservationists who are rising in the movement. This is the time for everyone who lives on this beautiful planet to engage in conservation.
ODP: How severe will the impacts of climate change be on our National Parks? And what do you think of the DOI actions to scrub climate change references from a recent report on the Parks, if true?
JJ: Anthropogenic climate change is having and will have profound impacts on the National Parks as glaciers melt, the ocean rises over coastal parks, and fires burn longer and hotter. During my tenure as Director, we began to not only document these challenges but also to develop adaptation plans for all the parks.
The suppression of science for political gains is not new. During the President George W. Bush Administration, political appointees revised biological opinions in the Department of Interior and were investigated by the Inspector General. As a consequence, during President Obama’stenure we wrote a new scientific integrity policy that applies to not just scientists but to the supervisors and political appointees as well.
If what I have read is true, that they are editing scientific findings and removing the attributions of sea level rise to anthropogenic climate change, then they are guilty of violating the basic tenets of the scientific integrity policy. There are “climate change deniers” populating the political positions in EPA and DOI, and good science conflicts with their political agendas tied to the fossil fuel industry. It is quite similar to the many years that tobacco state politicians and the industry fought the science linking cigarette smoke to lung cancer. Their willful ignorance places them again, on the wrong side of history and only delays actions needed to protect America’s National Parks.
Thank you, Jon, for sharing your thoughts with our readers. We highly recommend is new book, BTW!
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 Energy
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Photo: National Park Service
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Drilling Possible Near Colorado's Great Sand Dunes
After President Trump assumed office last year, his administration has pushed its “energy dominance” agenda and has required states to conduct quarterly oil and gas leasing sales on public lands across the West. As a result, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is on track to double the acreage open for leasing in 2018, compared to 2017, in six Western states. Starting this September, 11 parcels totaling 18,358 acres located less than a mile from Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park and will be auctioned off.
The National Park is famous for its sand dunes and is also known as one of America's quietest parks with some of this country's darkest night skies. Environmental groups are worried that drilling would significantly impact the park's quiet and harm the wildlife that calls it home (as it's established that human-caused noise pollution disrupts animals).
As High Country News reported, Though the lease sale is located just on the other side of the summit of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which forms the preserve’s eastern boundary, it would push into previously undeveloped areas that provide important wildlife habitat. Some of the parcels are also near the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area and overlap the migratory corridors of elk herds and bighorn sheep, said Rebecca Fischer, a spokeswoman for WildEarth Guardians.
Why This Matters: In addition to the various types of pollution drilling would create, some environmental groups have expressed concern that the scientific information BLM relied upon to make its environmental assessment is outdated. The assessment hasn't taken into account new advances in fracking technology have made it possible to drill in areas that were previously inaccessible with standard drilling techniques--thus making more public lands vulnerable.
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 People
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The Healing Powers of the Great Outdoors
Science backs the benefits to human health from spending time outdoors. In fact, for those prone to anxiety and depression, the mental health benefits of taking a walk outside can last for 7 hours. But the outdoors offer a benefit that some of us may have never considered: a safe space to be oneself free from gender norms and rules.
As The Advocate describes, "According to the 2016 North American Camper Report, same-sex households are five times more likely to camp than the general population. What continues to draw them out into wild places, research confirms, are the healing benefits those places provide, allowing people to escape everyday work and life concerns or the pressures of societal judgment."
The Venture Out Project takes LGBTQ people on wilderness expeditions to create community, and help participants develop leadership skills and gain confidence through the shared experience of outdoor adventure and physical activity. Venture Out also helps foster environmental stewardship and teach their adventurers the value of caring for our planet.
Why This Matters: While many LGBTQ people find comfort in nature, many also struggle to access it. Some states are rich in natural wonders but poor when it comes to inclusive health care, antidiscrimination laws, and other protections. Utah, for instance, has some of our nation’s most spectacular public lands but also might not feel like a safe place for many to visit. For people who struggle to find inclusive places in society, the outdoors are free from those constraints where anyone can enjoy their connection to nature.
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 Sustainability
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Recycling in the Parks and TNF: Good To Great
This year's theme for Earth Day is ending plastic pollution. Outdoor retailer The North Face got into the spirit of the event and announced today a collection of new merchandise, called the Bottle Source Collection, and for every item they MAKE (not sell), The North Face will donate a dollar to the National Park Foundation to support recycling and reuse programs in parks. But it gets better! The Bottle Source Collection is made from some special materials -- recycled bottles from the waste streams from national parks, and thereby brings together in a virtuous circle the key components of the recycling loop—the source, the collector, the thread, and product producer.
The Bottle Source program has already repurposed more than 160,000 lbs. of plastic bottles from waste from Yosemite, Grand Teton, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. “Bottle Source is a fitting next step in our materials innovation,” said James Rogers, Director of Sustainability at The North Face. “This collection helps fund sustainability efforts in our national parks as more and more people enjoy these stunning places.” The North Face already provides $500,000 annually in grants to nonprofit organizations working to encourage participants to experience outdoor activities and develop an enduring appreciation of the outdoors.
Why This Matters: The Trump Administration last summer reversed an Obama Administration policy to limit plastic water bottles sold in national parks. The Obama era policy was intended to cut down on the number of plastic bottles being thrown away in parks. But now, at least all those extra bottles that are tossed are being reused and ultimately the national parks and their recycling programs will benefit. Patagonia and now The North Face are making big public commitments to conserving our national parks and monuments. Maybe LL Bean or REI will be next!
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TNF Bottle Source Program -- Making Good Use of Plastic Bottles Collected in National Parks.
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 National Parks
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One Cool Thing: DOI Offers Free Admission to National Parks This Saturday! So, go find your Park!
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 First Lady Barbara Bush 1925-2018
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First Lady Barbara Bush and her beloved dog Millie at the White House.
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First Lady Barbara Bush Remembered
First Lady Barbara Bush passed away last night at the age of 92. She will be remembered for making history in many ways, especially for being one of only two women to be both First Lady and mother of a President. But we remember her for her love of animals, and particularly her famous dog Millie. Barbara, through Millie, was the author of a New York Times best-seller in 1990 entitled Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush, which described her and President Bush's life in the White House through Millie's eyes. We love this picture of her, with Millie in her lap, engaging in her other passion -- reading to children and promoting literacy. She will be missed.
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