National parks are forever. Everything else sure changes, though.

People enter and leave our lives, buildings are torn down, fields and forests are developed beyond recognition. But not national parks. They are created to preserve a place or time for perpetuity. One of the reasons I work at NPCA is to consciously help protect their integrity from the uneven world that surrounds them.

I was raised in southwest Missouri, just five miles from Pea Ridge National Military Park, one of the nation’s best-preserved Civil War battlefields, and I have enjoyed visits to dozens of other amazing parks and historic sites around the country in the years since my childhood. Perhaps my most precious memories of those national parks are from the summer of 1982, when my parents loaded up me and my three older brothers in our Ford Bronco and embarked on that American rite of passage—the family road trip.

I was just five when we left our family farm in the Ozark Mountains to travel halfway across the country to see both sets of grandparents in California. Luckily, my parents wanted us to see more than just cars on the freeway, so they chose one national park to see on the way out and another for the way back. Looking back, those two parks retain more vibrancy in my memory in the 31 years since that trip than side trips to both Disneyland and Universal Studios. Needless to say, any place that can trump amusement parks in the memories of a five-year-old boy would have to be pretty spectacular.

My parents chose Grand Canyon National Park, that revered and spiritual place, for our journey west. I still remember one of my brothers waking me as we arrived at the entrance. I had been curled up under a blanket in the storage compartment in the back of the Bronco. Even the view from inside the car was magnificent. I remember looking out in awe through the windshield and across the parking lot at the colorful strata running up and down the massive walls. It was not until we were closer to the edge that I realized the true magnitude of the canyon. We had cliffs and rock walls in the Ozarks too, but nothing like this.

We walked along the edge and drove to different vistas along the way, taking time to enjoy each new view. Even the little lizard that ran past me near the Desert View Watchtower remains etched in my mind—perhaps because I jumped back about three feet in fear when it got too close. My two oldest brothers, 15 and 16, were much more daring and wanted to hike all the way to the bottom. They even joked about dangling me over the edge, a threat that left me clinging tightly to my mother’s leg in fear that they would actually do it. Though we didn’t get to the canyon floor, we gathered in the customary family photos with the canyon in the background and basked in the glory of nature, just as Theodore Roosevelt had done when he visited 74 years earlier.

As powerful as my memories of the Grand Canyon remain, the visit to Mesa Verde National Park on the way home is even fresher and burns even more intensely in my mind. I can still close my eyes and smell the desert, see the adobe walls, and feel the heat of the sun on my skin. Did my lifelong interest in history start there? It was at least enhanced by this special place. The ruins left behind by the Ancestral Puebloan peoples seemed so complete as we walked through them, listening to a ranger breathe life into each room and living area, describing the various ceremonies and everyday rituals that took place in that very spot years ago.

My brothers helped my little legs scale the ladders leading up the walls of the ruins, and together the four of us explored the remnants of the ancient civilization. The sheer size and magnificence of the Balcony House boggled my mind. Its complexity and massiveness dwarfed any of the buildings I saw back home on a daily basis—and to think that it was built some 800 years earlier. Scale models inside the visitor center showed how the structures would have appeared hundreds of years earlier, and looking down at them, I imagined how life would have been for me as a child living among them.

Everyone hopes to make memories like these, so enduring and meaningful that they never completely fade. The specifics may change from family to family, whether it’s seeing Old Faithful for the first time, backpacking in Glacier, or sharing a boat ride through the Everglades. But I believe that national parks are exceptional by nature, the perfect places to create these most special kinds of memories.

Our family would never again make a trip quite like that one. My parent’s divorce in 1989 and my oldest brother Wes’ death in 1994 permanently dashed the possibility of repeating the dynamic of that 1982 trip. Despite those changes, two aspects remain: the beauty and wonder of those two national parks, and those vibrant memories climbing the ladders at Mesa Verde and peering over the edge of the Grand Canyon with my parents and my brothers at my side.

This is why we have national parks, so that generations from now visitors will continue to be awed and inspired by their wonders, and so memories that last a lifetime and beyond will keep being made. So the next time you’re planning a family vacation, be sure to make a national park part of it. It’s one of those rare investments where the benefits can last forever.

