Visits to America’s national parks (our single best source of current and historic outdoor recreation statistics) are down nearly 19% year to date and are unlikely to increase in the immediate future. But what might happen next year or beyond as the coronavirus comes under control? What guideposts might we follow? To gain a glimpse into the future of our nation’s wild lands we need only look to our recent past because, as Mark Twain allegedly quipped, “history may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”

As the coronavirus pandemic continues unabated across the country, we should start to work now to create more green spaces in its wake.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is home to a thriving community of plants and animals. In fact, this national monument is also an International Biosphere Reserve, recognized for its conservation of the unique resources representing a pristine example of an intact Sonoran Desert ecosystem. But the health and continued protection of this irreplaceable ecosystem is at risk from a man-made intrusion; the border wall.

Proposed changes to the National Register of Historic Places would overturn the long-held protocols that allow state and tribal officials to nominate places to be listed on the National Register, according to a member of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks.