What’s going on with National Parks in the US? Rumours and speculation have been rife following the staffing and funding reductions under the Trump administration. In the first reported piece for the new nonprofit newsroom RE:PUBLIC Lands Media, and in partnership with Outside, Gloria Liu goes beyond the state of park toilets to provide a definitive account of what is happening behind the “facade management.” The result is a harrowing warning.
Yosemite Valley, with its narrow slice of swimming pools and tent villages and end-of-season Patagonia sales, belies the fact that nearly 95 percent of the park is Congressionally designated wilderness where, according to law, “the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man.” Road construction is prohibited in wilderness areas, but as I stood on the shore of Upper Gaylor Lake, the Trump administration was trying to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule that prevents it. If they succeed, this will open up around 50 million acres of national forestland to logging, including in the Inyo National Forest just 1,500 feet from where I stood.
National parks are the darlings of public lands, receiving the highest degree of protection and the most public support. A natural question: If the administration is kneecapping the park service, what’s happening to more vulnerable agencies? Childers, the historian, called national parks the “canary in the coal mine” for threats to public lands.
More picks on National Parks
The Backcountry Rescue Squad at America’s Busiest National Park
“In the Great Smoky Mountains, an auxiliary team of élite outdoorsmen answers the call when park-goers’ hikes, climbs, and rafting adventures go wrong.”
I Tried to Toughen Up My Son. Things Didn’t Go as Planned.
“A trip to the Badlands with my 8-year old offered lessons in boyhood — and manhood.”
Highway 89 Revisited
“A 1,400-mile trip through several national parks takes a writer deep into his past.”
You Love the Outdoors. So Why Are You Pooping All Over It?
“Millions of Americans a year visit national parks and many leave their business anywhere. Contrary to popular belief, that deluge of poop is not going to decompose.”
Parks and Degradation: The Mess at Yosemite
“Chemical spills, a ceiling collapse, indoor bears. Employees and park superfans blame the hospitality company Aramark.”
Home for a Season
“Maybe there is no tension between settling down and leaving.”
