** Give people what they need: more parks!
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, August 30, 2021
Crowds after viewing Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Photo: Neal Herbert, NPS ([link removed])

The national park system has been hailed as one of America's best ideas, to protect and manage the crown jewels of our wildest places and our national history for the enjoyment of present and future generations. However, in recent years parks have become synonymous with something else: massive crowds ([link removed]) .

Kyle Paoletta, a freelance writer from Albuquerque wrote an opinion piece ([link removed]) in the New York Times over the weekend arguing for the creation of more parks precisely because the ones we have are at risk of being loved to death. As Paoletta writes, "More than 327 million ([link removed]'s%20national%20parks%20continue,record%20keeping%20began%20in%201904) people visited the public lands managed by the National Park Service in 2019, and, after a brief, pandemic-prompted respite, the system is again straining to accommodate the hordes of Americans yearning for a little fresh air after more than a year spent mostly indoors." As an example, the superintendent of Grand Teton National Park, Chip Jenkins says ([link removed]) that since last August, “Every month except one has been
record-setting.” Yellowstone, one of the nation's most iconic national parks, received a million visitors ([link removed]) in a single month this summer.

As Paoletta writes in the Times ([link removed]) , the best way rebalance the fact that there are too many people concentrated in too few places is to create more national parks. Senator Angus King, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks agrees that the creation of new national parks is one way to ease the pressure on our existing parks, saying ([link removed]) , "If you’ve got a demand problem, one way to solve it is to increase supply. That’s Economics 101." This rationale coincides nicely with the Biden administration's "America the Beautiful ([link removed]) " proposal to conserve 30% of America's lands and waters by 2030, which could include the creation of new national parks, as well as national monuments, national wildlife refuges, and state and local conservation areas.


** New podcast! Prof. Mark Squillace on the future of oil and gas leasing
------------------------------------------------------------
University of Colorado law professor Mark Squillace returns to The Landscape ([link removed]) for a look at the future of oil and gas leasing on America's public lands. We also welcome the newest member of the Center for Western Priorities team, Kate Groetzinger.
Quick hits


** Bolstered by surging oil and gas production, New Mexico on track to collect record-breaking revenue
------------------------------------------------------------

Albuquerque Journal ([link removed])


** New analysis calls for overhaul of what "productive use" of public lands means
------------------------------------------------------------

E&E News ([link removed])


** Give the people what they need: more parks!
------------------------------------------------------------

New York Times ([link removed])


** Federal judge to rule on Native Americans' request to block lithium mine in Nevada
------------------------------------------------------------

Reuters ([link removed])


** Podcast: Prof. Mark Squillace on the future of oil and gas leasing
------------------------------------------------------------

The Landscape ([link removed])


** How invasive vegetation is impacting national parks' ecosystems
------------------------------------------------------------

National Parks Traveler ([link removed])


** Opinion: Catholic bishops call for stronger methane rules in New Mexico
------------------------------------------------------------

Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])


** Why fall is the best time to camp and where to pitch your tent
------------------------------------------------------------

USA Today ([link removed])
Quote of the day
It’s a very frustrating place to be where we have recurring health emergencies without sufficient means of responding to them. You can be in your office just breathing smoke and thinking you’re OK because you’re inside, but you’re not.”
—Sarah Coefield ([link removed]) , air quality specialist for the city of Missoula, Montana
Picture this


** @NatlParkService ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
As America’s storytellers, the National Park Service is committed to telling the history of all Americans and continue to work towards making parks more accessible and inclusive. #ParkChat

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Copyright © 2021 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.

Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])