Increasing millennial awareness of our national parks

In Ancient Greek mythology, Antaeus was an unbeatable fighter as long as his feet stayed in contact with the ground (his mother Earth, Gaia). Heracles defeated Antaeus by uprooting him from the ground — and that is what is happening to humanity. As American society grows increasingly urban and technologically dependent, younger generations are losing their connection with nature. Children ages 2 to 5 spend, on average, 32 hours a week watching TV; ages 6-11 average 28 hours. Teens spend over seven hours a day consuming media in some sort of capacity. Millennials are closely identified with technology, to the point where it could have adverse effects on conservation efforts that have protected parts of the natural world from destruction. Without their participation, the livelihood of the National Park Service and the lands it protects are in jeopardy.

{mosads}To bridge the current gap between millennials and nature, the National Park Service implemented the “Find Your Park” campaign earlier this year, alongside ongoing outreach events preceding the centennial of the National Park Service in 2016. “I want people to feel proud of what they have in their backyard and develop a personal sense of ownership and responsibility over it,” says Everglades National Park Superintendent Pedro Ramos. “The national parks are part of the story of who we are as a people and as a country. These are places of international significance and the world is watching to see how well we respond to our responsibility to care for these special natural and historical wonders.”

No better examples of history, nature and all its wonders can be found in our country than in the national parks. “The National Park System provides over 400 opportunities for people to enter a world of exploration,” says Grand Teton National Park Superintendent David Vela. “We want to expose our nation to their birthright, the national parks, which many people don’t even know exist right in their backyard or within a day’s drive away.” With support from the Grand Teton National Park Foundation and Grand Teton Association, the park has been able to raise the bar on offerings to young audiences that simply would not exist without public-private partnerships. Since 2011, Grand Teton National Park has been the home of the National Park Service Academy, producing the next generation of conservation stewards through internship and training programs. The academy specializes in recruiting students from diverse colleges across the country. “For many of the students, the academy is often their first experience in a national park,” said Vela. “Even if they don’t use it as a pathway to employment with the National Park Service, we are sending out the next generation of conservation stewards to neighborhoods and communities across the nation.” Recently, through a grant from AT&T through the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, park staff enlisted the support of University of Maryland professors to facilitate workshops for elementary school children to design an app to connect the park with other kids all over the country. In this way, kids are designing technology for kids to connect them back with nature and their cultural heritage.

At Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most-visited parks in the country, Superintendent Cassius Cash is taking his success from doubling attendance as superintendent of Boston National Historical Park and the Boston African American National Historic Site to focus efforts on connecting the park with young and diverse audiences. “As the National Park Service heads into its 100th year in 2016, it is vital for the future of the parks to deepen our support by connecting with younger generations and groups that traditionally haven’t been coming out to the parks,” says Cash. Cash has pledged to hike 100 miles this summer to serve as a role model and example to younger generations.

The National Park Service has also enlisted the help of several celebrities, including first lady Michelle Obama, and several external partners, to rally support for the national parks. One of their leading advocacy organizations is the National Park Foundation. The official charity of America’s national parks plays a vital role in connecting the parks with America’s increasingly younger and more diverse generations through funding and advocacy support. “It is so important that people understand how the parks are relevant to their lives. Parks are an expression of who we are as a people and a country,” says National Park Foundation President and CEO Will Shafroth. “They connect us to our history and culture, they share our proudest moments and our struggles, and they provide space for recreation, relaxation and rejuvenation. In order for our parks to survive and thrive in their second century, people must feel connected to them and support them.”

We are changing our world drastically. Populations continue to grow, sea levels are rising, our climate is changing and ecosystems across the globe are constantly threatened by human actions. Our humanity is not just defined by wealth, technological progress, architectural development and the resources we need to sustain them; our humanity is also rooted throughout nature. Without protecting and preserving these roots, everything that has enraptured the human condition would lose its substance.

A reference to Superintendent Cassius Cash of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been revised.

Sainato is a freelance writer.