Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 2h

"Teddy Roosevelt is rolling over in his grave," Senator Heinrich (D-NM) said during remarks on the Senate floor today.

#publiclands #nationalparks #protectpubliclands #protectourparks

"Teddy Roosevelt Is Rolling Over in His Grave," Senator Heinrich Says About New Republican Public Lands Legislation

As necessary as it is to keep calling out anti-public lands politicians like Steve Daines (R-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), and especially Mike Lee (R-UT), it’s arguably equally as important to highlight ...

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

5 5

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 6h

In the first half of 2025, for the first time in history, the world generated more electricity from renewable energy sources than from coal.

So what does the U.S. government do? Open up 48,000 acres near some of Utah’s greatest national parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef.

#nationalparks

Renewable Energy Produces More Electricity Than Coal For First Time Ever, As the U.S. Government Pushes For Coal Mining Near National Parks

Could this be any more contradictory and backwards?

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1 7

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 2d

Just a reminder that the U.S. Constitution doesn't mention public lands even once and that everything's up to Congress—and therefore, our votes.

#publiclands #nationalparks #protectpubliclands

America’s Public Lands Could Disappear With a Simple Act of Congress

Just a reminder that nothing's guaranteed

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1 3 11

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 4d

On October 4, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson set aside 80 acres surrounding the Carnegie Quarry as Dinosaur National Monument, protecting the now-famous “Wall of Bones.”

The monument also became the center of a nationwide conservation fight in 1950s.

#publiclands #nationalparks

Skeletons, Canyons, and Controversy: The Story of Dinosaur National Monument

On October 4, 1915, President Wilson designated Dinosaur National Monument

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

2 12

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 5d

According to provisional mortality data compiled by federal agencies, 63 grizzlies have died so far in 2025—the highest annual toll ever documented at this time of year in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Only six of those fatalities were natural...

#yellowstone #wildlife #grizzlybears #grizzly

Grizzlies Continue to Face Existential Challenges: Record Deaths Threaten Yellowstone’s Iconic Bears

Grizzly mortality rates in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are on track to set a record in 2025

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1 4

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 6d

In a new bill introduced today, Mike Lee (R-UT)—remember him from back in June when he tried to sell our public lands?—wants to make it legal to build roads, observation towers, fences, surveillance systems, and motion detectors in wilderness areas.

#publiclands #nationalparks #parkchat

Mike Lee Wants to Build Roads and Surveillance Systems in Wilderness Areas to "Deter Illegal Border Crossings"

New law would allow ICE agents to patrol national parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and wilderness areas on the Canadian and Mexican borders

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

2 2 9

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 7d

As Doug Burgum brags about AI lawnmowers on the National Mall, our national parks are currently forced to operate with a skeleton staff of 5,200 "essential" workers.

Meanwhile, mining permits and coal leases continue to be processed and approved...

#publiclands #nationalparks #parkchat

63% of National Park Service Employees Are Furloughed—But Mining, Drilling, and Coal Production Continues Unabated on BLM Lands

Shutdown contingency plans show the Interior Department's public land-use priorities

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1 3 12

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 11d

🍂 Happy National Public Lands Day! 🦬

I wanted to offer you all a LIFETIME 20% discount to a subscription to my Substack. Click the following link to learn more and to subscribe. (There's a free subscription option too.)

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com/443e0c36

#nationalparks #publiclands

4 8

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 11d

For every $1 of federal funding, the National Park System generated $16 of economic output in 2024, according to a new NPS report published this month.

The parks are a gold mine.

#nationalparks #nationalparkservice #protectourparks #publiclands #parkchat

National Parks Generated A Record $56.3 Billion in Economic Output in 2024, New Report Shows

The National Park System also supported over 340,000 jobs across the entire country

open.substack.com

4 9

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 12d

In a letter addressed to Interior Secretary Burgum today, 38 former NPS superintendents urged him to close the national parks if the federal government shuts down next week.

“National parks don’t run themselves […] If sufficient staff aren’t there, visitors shouldn’t be either,” the letter states.

Calls Grow to Close National Parks If The Government Shuts Down

"Protect our parks and public lands by closing them," over 35 former NPS superintendents say

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

4

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 13d

Rep. Tiffany (R-WI) has reintroduced a bill that would elevate Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, established in 1970, to full national park status, a move he says would bring new recognition and economic growth to Wisconsin while protecting the area’s unique character.

