Reconstruction Monument Proposed
The historic Penn Center campus, founded on St. Helena Island, S.C., in 1862 as the Penn School, one of the first schools in the South to educate newly freed slaves, has been proposed to become the country’s latest national monument, managed by the National Park...
Nomadic Mama with a Mission
by Teresa Baker Christina Benton loves the road. She loves it so much that she took her three home-schooled kids on a 64-day, 5,704 mile RV journey across the country in the middle of the winter. Starting in January in their hometown of Charlotte, N.C.,...
Counting 100 Years of National Parks, for People of Color
When I was 7, or maybe 8, I read a book called The Hundred Penny Box. It told the story of an African-American woman who was 100 years old. She’d put a penny in that box for every year of her life, and whenever she...
Diversity Stars at Ranger Congress
Shelton Johnson of Yosemite National Park and Ravis Henry of Canyon de Chelly National Monument helped put the National Park Service’s scant diversity on display during opening ceremonies of the 8th World Ranger Congress on Sunday, May 22, at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes...
‘Hike Like a Girl’ Toward Change
by Liz “Snorkel” Thomas Note: A version of this story, plus more, appears at www.eathomas.com. Last week, I wrote in the High Country News about why closing the gender gap in the outdoors is important and steps women can take to reclaim the outdoors. This...
‘Hike Like a Girl,’ May 14-15, to crush taboos for women hikers
by Liz “Snorkel” Thomas Women often wonder whether it is safe for them to hike solo. For me, the answer clearly is yes: I’ve hiked 8,000 miles by myself, pioneered routes in Utah and the Columbia River Gorge, and set an Appalachian Trail speed record....