Each month, NPCA puts together a slideshow exploring one of the 401 amazing sites in our National Park System. To get the featured park delivered to your inbox each month, sign up for Park Lines, NPCA’s newsletter.

-Jennifer Errick, Editor, Online Communications

If you liked this story, you might also like

• Take a Hike! 19 Ways to Celebrate National Trails Day (May 31, 2013)
• Take an Online Tour of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Featured in NPCA’s New Report on Fracking (April 30, 2013)
• Friday Photo: Happy National Oceans Month (June 8, 2012)

NPCA will also host four volunteer events this Saturday, so if you’re near North Cascades, Gettysburg, the C & O Canal, or Baltimore City, be sure to check the links below. And… happy trails!

-Jennifer Errick, Editor, Online Communications

Northwest

• Obstruction Point to Deer Park Trail (Grand Ridge Trail), Olympic National Park, Washington*

This 7.4-mile trail at a steady 6,400-foot elevation skirts along a ridgeline high above deep valleys within Olympic National Park, revealing a desolate landscape far different from the moss-draped old-growth forests and windswept beaches normally associated with this park.

-David Graves, Northwest Program Manager

• Burroughs Mountain Trail (to Second Burroughs), Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

I love trails that make me feel small and this trail will do just that as you hike out a high, alpine ridge toward the larger-than-life, icy cone of Mount Rainier.

-Shane Farnor, Online Advocacy Manager

Pacific

• The Coast Trail from Palomarin Trailhead to Alamere Falls, Point Reyes National Seashore, California

This moderate, 7.5-mile out-and-back hike is a favorite because it culminates with a spectacular view of a rare kind of waterfall that empties directly into the Pacific Ocean.

-Reina Gonzales, Northeast Regional Coordinator

• The Land’s End Trail, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California**

Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s Land’s End trail offers hiking and labyrinth-walking along the coast, with jaw-dropping views of the Golden Gate Bridge and sailboats traveling in and out of the city’s fog veil. Whether on a typical foggy or a rare, sunny day, the unbeatable scenery makes this trail truly a San Francisco treat.

-Kati Schmidt, Senior Media Relations Manager

Southwest

• Tsankawi Trail, Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

This trail is amazing! The 1.5 mile trail is an ancient trail from the 1400s, which is worn (sometimes several feet deep) into the stone and leads to a mesa top, complete with expansive views, Tewa Pueblo ruins, pottery shards, cave dwellings, and ladders (not a great trail for those afraid of heights)!

-Madeleine Starkey, Membership Senior Administrative Coordinator

• Queens Garden Trail continuing to the Peek-A-Boo Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

The trail winds through bright orange hoodoos of all shapes and sizes through a trek that reminded me more of Mars than Earth.

-Sarah Gaines Barmeyer, Great Waters Program Manager

• Rim Trail-Queens Garden-Navajo Loop (three trails to form a loop), Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

I only hiked this trail once in late winter, but it left quite an impression on me. A fresh blanket of snow covered the hoodoos and we saw only a couple other hikers; it was like getting a glimpse into another bizarre, lonely planet.

-Shane Farnor, Online Advocacy Manager

• Angels Landing, Zion National Park, Utah

I love it because it is a challenging trail with chains that takes you close to the edge of a cliff; the views are spectacular! You get to see what the soaring condors see! A close second is Observation Point, also in Zion. Both trails are magical and make you really appreciate the park and the environment.

-Elizabeth Kirsch, Southwest Regional Coordinator

Midwest

• Miller Woods Trail (just opened this spring), Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana**

In a little over a mile you go through all the great landscapes in this park–from woods to wetlands to dunes to Lake Michigan shoreline! BEAUTIFUL!

-Lynn McClure, Midwest Regional Director

Northeast

• Abol Trail, Appalachian Trail, Maine

Climb Mount Katahdin, which is at the beginning or end of Appalachian Trail (dependent upon your point of view), then for a change of scenery, take the Saddle Trail back down (which is supposedly easier, but it’s definitely longer than it looks).

