National Parks

National Parks Not Immune from National Tantrums

by Tiya Miles

Yellowstone National Park's 150th anniversary saw visitors and staff dealing with the same kinds of frayed civility and random abuse plaguing the rest of the nation. For better or worse, our parks are us. 

The Hidden History of Black Coal Towns

The New River Gorge is one of the newest National Parks. Beyond natural beauty, the region allows visitors to learn the history of African American coal miners and their communities in West Virginia. 

Shirley Ann Higuchi: Sen. Lee is Obstructing Establishment of National Historic Site for former Internment Center

The Utah Senator is blocking unanimous consent rules for a bill that would establish a historic site commemorating the internment of 8,000 Japanese Americans at Camp Amache in Colorado. 

The Value of a "Greater Chaco" National Park

by Richard Moe

President Biden's decision to create a buffer zone around the Chaco Culture National Park protects not just a natural landscape but a potentially priceless trove of yet-to-be discovered artifacts and sites sacred to Native people today. 

Justice William O. Douglas Hiked 150 Miles to Preserve the C&O Canal as a Park

William O. Douglas used the disused C&O Canal as a way to retreat into nature during his service on the court; he led resistance to a proposal to convert the waterway into a highway by walking its 185 miles in 1954. 

The Roots of the Politicization of the National Parks Service

by Nick DeLuca

The National Park Service has never been totally independent of politics. But a 1996 law requiring Senate approval of the NPS Director, combined with the Trump administration's use of acting directors, has created uncertainty. Approving Biden's nominee Chuck Sams is a key step to putting the National Parks on solid footing. 

Park Rangers Bring Black History to Life in the Great Outdoors

As Americans consider the racist views of John Muir and the legacy of exclusion from national parks spaces, the Times highlights the work of African American workers in the national parks service and the Black history they help preserve "for the benefit and enjoyment of people." 

Should Native Americans Control National Parks? Examining an Argument for Reparations

David Treuer joins the PBS News Hour to discuss his recent argument that the US government should return control of National Parks lands to tribal authorities.

Don’t Cancel John Muir (But Don't Excuse Him Either)

Reckoning with John Muir's legacy of racial prejudice isn't just about imposing moral purity, it's about rethinking the conservation movement to include the broad coalition of humanity needed to protect natural resources. 

Op-Ed | Confederate Memorials Serve A Role In National Parks

by Harry Butowski

"The removal of existing statues in our Civil War parks will not change our history, but make it more difficult to confront and examine our history. National parks are the great American classroom where American history is taught."

The Future Of Confederate Monuments

by Kim O'Connell

“The Park Service needs to ask, ‘Who’s coming to your site and who’s not coming to your site?’” says Denise Meringolo, a professor of public history at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “Those monuments are a barrier to significant portions of the audience, for whom they are not simply inaccurate or annoying. They are traumatizing.”

The Problem of Confederate Statues on U.S. Public Lands

Governments have recently addressed the problem of memorializing the Confederacy on public land. Why should monuments in cemeteries like Arlington or on Civil War battlefields be treated differently? 

Ed Bearss, Past Chief Historian Of National Park Service, Dies At 97

Ed Bearss was one of the most important figures in the preservation of Civil War battlefields as sites for the American public to learn about history.

Thavolia Glymph Appointed to Gettysburg Foundation Board

Duke University Professor Thavolia Glymph joins the board of the foundation, which partners with the National Parks Service to preserve and promote historical sites near Gettysburg related to the Civil War battlefield and to the military career of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

"An Honest Reckoning"

Hundreds of people were once enslaved at the opulent  Hampton estate, but for decades after the site became part of the National Park System, their stories remained hidden.  That is changing. 

National Park Service Awards More than $3.1 Million in Grants to Preserve and Interpret World War II Japanese American Confinement Sites

The 22 projects funded will help tell the stories of the more than 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor by the nation of Japan in 1941.

Retired NMSU Professor's Blog Offers A Road Trip Through U.S. History

Retired history professor Jon Hunner's blog is a travelogue of a 60,000 mile journey to visit the National Parks system. 

Harriet Tubman and a National Legacy of Midnight Skies and Silent Stars

by Todd Lookingbill

The Oscar buzz around the film and the popularity of the biopic with critics and general audiences alike creates an opportunity to discuss and shine a light on the important landscape associated with this amazing historical figure. 

Preserving the history of Yellowstone

It’s important to preserve the history of Native tribes in the Yellowstone region.

The Story We've Been Told About America's National Parks Is Incomplete

by Dina Gilio-Whitaker

The national park system has long been lauded as “America’s greatest idea,” but only relatively recently has it begun to be more deeply questioned.