You are here

Home » Op-Ed Columns

Op-Ed Columns

Op-Ed | National Park Service Capitulated To Point Reyes Ranchers

The final Record of Decision (ROD) on livestock operations management at Point Reyes National Seashore was released this week. Unfortunately, and as feared, it not only maintains the ongoing degradation of this national park unit by privately owned domestic livestock, but it expands the opportunities for a handful of ranchers to do even more damage to the public’s landscape with additional lands opened for grazing, as well as the planting of row crops.

Op-Ed | The Nation's Parks Are At A Crossroads

The United States Senate will soon consider the nominee to be director of the National Park Service. America's Best Idea - the National Park System - is at a crossroads. Return The National Parks To The Tribes demanded an article in Atlantic Magazine on April 12, 2021. The curious title presumes that tribes once had national parks. “Returning the parks” would end the “National Park System.” Here are three reasons why.

Op-Ed | A Refuge For All Americans

Who owns the national parks? The answer used to be decisive – all Americans, and for all time. Indeed our national parks, proclaimed Wallace Stegner, are “the best idea we ever had.” But some of our citizens regard the national parks as evidence of dispossession, places stained by the sins of a nation that is not their own and whose history they now repudiate.

Op-Ed | Are Native Americans Lost From Yellowstone?

The following column was written by George Wuerthner and Lee Whittlesey in rebuttle to a recent Smithsonian Magazine article titled, "The Lost history of Yellowstone," which features the work and opinions of archaeologist Doug MacDonald. MacDonald is the author of Before Yellowstone: Native American Archaeology in the National Park.

Op-Ed | Will Parks Receive Full Maintenance Funding From GAOA?

Last month, the Interior Department made an announcement that could have implications for those of us who love parks: In 2020, federal energy disbursements fell by about $3.5 billion, a plunge of 31 percent compared to the previous year. Why should park enthusiasts care about energy revenues? Simply put, if energy revenues slide much further, the new program meant to restore dilapidated park infrastructure will go underfunded, making it even more difficult to address the already colossal backlog of deferred maintenance.

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

FREE for iPhones and Android phones.