-Alexander Brash, Northeast Regional Director

Mid-Atlantic

• Whiteoak Canyon and Cedar Run, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia*

This trail is non-stop waterfalls for about nine miles and gains about 2,000 feet in elevation—it’s challenging, with great views.

-Ben Sander, Travel Program Coordinator

• Limberlost Trail, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia**

It’s great for hiking with young children, and we always get good wildlife viewing, from wild turkeys to black bears up in trees!

-Laura Atchison, Board and National Council Liaison

• The Southern Arboreal Section of Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C.

This very nice nearly nine-mile loop is a great hike for fall or spring with a really nice view of the city from Holy Rood Cemetery.

-Bruce Marshall, Director of Member Services

Southeast

• White Rocks-Sand Cave Loop Trail, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky*

Coming out of Ewing, Virginia, this trail takes you up to White Rocks, with a beautiful vista of the Tennessee Valley and (on a clear day) the distant Great Smoky Mountains, and then over to an enormous sandstone amphitheater characteristic of the Cumberland Mountains.

-Don Barger, Southeast Regional Director

• The Appalachian Trail across the Roan Highlands and over Hump Mountain, western North Carolina*

This is a stunning 14-mile hike over a series of open mountain peaks exceeding 6,000 feet in elevation and that feature rare heath balds and purple Catawba rhododendrons.

-Ron Tipton, Senior Vice President of Park Policy

NPCA-Hosted Volunteer Events

NPCA is hosting four events on Saturday, June 1, to celebrate National Trails Day.

• Join us for a trail cleanup at Valley Forge National Historical Park in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Take part in our annual restoration project at North Cascades National Park in Diablo, Washington, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Help restore the towpath and trails on the C&O Canal by removing invasive plants and clearing debris near the River Center at Lock 8 in Cabin John Maryland, near Washington, D.C., 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Join us in improving the Gwynns Falls Trail by removing debris and invasive plants and planting trees in Baltimore, Maryland, starting at 9 a.m.

*This trail can be strenuous and is recommended for experienced hikers. Always research the route in advance and bring a buddy and plenty of water and snacks.

**This trail is less difficult and may be appropriate for less experienced hikers and families with children, though be sure to consult a map, bring plenty of water, and ask a park ranger questions if you have specific concerns.

I’m guessing that a trip to Alaska is on your life list. It’s one of the few places left on earth where you can go deep into the wilderness and wander among bear, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, and other animals in their mostly untouched natural habitat. As we enter the temperate summer travel season, now is the ideal time to head north and get a glimpse of the many wonders my home state has to offer.

I’ve lived and worked in the Land of the Midnight Sun for more than three decades and love to introduce both new and experienced travelers to its beauty and history. Despite some common misconceptions, getting off the beaten path and exploring Alaska’s backcountry is relatively easy and it’ll take you where the geology is breathtaking and varied, the cultural history is fascinating, and the opportunities for adventure are limitless. Here are a few of my favorite trip ideas, with a few tips on getting the most out of your experience.

1. Marvel at mountains and mining history in the country’s largest national park. One of my favorite Alaska drives is heading east out of Palmer on the Glenn Highway to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve. As you travel alongside the Matanuska River and the Chugach Mountains, stop at the Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site for a great overview of the glacier and a short hike to stretch your legs. The further east you travel, the more the mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias will emerge from the horizon, so you’ll want your camera fully charged before you start this drive!

The highway stops in Glennallen and you have to turn. Head south towards Valdez and start looking for the signs to McCarthy, the “party town” (think whiskey and women) for miners who worked at the Kennecott Copper Mine until it shut down in 1938. For almost 60 years it sat idle until the National Park Service began restoring and interpreting the mine in the late 1990s. Before you turn off for McCarthy, stop at the Park Service visitor center for an introduction to both the cultures and natural wonders of America’s largest national park; Wrangell-St. Elias is six times the size of Yellowstone!

Both the mine itself and McCarthy are must-see destinations for anyone visiting the park. I took my mom here a few years ago on one of her many trips to Alaska, and we stayed at the Kennecott Glacier Lodge where we enjoyed sharing our meals with visitors from around the world in their family-style dining room. For those who don’t want to stay by the mine, the McCarthy Lodge and the Ma Johnson Hotel offer food and lodging on McCarthy’s rustic main street. Regardless of where you stay, be sure to give yourself enough time to explore the mining history, walk on a glacier, and enjoy a “flightseeing” adventure with one of the local air taxi services.

