National Parks

Adventure Activism, Diversity, Environmental Protection, Essays, Latino Outdoors, National Monuments, National Parks, Natives Outdoors, Outdoor Recreation, Public Land, Special Events / 06.11.2017

On the last night of the SHIFT Festival in Jackson, Wyoming the organizers hosted an after-party at the Organic Lotus Restaurant. By 1:AM a steady beat of house music still roused a group of at least 30 Millennials to dance away the night well into the morning. Damp with sweat I sidled over to the bar for a drink of water. Even after a double hip replacement it doesn’t take much to get this aging Gen-Xer out on the dance floor. Inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of...

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#ORSummer, Charitable Giving, National Parks, philanthropy / 30.07.2017

The most exciting thing I saw this year at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market was an old fashioned outhouse. That’s right. Surrounded by aisle after aisle of the latest in camping equipment, technical clothing, action footwear and flashy accessories, this sturdy wooden structure with a crescent moon carved into its door, set my mind and heart racing as I imagined all that it might accomplish. In a prominent spot at the Outdoor Research booth this no-tech privy was a display that symbolized the company’s efforts to do good things...

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Diversity, Interview, National Parks, Podcast / 12.07.2017

At 95 years young National Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin is a national treasure. Stationed at the Rosie The Riveter/World War II Homefront National Historic Park in Richmond, California she interprets the cultural narrative of life in America during one of the most turbulent periods in time. Drawing on her personal experience through the 1940s she offers a compelling look into the past that helps us to understand who we are today and chart a course toward a brighter tomorrow. As an African-American woman who endured and survived...

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Alaska, Environmental Journalism, Expedition Denali, National Parks / 10.05.2017

[caption id="attachment_2064288" align="alignright" width="689"] Randy Luskey, Mark Berry, Tyhree Moore and Mick Wang[/caption] [dropcap]Y[/dropcap]oung mountaineer Tyrhee Moore is heading back to Alaska for another attempt to summit the highest peak in North America, Denali! After an unsuccessful bid in 2013 he’s returning to climb with a small team of avid adventurers in hopes of encouraging youth across the nation to ascend the heights of their most ambitious aspirations. “It’s just really important to me that I show kids like me that anything is possible,” Tyrhee said just before his departure....

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Breaking News, Diversity, Environmental Studies, National Forests, National Parks, Nelson Institute / 17.04.2017

[caption id="attachment_2064253" align="aligncenter" width="602"] Photo by Marissa Hyland[/caption] [dropcap]T[/dropcap]here is a moment in the life of an idea when it becomes a reality. For a few years now I’ve been thinking about teaching a university class on diversity and inclusion in the world of outdoor recreation and environmental conservation. Having written a book on the topic, along with more than a few magazine and newspaper articles, I’m considered something of an expert. Despite having no formal training as a professor more than a decade of research and reporting has given...

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#BlackLivesMatter, Commentary, Diversity, Essays, Guest Contributor, National Parks / 07.03.2017

Like much of modern America I was appalled by a seemingly innocuous line in a recent speech by the newly appointed Department of Housing and Urban Development Director Dr. Benjamin Carson. On his first day in office he addressed staff members with a lecture on the virtues of hard work and dedication in the pursuit of the American dream. With great reverence paid to the contributions of immigrants he particularly pointed out the efforts those forcibly brought to this country against their will. “That’s what America is about,” Carson...

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