Public Lands: Help Wanted

Across the United States and the world, our land calls to us for help. Will you help public lands? There is a help wanted sign written in footprints on trails and woven by invasive species as they overtake native plants. The sign is there amongst white toilet paper flags blowing in the breeze just off trail, and it says Help Wanted. There are sacred places where civilizations of long ago tell us stories of people past and present, and written amongst their history are the words Help Wanted. On beaches where turtles prepare their nests, long lines of plastic debris spell the words Help Wanted. These signs are obvious to the people whose love for special places acts like glasses bringing into focus blurry vision to reveal the words Help Wanted.

Our responsibility is twofold. First, we must cultivate a deep and personal love for public lands both small and large to act as those glasses. Next, we must seek out the Help Wanted signs where they lay and do what we can to answer their call and help public lands thrive.

Do you love National Parks? How about National Forests? What about National Monuments, Bureau of Land Management Lands, or National Seashores? Have you ever loved a state park, county park or municipal park? How about a park like Torres del Paine in Chile? Would you like to visit Parque Nacional Galapagos in Ecuador? Or maybe, Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania? These are all public lands, and written here or there are the words Help Wanted. Public Lands all over the world need our help.

You Protect What You Love. At ConservationVIP, we hope that our trips serve as inspiration that helps fuel your love for special places. We also hope that you bring that passion home to the special public lands near your home. Help public lands by using the enthusiasm you kindled on your trail building adventure in Yosemite or Torres del Paine on your local trails. We hope that you bring your joyful turtle adventures in Costa Rica and the Galapagos back to your local conservation areas and beaches. We hope that you will invite friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and other community members to public lands for recreation and to share your love. Can you help more people develop the deep love of these special places that fuels action?

Public Lands need us as much as we need them. In the United States we have a multibillion-dollar backlog of deferred maintenance and repairs within the National Park Service. It is a massive undertaking to maintain the historic buildings whose stories fascinate us, the trails we love to hike, the bridges we need to cross, and more, all while ensuring the safety of the parks’ visitors. Other federal public land agencies also have significant backlogs. State and local governments also face challenges maintaining public lands.

Now, imagine the challenges that other countries with smaller economies face. It is easy to assume that fees and other monies fund the work and maintenance these magical lands require, but the truth is more complex. Just as each of us need to budget how we spend our money, governments have to budget their funds. Should they spend their limited resources on education, on health care, on public transit, or on parks? There are many tradeoffs, and those become even more complicated when the parks are enjoyed by foreign visitors as much or more as by local citizens. Often the funding to help public lands is not as high on the priority list as we might want. Again, the signs abound if you can see them – Help Wanted.

We urge you to get out there. Help Public Lands while you fuel your love for Public Lands. And as you explore these places, look for the Help Wanted signs and act. Travel with ConservationVIP – fuel your passion and answer the call from these special places that need help.

Special People who Help Public Lands

Our next several blog posts will celebrate some of our very own Public Lands heroes who inspire us and lead us. We will be learning more about Mark Hardgrove, Barbara Kennedy, Garry Oye, and Jim Upchurch. They each spent their careers helping our Public Lands and in retirement volunteer as Board members, trip leaders, and so much more. They are heroes who have dedicated their lives to answering our Public Lands’ call – Help Wanted. ConservationVIP from its founding until present has been guided by the leadership of talented land managers. If you have had a career working for Public Lands and are seeking volunteer opportunities for your next chapter in retirement, give us a call.