2. Take an unforgettable boat tour of Glacier Bay. Another of my mom’s favorite national park lodges is Glacier Bay Lodge—the only accommodations available inside Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. Built during the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service in the 1960s, Glacier Bay Lodge is one of Alaska’s undiscovered gems. You’ll need to get yourself to the small town of Gustavus by either state ferry or airplane and the lodge will pick you up for the 11-mile drive to the park. The majesty of Glacier Bay is unveiled every day from the deck of the lodge’s day boat—the must-do trip for every visitor. You spend all day exploring the park’s tidewater glaciers and keeping your eyes peeled for sea otters, sea lions, puffins, mountain goats, humpback and orca whales, and, if you are lucky, a brown bear feeding along the coastline.

3. Get up-close with Alaska’s coastal brown bears. If you want to spend time up close and personal with brown bears, I can’t recommend enough taking a trip to either Katmai or Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. Flying to Katmai from Homer to spend a day with one of that city’s seasoned bear guides involves a float plane ride over Cook Inlet. Mom went with me on an early summer trip before the salmon started running and we watched brown bears in coastal tidal flats feeding on grass (which made me think of cows). You land in the ocean, wade ashore (they provide the hip-waders), and spend the day watching all kinds of bear behavior (warning: this is also mating season!). Later in the summer, you’ll land on small lakes near salmon streams and spend the day watching bears fish and eat—and eat, and eat! If you have more time and want to spend several days watching bears, try one of the lodges at Silver Salmon Creek in Lake Clark National Park & Preserve.

4. Go wild, with a guide. I mention hiring a guide to see brown bears. Don’t be shy about hiring someone to show you the sights, sounds, and smells of Alaska (yes, rotting fish is pretty smelly!). Guides know where the best wildlife viewing is, they know the most efficient way to get there, and from a safety perspective, there’s nothing like traveling in Alaska with someone who’s been there before. This is especially true if you want even more of a wilderness experience in one of Alaska’s more remote parks, like Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, the park system’s premier wilderness park. Here you can run rivers, hike along alpine ridges, and even do some climbing. If backcountry travel is on your bucket list, there are several companies that provide guided trips to Gates. Be sure to take plenty of mosquito repellant and don’t be surprised if the sun never goes away!

Planning your trip to Alaska can be a daunting task. Here are a couple more resources, whether you’re looking for a backcountry experience or seeking out lodges and day trips. Either way, a trip to the Last Frontier will provide you with a lifetime of memories.

If you liked this story, you might also like

• Alaska: Reflections from a Guest in the Wilderness (August 23, 2012)
• Friday Photos: Happy Anniversary ANILCA (December 14, 2012)
• Getting Close to Katmai’s Bears in the Hopes of Protecting Them (July 31, 2012)

This annual Earth Week celebration serves as a kind of “open house” for all 84 million acres of the National Park System, encouraging visitors to get out and explore them. Many individual parks are hosting special events—including everything from a spring planting festival at Big South Fork to birding tours at Padre Island to history walks along the Mississippi River at Jean Lafitte. Some sites also have special junior ranger events this week, so if you have young nature lovers in your life, be on the lookout for some of these excellent programs near you.

Of course, a national park trip is not just a classic way to get a great vacation for less money. It’s also a chance to enrich ourselves as human beings. Environmental enthusiast and NPCA Board Member Audrey Peterman describes it this way:

Having the imprint of such monumental natural wonders on my spirit gives me perspective on how infinitesimal I am in the world, and yet, how important. I am part of everything. Though a small part, I am connected to everything. It allows me to take a step back from whatever challenges I’m experiencing. My demeanor is always centered in the knowledge that there’s something so much bigger than myself.

How are you enjoying the parks this week? Take our poll or share your plans with us below! Still planning your next adventure? According to the National Park Service, every American is less than 100 miles from a national park site. Find a park near you using the handy map on NPCA’s website. See the official National Park Week website for more information—and check out this cool infographic from the National Park Foundation for some interesting facts and figures about the parks, too.

