In light of the recent gun violence that took place at STEM High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado on May 8, 2019, the PLHC would like to offer anyone affected by those events a content warning on the blog post below, which details instances of gun violence against youth and young adults, specifically LGBTQ+ individuals. […]
Urban Forests If you were a lucky kid in one of America’s urban forests, your first friend was a primordial beast. Its knotty arms would cradle you when you were overheated or sad or alone, and keep you safe when you picnicked and plucked grass at its feet. And if you were really, really lucky, […]
Adrift at Scotts Bluff National Monument Alone on the mixed grass prairies of western Nebraska at Scotts Bluff National Monument, a wanderer might almost think themselves adrift on a rustling sea. The wind ripples and hisses. Sunlight glints white off millions of leaves and stalks. On the bewildering expanse distances warp and stretch. Gazing to […]
Who Gets a Getaway? The year was 1940. As World War II raged in Europe, and Americans seeking leisure and adventure turned to exploring their National and State Parks rather than vacationing abroad.[1] In the east, Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountain National Parks were open. Instead of trekking to the National Parks of the west, […]
Since its founding in the 1916 Organic Act, the mission of the National Park Service (NPS) has been to preserve, unimpaired, America’s natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.[1] Today, national parks draw millions of visitors each year, and are in danger of being loved to death. […]
Making memories of a grand land “Don’t go so close to the edge,” my parents yelled. I rushed to grab my first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. That must be a thousand feet down, I thought. Once I’d seen it in person, I knew why the Grand Canyon was one of the Seven Wonders of […]
Public Land on the U.S.-Mexico Border Picture the public land on U.S.-Mexico border. Perhaps you see a distinct line slicing across the map or a fence enforced by the Border Patrol cutting through a desert wilderness. Or maybe you imagine a port of entry where sister cities straddle the international boundary. While hardly incorrect, such […]
In 2017 and 2018, headlines reading, “Protect our Public Lands,” have become a common sight. The Trump Administration’s goal to increase domestic energy production in America has resulted in renewed pressures to extract natural resources on public lands. The case of Dinosaur National Monument in particular illustrates the need to keep fighting the same battles […]
Introduction In southern Utah, two bear’s ears poke out from the face of the earth. Shash Jáa,[1] as the Navajos call the buttes, graces the horizon from all directions. Beneath their splendor lie cliff dwellings, rock art, and ceremonial sites, the material vestiges of many stories.[2] It is, as the five-tribe Bears Ears Inter-tribal Council […]
