The Virtual Junior Ranger Program Brings the Parks to Your Home
As teachers and families have had to alter and adjust their manners of attending school, national parks have had to adjust their means of educating families. In a time of crisis, as we all adapt, it has been apparent that the National Park Service is working overtime to provide opportunities that sustain some normalcy in our “new normal.”
Petroglyph National Monument Photo Journal
Any place that combines ancient petroglyphs, dormant volcanoes, hot air balloons, the best beer in the country, and a museum dedicated to rattlesnakes is a place I love. These are just a handful of reasons why Albuquerque is so great, and we celebrate them all (and more!) with this week’s photo journal.
7 Tips for Solo Hiking
When you’re hiking alone, playing it safe is usually the right strategy. Make sure someone knows where you are at all times and that you’re prepared in case something goes wrong. That way, you can relax on your hike and enjoy all the wonders of the parks instead of worrying about all the things you aren’t prepared for!
Delia D’Ambra Combines True Crime and National Parks With Her New Podcast, Park Predators
In this special episode, we’re talking about an exciting new podcast called Park Predators, an Audiochuck production, which you can subscribe to now. It’s from host Delia D’Ambra, and she delves into the darker side of our national parks, and the lurking predators there that are of the human variety.
These Dog-Friendly National Parks Get Two Paws Up
While not all national parks are very dog-friendly, for their own valid reasons, there are plenty of parks where I’ve been able to get outside and hike my heart out—at least until I get exhausted from over-excitement, and then my dads will need to carry me. These are some of my very favorite dog-friendly national parks I’ve explored so far, and where you should take your bark rangers, too!
Connection to Navajo Land Runs Deep
I did not know my deep connection to the land until after I left the Navajo Nation. I went away to college and explored the mountains of Utah, but no matter how much fun I had outside, I felt incomplete. I learned to ski, snowboard, and climb, but my outdoor heart was never whole until I drove home and saw the red sandstone and the vast desert that went on for miles. I didn’t need to be in my house, I just needed to be where the ground was red and the skies were blue. That’s when I knew land was part of my identity.
Conservation of… Humans?
When we think of conservation, a word that easily comes to mind is “ecosystem,” and what is an ecosystem but a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. Every word of this definition is loaded with proof that the human species is an ecosystem! And it is out of balance, but not all is lost; there is still hope.
Hello Ranger’s Guide to the Oklahoma City National Memorial
From death, destruction, and darkness comes light, hope, and perseverance. This is the everlasting lesson of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the site of one of the most horrific days in American history, transformed over time into a heartwarming ode to the survivors and heroes from that fateful day in 1995.