Safe travels!

-Jennifer Errick, Editor, Online Communications

Here are five interesting facts that stood out for me as I read through the report:

1. Civil War tourists love learning and tend to have cash to spare: They earn a higher household income, on average, than the general population, and more than half are college graduates, compared to the nationwide average of 24 percent.
2. The average family of four visiting a Civil War battlefield spends $1,000 on their trip—and their spending looks something like this:
3. In Virginia alone, tourists at Civil War battlefields stay twice as long and spend twice as much as the average tourist.
4. On average, visits by 956 tourists support one job in a battlefield community.
5. In Philadelphia, property values increase an average of 1.6 percent for each mile closer the property is to a national historic district.

For more great information on battlefield visitation in general and the specific effects places like Antietam, Chickamauga, and Harper’s Ferry have on their communities, read the report on the Civil War Trust website.

-Jennifer Errick, Editor, Online Communications

If you liked this story, you might also like

• Living History and Solemn Reflection at Antietam Commemoration (September 28, 2012)
• Did You Know? Only 28% of Civil War Battlefields Have National Park Protections (September 12, 2012)
• From Civil War to Civil Rights: All Peeps Created Equal (March 29, 2013)

According to the agency’s press release, more than 282 million people visited our national parks last year, the sixth-highest year on record, and an increase of more than three million visitors from 2011.

The first list shows the most-visited places in all 401 units of the park system. The second list shows the most popular sites of only the 59 places officially designated as “national parks” (versus national monuments, national historic sites, national recreation areas, and other designations).

Most Visited Places of the National Park System

Most Visited National Parks

-Jennifer Errick, Editor, Online Communications

By now, I’m sure you know just how serious the situation is for our national parks due to the sequester cuts which will go into effect later today.

It’s alarming that this very avoidable threat is about to become a reality. From Yellowstone to Cape Cod, the Grand Canyon and Great Smoky Mountains, our national heritage and local economies are at risk.

Information in a recently leaked Park Service planning document about potential impacts to park budgets suggests that the sequester will cause drastic cuts to jobs, educational programs, visitor centers, and visitor access points, including:

• Jobs: Blue Ridge Parkway would cut 21 seasonal interpretive ranger programs, which would result in the closure of 50 percent of its visitor center contact stations at our country’s most-visited national park site. Eliminating these seven stations will put an 80-mile distance between each open facility.
• Education: Gettysburg National Military Park would eliminate 20 percent of its student education programs during the spring, which will impact 2,400 students.
• Impact to Gateway Communities: Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road would delay its reopening by two weeks. Previous closures of this road have resulted in $1 million in lost revenue daily to surrounding communities and concessions.
• Permanent Visitor Center Closure: Mount Rainier National Park would permanently close its Ohanapecosh Visitor Center, affecting 60,000 to 85,000 visitors.
• Tourism:  Independence National Historical Park would close eight of 16 interpretive sites in the spring and fall, such as the Declaration House, the New Hall Military Museum, and the Todd House, impacting more than 84,000 visitors.

Every dollar invested in the National Park Service generates about ten dollars in economic activity—yet in today’s dollars, the Park Service budget has already declined by 15 percent over the last decade. The Park Service’s own peer-reviewed economic report released this past Monday revealed that the nearly 279 million national park visitors in 2011 generated a whopping $30.1 billion in economic activity and supported 252,000 jobs nationwide. Many in the business community are deeply concerned about the wide-ranging effects these sequester cuts could have to the economy: Nearly 300 businesses have signed on to a letter calling on President Obama and Congress to keep parks open.

NPCA will continue to work with members of Congress—as it has for months—to avert the worst consequences these damaging cuts could have on our national parks and the people that love and depend on them. Your voice continues to be critical in sharing the importance of these iconic places with our elected officials. Learn more on NPCA’s website, join the conversation on Twitter at #KeepParksOpen, and please take a moment to tell President Obama and Congress to keep parks open.

