Karen (always looking for a road trip)

It's no longer a circus. This is a shit show; these people are shit. Pure, unadulterated pieces of absolute shit. 💩

Ranger Sarah learns that King Fisher and Little Bear, were the first to see soldiers approaching and warned the camp. Read the sign at https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=181575 — at Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.

Ranger Sarah learns that King Fisher and Little Bear, were the first to see soldiers approaching and warned the camp. Read the sign at www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=181575
—Sand Creek Massacre NHS

#history #ushistory #nationalparks #sandcreekmassacre #Colorado #ColoradoHistory #explorecolorado #exploremore

It would be cool to have a legislature that acted to defend its own constitutional prerogatives and, maybe as a treat, the interests of the people it represents too.

United States of Anarchy.

Why the Trump Admin Suddenly Wants to Wall Off Big Bend National Park Why not waive 28 federal laws to fast-track 112 miles of steel wall through a national park where border crossings have dropped 74%?

Hey,Texans!! Is this really what you want?
#ParkChat #NationalParks
open.substack.com/pub/morethan...

I do, though it's frustrating to get zero money back because of the fees paid to recreation dot org. I'd be less frustrated if the money all went to the park.

Thank you, Sam. I really appreciate all the work you do as a journalist! @samahill.bsky.social #ParkChat

A11 In light of Sam's last post, how can we help you with midwest and eastern site coverage? #ParkChat

SFGATE | Parklands Newsletter Your essential guide to national parks, straight to your inbox.

We’ve also got a great newsletter you can sign up for! It’s focused on the West and can be a bit California heavy some days, but still a great resource for paying attention to public lands. www.sfgate.com/newsletters/...

#parkchat

Please, please, please, if you value *anything* about public lands, NPS, BLM, etc., say something. I'd say this guy is the worst, but this administration keeps showing they can sink lower. This guy is really bad though, and would totally sell out and privatize OUR public lands.

a man in a suit and tie is standing in front of a wall with framed pictures on it ALT: a man in a suit and tie is standing in front of a wall with framed pictures on it

#ParkChat

A Junior Angler badge from Voyageurs NP.

The not-so-junior rangers booklet and medallion from Homestead

A10 #ParkChat Tough question, but if I had to say something that applies to EVERY park.... I'd say -- the Junior Ranger experience. Because I love seeing kids working towards it, I love seeing kids getting "sworn in" and I love doing my own versions to get my own badges. 😃

A2 #ParkChat Better funding. Period. So much comes down to staffing, and even before last year's Valentine's Disaster, parks were understaffed and underfunded. It's immensely worse now, and while some volunteers have stepped in, it doesn't replace actual rangers.

A9 #ParkChat I hope the wild open spaces are still wilder than the wind.

I hope the historical sites still tell us the facts, even the uncomfortable ones.

A8 #ParkChat This administration and it's privatizing everything.

The parks weren't ever supposed to provide money to the government.

They were established for the *people*.

A1 #ParkChat It's so tough to get a camping reservation any more, and that makes me sad. I like how some parks have graded reservations, so that not all sites are available at the same time. But my closer areas.... it's tough. I end up making reservations that I end up not using, "just in case".

Same. So many things these days make me feel like I'm screaming into the void. Like all my letters, emails, etc. don't even matter.

And now I'm tearing up again, because it's all so frustrating and maddening. #ParkChat

A7 #ParkChat Yes and no. @expeditionsined.bsky.social has awesome online experiences for students, and I know I incorporate a LOT of my own experiences into my classroom. So, I think students have opportunities to "see" things about NPS sites virtually before in-person visits, moreso than I did.

That last one is a tough call though. To make people understand requires reach, and these days, that means "influencer". But then you potentially draw in bad behavior. But if people don't care at all, then there isn't a chance to protect endangered areas. #ParkChat

A6 #ParkChat So. Much. Responsibility.

If you want to continue visiting NPS (BLM, etc.) sites, you have to 1) be willing to contribute $. Buy the pass, support the conservancy, etc. 2) Treat the area right. LNT at the *least*. and 3) Talk it up. Share experiences. Make others understand WHY.

That's another one. Cutting habitats into parcels without any way for the wildlife to cross.... as bad as (worse, really) highways. #ParkChat

A3 #ParkChat Parks that directly are affected. I don't expect environmental information at... IDK... the Kosciusko House. I *do* use environmental information from New River Gorge in my biology class when talking about oak forests slowly becoming maple forests, and why that is.

Already? 😜

A4 #ParkChat I'm fine with "enhanced experiences" like the QR codes and augmented reality at Abraham Lincoln Home in Springfield. But as others have said, there are too many wanna-be influencers who completely ignore others' experiences that make things less-than-pleasant.

LOL, same! Caps playing tonight for the first time in weeks, so I got distracted! #ParkChat

A5 #ParkChat All of the ones not named Yellowstone or Yosemite?

Seriously, I think the *biggest* danger ATM is the Boundary Waters, from potential copper-sulfide mining.

Beyond that? I'm so tired about worrying about public lands in general, that I'm not sure how to answer.

OMG. The lack of understanding basic biology should hurt. 😢 #ParkChat

I'm so very sorry to hear about your loss. 💚

Can't wait to see you all on #ParkChat on Wednesday!

Come ready to chat about what changes might be coming to our parks in 2026, changes you can see coming in the next decade, and what you want the parks to look like way down the line.

Have you been to any of these sites? #ParkChat

ps. Harriet Tubman is a supernatural force. She was a real superhero in the flesh, from her physical strength to her wit and wiles. We need heroes like her. 💚💚