A12. Now is a great time to check out our #ParkChat book club. Join us Tuesday, June 16, at 7 pm Central to discuss the first half of Sea of Grass by Hage and Marcotty. We meet on Zoom and we never know where our discussion will lead us. Interested? Contact our moderator @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social

Also, thank you @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social for sharing resources we can use to make our voices heard, including Roadless.org and The Op-Ed Project. #ParkChat

I’m so grateful how many of our #ParkChat family members are making the effort to make a difference. Thanks everyone.

A11 #ParkChat I know this hashtag helps, as many of us regularly use it to post about this topic. I also get emails from REI Coop Action Committee and some conservancies (state and federal level) that help keep me informed.

Great chat, @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social ! Thank you for bringing these difficult topics up! #ParkChat

A12 Next week we welcome @beckyjlomax.bsky.social as our special guest host. Her topic is Colors, Colors, Colors. Have your photos ready! Becky is a #ParkChat treasure-you won’t want to miss her.

A11. It is vitally important to take time to enjoy our public lands, even as we fight for them. Get lost in a forest, concentrate on that bird, key out an odd flower, wade in the tide. Limit your time with all news media. The crappy news will still be there when you return. #ParkChat

A11 #parkchat the staying informed is relatively easy. The staying sane part…that’s hard. But I hike a lot, and get regular doses of…

#parkchat A11 Have a set time & duration each day or so to review the news regarding #publiclands. Then turn it off, put it away. Go out & Enjoy the good part of life. Listen to the birds, walk, breathe. Never review news before bed. Talk w like-minded folks.

A11) ParkChat helps! I am pretty informed with my work with a couple of National Scenic Trails too, so a lot of the areas that are most impacted by the cuts I hear about and can act accordingly. Get involved with your local parks! #ParkChat

A10: I have to block out a lot of the mainstream news for my mental health. I get news about the parks from my daughter & her friends who work for public lands. Also from my #ParkChat friends and social media accounts that track public land issues.

Yes, @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social is bringing us a timely and necessary topic. Thank you for working with her to make it possible. We simply cannot take our public lands for granted! #ParkChat

#ParkChat Q11: From one topic to another, there are numerous threats to our public lands. How do you stay informed, but also stay sane with this important (singular) topic? Drop your tips here. ⬇️

You're inspiring me to do more research into the public lands I love most and how I can help them! Thank you for this.

#ParkChat Q10: With so many topics reaching a peak so regularly, how do you prioritize what public lands topic you'll focus on?

A9 #parkchat In particular I loathe the loss of Indigenous perspective. We drove past Greasy Grass recently and I just didn’t have the heart to stop and see what a mucked up fess it’s likely become.

Let’s start thanking @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social for her thoughtfulness in creating tonight’s #ParkChat So well done!

The Two Rivers National Wildlife refuge is the one I know best--and staff are so necessary to protect migrating wildfowl from overcurious humans! Refuge services have been cut back, which means less education for people, less improvements for birds--including our national bird, ironically!

#ParkChat Q9: Our National Parks have seen a number of assaults. One of them is censorship of "disparaging content" against Americans. How will this reworking of history change the experience of Park visitors? ➡️ Learn More: bit.ly/Park-Censorship

A7. I visit National Wildlife Refuges frequently when I travel. It's common now to be greeted with closed visitor centers, impassible roads and trails, and other problems. We have some amazing refuges, so don't forget to advocate for them. #ParkChat

A6: Yes, absolutely! It seems this administration needs constant reminders that they work for the people who elected them, and the people want public lands protected! #ParkChat

A5: Not all employees will want or be able to move, leading to more staff reduction. This is very scary, because it means the research that would have been done is not going to happen, wildfires will burn out of control, forests will not be efficiently managed. #ParkChat

#ParkChat Q8: Steve Pearce is nominated for the head of Bureau of Land Management. His previous positions have been to sell off public lands. The final Senate vote is in May. Would you consider writing an Opinion Editorial on this issue? ➡️ Learn How to Write an Op-Ed: bit.ly/OpEd-Basics

A4. I regularly call and email my US Rep and both Senators. I want to remind everyone that, even if your electeds are voting on our side, please let them know you support their positions. They need to hear you agree. #ParkChat

A4: Yes, I've written to my Senator and other federal representatives about the Boundary Waters and other issues facing the parks. I've made phone calls, sent emails, written letters about many of the issues facing our public lands right now. If we don't speak up for the land, who will? #ParkChat

A6 #ParkChat I have already written to my Congressional reps about it, and I will continue to remind them as needed.

