SEATTLE - With a divisive impeachment trial over, advocates for public parks are hoping Congress can focus now on an issue with bipartisan support - national parks.

The Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act would fund repairs sorely needed in the country's national park system. Deferred maintenance costs are nearly $12 billion, according to the National Park Service.

Executive Director of Recreation Northwest, Todd Elsworth, says Washington state is fortunate to have three parks, but overdue repairs are a roadblock.

"When they get to these places and there's deficiencies in infrastructure, and roads and bridges, and other parts that make, really, the park accessible and safe for everyone," says Elsworth, "that's where we're really seeing some challenges."

National parks are a big economic driver in Washington. In 2018, they saw more than eight million visitors who spent more than $500 million in gateway communities, and generated nearly 6,000 jobs.

However, repair costs in the state are nearly $428 million.

Marcia Argust is director of The Pew Charitable Trusts' Restore America's Parks Campaign. She says at a time when Washington, DC is so polarized, this is legislation that can move forward.

"It's supported by over half of Senate members and over three-quarters of the House members," says Argust. "And it's also supported by the administration."

Elsworth adds that addressing the maintenance backlog is becoming more important as the state's population grows at a rapid pace and puts more strain on parks.

"I believe that one of the reasons that people are moving here," says Elsworth, "not just for the tech jobs and other sectors, but it's the access to the outdoors that so many of us yearn for and appreciate. And it's part of the Washington experience."

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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Conservation groups say more needs to be done to protect the natural and cultural resources of Utah's Labyrinth Canyon from off-road vehicles.

The Bureau of Land Management is taking comments until Oct. 7 on a draft travel management plan for the Labyrinth Canyon and Gemini Bridges area outside of Moab.

Laura Peterson, a staff attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, said more than 1,200 miles of off-road vehicle routes blanket the area.

"Motorized vehicles are allowed in certain parts along the river and in a number of side canyons," she said, "and that really impacts riparian areas, habitat, soils, vegetation, but also the experience on the river as well."

The BLM has released four plan options for determining vehicle use in the areas for decades to come. Peterson contended that the plan known as "Alternative B" is the only one that would protect the entire river corridor while reducing the route density in Gold Bar Rim, Deadman Point, Day Canyon and other pristine areas.

There are 40 miles of the Green River running within Labyrinth Canyon. Peterson noted that it's a designated Wild and Scenic River for its recreational, scenic, ecological and cultural values.

"It's one of the few places in the West where you have a flatwater wilderness experience. And it's this unique situation, where the Emery County side of the river is protected wilderness and the Grand County side is not," she said. "And so, that makes for disparate management on either side."

According to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, more than 94% of land within the Labyrinth Canyon and Gemini Bridges area is within a half mile of a designated off-road vehicle route. Peterson said reducing route density and minimizing user conflicts is important for those seeking quiet recreation in the area.

As California's children settle into the new school year, about 1,500 students will soon take the field trip of a lifetime to see the giant redwoods.

The nonprofit Save the Redwoods League works with schools from Santa Cruz up to Humboldt.

Emily Wiberg, a fourth grade math teacher at Achieve Academy in Oakland, said the day trip to Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park is a game-changer for children from under-resourced communities.

"For the majority of them, it's their first time being out in nature," Wiberg pointed out. "It's really exciting to see them getting their hands dirty and exploring."

Wiberg's class also takes part in the watershed program at Crab Cove, in partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District. There, children put on waders and examine the marine ecosystem. Trips for junior high and high school students focus more on scientific data collection.

Deborah Zierten, education manager for the Save the Redwoods League, said the program promotes diversity, equity and inclusion by creating opportunities in all communities.

"We try and provide free bus transportation, or if they're able to provide buses, we always provide free instruction when we get to the forest," Zierten explained. "We don't want to charge because we don't want that to be a barrier."

The program hopes to inspire students to consider careers in forestry and natural-resource management. And it teaches students about threats to the watershed and old-growth forests such as development, wildfires, and drought linked to climate change.

Hispanic Heritage Month begins this week and runs through mid-October, and conservation groups are encouraging people to celebrate by getting the family out to enjoy our public lands.

In Southern California, for example, Hispanic Access Foundation is sponsoring a stargazing event in Frazier Park for Hispanic pastors on Sept. 30.

Juan Rosas, a conservation program associate for the foundation, wants to dispel the myth Hispanics do not value public lands.

"To be able to enjoy God's creation is really important to our people," Rosas explained. "What a great way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and getting people to the great outdoors and bringing awareness to the great need here in California."

The stargazing event is intended to promote the PUBLIC Lands Act, which would protect 1.5 million acres of land in California. It passed the U.S. House, but has stalled in the Senate.

Census data show 39% of Californians are Latino, making it the largest ethnic group in the state. The population grew by 1.6 million people or more than 11%, between 2010 and 2020, which accounted for more than two-thirds of the state's total population increase.

Rosas noted California has many stunning state and national parks, but low-income families have a hard time getting there because they are often far from urban areas, and public transportation is spotty.

"In our beautiful state, we do have Joshua Tree, we have Big Bear, we have all these beautiful beaches, if you have a good car," Rosas pointed out. "But most of us are living in neighborhoods that are very nature-deprived."

Nationally, Latinos make up 18.5% of the population and are expected to hit 24% by 2065.