Today is the last day we’ll be accepting submissions. If you have a favorite picture that you want us to consider, just email it to us at npcapics@gmail.com or upload it to our website. In the meantime, here are just a few of the most notable images we’ve received in the last two weeks. Thanks to everyone who shared these moments with us… and keep ‘em coming!

-Scott Kirkwood, Senior Director of Publications

Now, Audrey’s new book, Our True Nature, takes readers on a different kind of journey through a rich cross-section of the park system, with stories, photos, and enthusiasm for 57 of the country’s greatest places. We asked Audrey, a past recipient of NPCA’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award and four-term NPCA board member, to share some of her inspirations and insights with us.

 —

Q: Our True Nature feels very different from Legacy on the Land—more general in its subject matter, like a travel guide that anyone could pick up to learn more about the parks.

Audrey: That was actually my goal, to make this book issueless—a love letter to the parks.

Legacy on the Land was our journey of discovery. I literally fell into the national park system by accident, and then I couldn’t stay out! When I found that there was so much resistance and misunderstanding [about the relationship between people of color and the parks], Legacy echoed our challenges and frustrations. But with this book, I just decided to pour my heart out with love. People are so overwhelmed with issues. I really just wanted to use the power of love and beauty to inspire people.

Q: Of course, you explore themes of diversity, but not on every page. It really is a mix of different places throughout the country.

Audrey: That’s what the park system is all about! It’s got our collective history and all of the beauty and splendor of the natural world, and it tells the story of how we got here together.

Q: How did you narrow the book down to 57 parks? That must have been a difficult process.

Having the imprint of such monumental natural wonders on my spirit gives me perspective on how infinitesimal I am in the world, and yet how important. … My demeanor is always centered in the knowledge that there’s something so much bigger than myself. – Audrey Peterman
Audrey: It actually wasn’t. I didn’t focus as much on the ones that were in Legacy. For example, Mammoth Cave, which gets a lot of ink in Legacy, doesn’t appear in this book at all.

Q: But Badlands does.

Audrey: Badlands does, but it’s a new story. It’s a story about how the parks don’t just protect the natural resources that are terrestrial, but also the ones that are extraterrestrial! I didn’t even know there were parks protecting our dark skies. That made such an impact on me, seeing the Milky Way from horizon to horizon. We all live under the same sky, in such a small fraction of the universe.

Q: I know one of your goals is convincing new people to explore the parks. How do you do it?

Audrey: If you know my personality, it’s big on parks. If I’m in the supermarket or the gas station, the Grand Canyon and the Everglades are always working their way into my conversations. I talk to everybody, because that’s the kind of person I am.

It’s amazing to know that when people think about these places, they think about them as being far away. And I’m saying, are you kidding me? Wherever you are, there’s a park unit nearby. [Or people] might say that it’s going to be expensive, and I tell them that for eight dollars their whole car can get in, and some parks don’t even have an entrance fee. If they’re 62 or older they can get a park pass for ten dollars that’s good for the rest of their lives. That blows people’s minds!

It’s just providing information and leadership—and saying what the benefits are. They’re astronomical!

Q: What have some of those benefits been for you?

Audrey: When we were at Yellowstone, we were looking at a burned part of a mountain and Frank said, “Oh, that must have burned in the fire of ’88.” The white man standing next to us said, “Yes.” He pointed and said, “When my father brought me as a child, they were building over there. When I brought my son, they were building over there.” Now, he had retired and was back for his third time. I saw a shadow pass across Frank’s face. Later, when I asked him, he said, “I don’t live my life with any regrets, but as that man was talking, I realized that I had really shortchanged myself and my children because I had not taken them to see these places. He and his family know this country. They have a sense of ownership. We don’t.” So I said, “We’ll take our children and our grandchildren now.” To extrapolate from that, I’ve been trying to take the whole country!

My girlfriend came to visit and we decided to take a trip down to Everglades one Sunday. I’ve been to the Everglades five hundred million thousand times, and yet on this trip, there were places I’d never been before. At the end of the day, she said, you know, I want to put this park in my estate plan, and I want to volunteer here. That’s the kind of response that the parks evoke in people. You know how she described it? She said, “It feels like I’ve had a forest bath.” I thought that was such an unusual way of putting it. What she was saying is that she felt she had just been washed clean.