#nationalparks #publiclands

Wisconsin’s First National Park? Congressman Tiffany Pushes to Elevate Apostle Islands

Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve Act reintroduced in Congress

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1 3 7

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 14d

When developers buy up public coastline to build luxury resorts, when upstream mining pollutes rivers, when the government tries to shrink national monuments to make way for drilling, when proposals to sell public lands are included in Senate budget bills—whose land is it, really?

#publiclands

Whose Land Is It, Really? Woody Guthrie and the Battle for Public Lands

"This land was made for you and me," but they keep trying to sell it

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

4

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 15d

“I think it’s likely that the Committee [...] will hold a hearing to consider, once again, this proposal in the weeks to come, and building on the momentum that we gathered last Congress, I’m cautiously optimistic we can make yet more progress," Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said yesterday.

Ocmulgee Mounds Is Still on Track to Becoming America's Newest National Park

“I think we still have the wind in our sails this year,” Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 16d

Five days after the battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in the history of the United States, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

It was September 22, 1862, and the nation would never be the same.

#nationalparks #emancipation #civilrights #freedom

From Antietam to Freedom: How Lincoln’s Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation Changed America

On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1 3

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 21d

Arguably the greatest unknown conservationist in U.S. history, Edgar Wayburn was born on September 17, 1906.

Working as a physician in San Francisco for fifty years, he quickly understood the link between human health and nature, and became a staunch advocate for protecting natural landscapes.

The Wilderness Whisperer: Meet America's Greatest Unsung Conservation Hero

Edgar Wayburn helped double the size of the National Park System

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

2 17 110

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 21d

Today, Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ) introduced two separate bills, each of which would effectively abolish one national monument:

- Ironwood Forest National Forest
- Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument

#publiclands #nationalmonuments #BLM

Abolishment of Two Arizona National Monuments Proposed in House Bill

Arizona Congressman Gosar wants to get rid of two national monuments

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1 3

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 22d

One of the most overlooked conservation battles of our time, noise pollution affects your public lands experience more than you might realize.

Please read the call-to-action at the end! It's crucially important and pressing.

#nationalparks #publiclands #protectpubliclands #roadlessrule

Noise Versus Nature: Saving the Soundscapes of America's Public Lands

Inside the overlooked battle to preserve the sounds that define wild places.

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

21 100

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 23d

National park don’t solve legislative stalemates or heal ideological divides. But they do provide something just as necessary: the chance to remember what it feels like to belong to the same country—what it feels like to feel American, and not just Republican or Democrat.

#nationalparks

In a Fractured Society, There's Still One Place Where Americans Stand Side by Side: Our National Parks

The United States feels like it’s tearing at the seams.

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1 11 39

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 24d

On any given day in Yellowstone, a gust of wind can turn a tourist’s favorite cap into a projectile. The unlucky hat may soar and tumble—sometimes landing in a boiling hot spring. That’s where the park’s geology team comes in.

#Yellowstone #nationalparks #yellowstonenationalpark

You Wouldn't Believe What Yellowstone's Geologists Pull From the Park's Hot Springs

On any given day in Yellowstone National Park, a gust of wind can turn a tourist’s favorite cap into a projectile.

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1 9

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 26d

The best time of year to enjoy our national parks is almost upon us!

#nationalparks #parkexperiences #fallcolors #fallfoliage #fall

10 Best National Parks for Fall Colors - The National Parks Experience

From Shenandoah and Acadia to Grand Teton, Glacier and Zion, these are the best national parks for fall foliage and autumn colors in America.

www.travel-experience-live.com

1 1 10

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 27d

I think we could all use some peaceful natural scenery right now, so here's some gently lapping waves at Cinnamon Beach in Virgin Islands National Park.

#nationalparks #virginislands #beach

15 66 610

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 27d

Anyone who's planning some fun fall activities, whether it's a road trip or just closer to home, will benefit from this awesome map!

#fall #fallfoliage #fallcolors

My Favorite Fall Foliage Prediction Map Is Back!

During September, when nights slowly get chillier and mornings crisper, when apples and pumpkins fill roadside farm stands, and when the leaves of deciduous trees start turning yellow, orange, and red...

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

1 2 8

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 27d

Are you saying that I shouldn't have shared this news? How the hell would that help?

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 28d

No it doesn't. The Public Lands Rule applies specifically to the how the BLM manages its lands, not to the Forest Service. Maybe you're confusing this with the Roadless Rule. Again, read the article.

1 3

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · 28d

This has nothing to do with the forest service, so your comment is irrelevant. Read the article.

1 2