Many of our PPASG members are published in the latest special issue on "Teaching with National Parks" of the Parks Stewardship Forum (PSF) by the George Wright Society (GWS). Check it out! escholarship.org/uc/psf/42/2

“The fact that Nauru’s original name was shaped by outsiders’ inability or unwillingness to pronounce ‘Naoero’ properly reflects a clear power imbalance that the country is now interested in rectifying.”

It matters how a president speaks. Because their words don’t just persuade — they set the boundaries of what feels possible, acceptable… even inevitable. That’s how the unthinkable starts to sound normal, according to a scholar of presidential rhetoric. theconversation.com/presidential...

Congratulations to Dr. Seth Kannarr, who successfully defended his dissertation: “What’s in a Name? Reimagining the Geography of Naming Designations in the USA National Park System.”

NBA expansion team name ideas for Las Vegas included in this article: - Las Vegas Jokers - Blackjacks of Las Vegas - Las Vegas Sharks - Las Vegas Oasis - Las Vegas Diamonds - The Vegas, Babies - Las Vegas Dealers #LasVegas #NBA

“But don’t ruin it for the rest of us who have come to rely on National Parks as places where we can go for that learning, we want to maintain their ability - unimpaired - to be able to talk about the full scope of our history - wonder, warts, and all.” youtu.be/3HSTalQnws0?...

Are you a student who is looking for a publication opportunity for research work related to parks and protected areas? If so, click the following link to learn more about the Park Stewardship Forum's upcoming student-centered special issue for January 2027! docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Always a pleasure to collaborate with @derekgeographer.bsky.social and @katgeographic.bsky.social! We’ve enjoyed our time writing articles for @theconversation.com and have found them to be of immense value in the classroom.

The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) met today and recommended these design candidates for the 2027 Youth Sports Quarters and Paralympic Sports Half-Dollar programs. View high-resolution images of all design candidates here: www.ccac.gov/portfolios #USMint #CCAC #YouthSports #Coins

Kids don’t want to be teachers when they grow up anymore. “Why would I?” high schoolers ask — pointing to low pay, burnout and lack of respect. Teachers earn just 73¢ on the dollar compared to other college grads, and 1 in 8 open teaching positions remain unfilled.

"He was not simply changing the name. He was actually enacting a different worldview..." Kudos to @derekgeographer.bsky.social for contributing remarks for another national news piece on place renaming! www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

It was a pleasure to co-organize this special issue for The Geography Teacher on “U.S. Parks and Protected Areas” with Dr. Mayra Roman-Rivera. I was also proud to contribute authorship on an introductory essay, a lesson plan, and a book review for it. Check it out if interested!

Grateful to @derekgeographer.bsky.social for introducing me to @theconversation.com and providing me with valuable mentorship in writing articles. I’m five articles in and looking forward to writing many more in the coming years! artsci.utk.edu/writing-for-...

Looking for an awesome park-specific academic conference to attend this year? If so, consider submitting a proposal to GWS Park Forum 2026, happening in Knoxville, TN this year! Read the full CFP at the following link: www.georgewrightsociety.org/parkforum-2026

Big news for #conservation and cultural heritage! Seth Kannarr, Ph.D. Candidate @utkgeography.bsky.social explains how the Ocmulgee Mounds in Georgia may soon earn the prestigious designation of National Park. buff.ly/Bm65LE4 📌 Should more historical and cultural sites receive national park status?

Trump administration replaces America 250 quarters honoring abolition and women’s suffrage with Mayflower and Gettysburg designs buff.ly/pctFoy7

Ocmulgee Mounds in Georgia, which contains 12,000 years of Indigenous history, may become the newest U.S. national park. But here's the catch: the redesignation won't actually offer additional legal protection or funding for the site. buff.ly/3xXsR9p

Today, the Interior Department rolled out one of the biggest changes to national park access and fees in years, if not decades, and it will reshape how people—both U.S. residents and international visitors—get into places like Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon. #nationalparks #parkchat

While Trump may believe it’s ‘seditious’ for members of Congress to remind the US military that some orders might be illegal and shouldn’t be followed blindly, a survey of troops earlier this year found that most understand what the law requires buff.ly/Kq2TASq

Many members of the PASG attended the George Wright Society’s ParkForum 2025 workshop from October 20-23rd! It was great to reconnect and be with likeminded scholars and practitioners who love parks and protected areas like we do! Enjoy a few of the group photos we shared! #GWS #ParkForum

Students and instructors from GEOG 200: Environmental Issues in National Parks and GEOG 345: People and Environment spent the day at Look Rock along the Foothills Parkway in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

More Americans are biting their tongues, not because they don’t care, but because they’re afraid to speak. From DEI to the war in Gaza, people are more afraid to speak their minds now than during the Red Scare, according to a political scientist who has been conducting surveys. buff.ly/Ls2m7mv

PhD candidate Seth T. Kannarr recieved the Warren E. Roberts Graduate Student Paper Award at the ISLPMC Annual Meeting! His paper was titled “Public Memory in Your Pocket: Analyzing Coins as Everyday Geographies of American Identity.” Congratulations Seth!

Check out @sethographer.bsky.social's review of Jonathan B. Jarvis & T. Destry Jarvis's "National Parks Forever: Fifty Years of Fighting and a Case for Independence," published in 2022 by @uchicagopress.bsky.social; review now available @hnetreviews.bsky.social #envhist www.h-net.org/reviews/show...

As summer travel begins, Congress is considering a bill that could sell off parts of protected wilderness in NV & UT, threatening lands once called America’s “geography of hope.” Writer Wallace Stegner once warned: lose wilderness, and we lose part of ourselves.