Q: I get a sense you have a real spiritual connection with nature.

Audrey: Having the imprint of such monumental natural wonders on my spirit gives me perspective on how infinitesimal I am in the world, and yet, how important. I am part of everything. Though a small part, I am connected to everything. It allows me to take a step back from whatever challenges I’m experiencing. My demeanor is always centered in the knowledge that there’s something so much bigger than myself.

Q: Do you think the parks have become more diverse since you started exploring them in 1995?

Traveling through the park system, I get a bigger picture of what America really is. It is so much more inclusive of all the races. Everybody has contributed to the greatness of this country. – Audrey Peterman
Audrey: Exponentially. In the early days, when I saw black people in the parks, I would run up to them and would have to find out all about them, because I was just so excited. But now, if I were to do that, I’d be running up to people all the time!

Now there are so many groups that have arisen around the country. Rue Mapp and Outdoor Afro are continuously introducing people to the parks in the California area. Dudley Edmondson, the noted wildlife photographer and birder wrote the first book about people of color in the park system and the environmental movement. The most exciting of all is Juan Martinez. Juan is a young Latino man who grew up in a rough part of L.A. He got in trouble in school and had a choice between failing a class or going to Eco Club; he chose the Eco Club. [Later,] he got a chance to go to Grand Teton National Park, where he saw the stars for the first time. The impact that it had on his life was so transformative that he has devoted himself to conservation and getting other young people in nature and the parks. And you know what he was named last year? National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

Q: That must feel really hopeful, looking forward to the next generation of leaders.

Audrey: Hopeful? It’s not hopeful. It’s affirmative! Give people the exposure and the opportunities, and we’re there.

Q: What about environmental institutions that have traditionally disregarded diverse voices? Do you think things are getting better?

Audrey: Well, there are individuals who care very passionately. [But] people live by certain prevailing myths. A myth has grown up in America around the enjoyment and protection of natural resources and our public land system. That myth says that people of color are not interested, not suitable—just not. It doesn’t matter how much you demonstrate that isn’t true. The power of the myth is so deep that it overrides facts and intelligence. That is the myth that is holding us up. It’s holding us back.

In this increasingly multicultural society, I keep hearing people who call themselves environmental leaders say, “We’ve tried so hard [to get people of color involved], and it’s just not happening.” Look at all the people across the country who are really, vigorously doing this work. But the myth overrides the reality.

So many business leaders serve on boards in the environmental sector, and I wonder, if they saw that the fastest-growing demographic group was not using their product or service, what would they do? Do you think they would sit around and say, “Well, we tried to reach them one time in 1978 for a couple of months and that didn’t work”?

What I am saying now to environmental organizations is this. By 2042, people of color will be 50 percent of the population. Even if every white person in the country was dedicating themselves full-time to the environment, if the other 50 percent doesn’t know or care, how are our issues going to survive?

Q: Do you think there’s a positive trend?

Audrey: My ambition is to see the day when all Americans love our national treasures the way I do. It makes us feel a little more loving of ourselves, a little more accepting of ourselves and others, to realize we are part of something so glorious. The park system did that for me, so I know it can do it for other people.

I really think a lot of the friction in the country comes from the fact everybody thinks that they know what America is [but they only see part of it]. Traveling through the park system, I get a bigger picture of what America really is. It is so much more inclusive of all the races. Everybody has contributed to the greatness of this country.

I’m ready for things to change. Seventeen years later, I do see signs of change, but I’m hearing some similar attitudes in places of leadership, which is very disconcerting.

I’m not trying to belittle anything that anyone else is doing or any organization is doing. NPCA is trying. The Nature Conservancy is trying. The Sierra Club is trying. The Park Service is trying. But I see the effort as very small compared to the effort that is needed.

If it’s imperative, you have to find ways to do it. If you haven’t made strides in capturing the loyalty of another 50 percent of the population, then how are you going to survive? Some things cannot wait. That’s what leadership means, right?

Learn more about Our True Nature on Audrey and Frank’s website, www.legacyontheland.com.

-Jennifer Errick, Editor, Online Communications