A5. We've got some major issues already with our Shawnee NF, so I don't see that improving. I believe this will allow more influence from corporations, while reducing staff on the ground. Who will help visitors? Who will look after the forests and grasslands? Who will fight the fires? #ParkChat

#ParkChat Q7: With 18% fewer staff & a budget slashed 22%, the US Fish & Wildlife Service staff, those tasked with protecting wildlife & habitat, can't meet the agency's mission. Do you have a wildlife reserve by you? Has it been harmed by cuts? ➡️ Learn More: bit.ly/Refuge-System

#ParkChat Q6: Roughly 60M acres of Forest Service wilderness is protected via the Roadless Rule. The federal administration wants to rescind this rule & open forests to mining, logging, & paved roads. Would you write comments or attend a Roadless Rule Rally? ➡️ Learn More: roadless.org

A5 #ParkChat The reduction in force is bad enough, considering all of the DOI agencies were already shortstaffed. Closing research stations is playbook for this admin; science means facts and critical thinking, so they HATE it. The loss of the science will be painful.

I like to write to my rep and Senators because they send me such nonsense in return. (Josh Hawley!) I remember getting very fierce about Bear's Ears. My brother says that's why he took me hiking in Canyons of the Ancients--so I'd know how beautiful and vulnerable these places are.

A3. So many NMs in the West I want to visit. Grand Staircase is immensely important for its cultural and natural heritage, its history and beauty. It's precedent setting for a reason: if they are successful here, they'll go after all of them. And my #ParkChat friends, this should boil your blood. 🤬

#ParkChat Q5: In March, the federal gov't announced a major re-org & transition to Utah for the US Forest Service. This relocates ~500 employees, closes nine regional offices, and 57 research stations. How do you think this will impact our forest lands? ➡️ Learn More: bit.ly/USFS-Relocation

A4 #ParkChat Chris VanHollen, Angela Alsobrooks, Jamie Raskin, Steny Hoyer, Sarah Elfreth.... they are all probably super tired of hearing from me, but I know they all are fighting not just for Maryland, but for all of us. I am proud of the Congressional reps for Maryland (not you, Andy Harris).

A4 #parkchat I’ve written and/or called so many times my name and number are probably on a black list somewhere. Some of the lame things I’ve heard in response just infuriate me.

Grand Staircase and Bears Ears are enchanting. I can’t believe these lands are threatened by greed. Forget keeping them with the BLM who threatens them, it’s time to give them to the NPS and have them really protected. #ParkChat #FindYourPark

#ParkChat Q4: House Joint Reso 140 unraveled Boundary Waters protections allowing polluting mining to harm these pristine waters. Would you (or have you) ever written your federal rep or Senator? What was your public land cause? ➡️ Learn More: bit.ly/Federal-Reps ➡️ Learn More: bit.ly/US-Senators

A2 I don't know anyone personally, in the NPS, who was affected, but I do know some in other agencies. Remaining employees are really stressed, afraid to talk, and morale is low. The amount of experience and institutional knowledge lost is sad. And for what?? #ParkChat

A2 cont’d #parkchat we tried to contribute to “helping hands” funds for RIF’d park service families, where and when we could.

Our park in southwest Missouri lost several employees--one who had just moved here from Virginia and was excited about working at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. She was baffled because she was fired for "underperformance" before she even started working!

A3 #ParkChat Voyageurs NP, under attack as it's in the Boundary Waters area that was just opened to FOREIGN MINING. (what happened to "'murica first?")

A2 #parkchat Yes, I know many. Some lost “seasonal” positions, while others who had gone through specialized training to be more “marketable” found themselves looking for another job. Mental health was severely impacted.