First Nationwide Protect Our Parks Demonstrations A Success

Want to do something about the great public land heist? Show up to the next one.

Resistance Rangers, the organizers of the #ProtectOurParks protests across the National Park system, estimates the 20,000 people turned out across all demonstrations on March 1.

I attended the protest at Roosevelt Arch, the gateway to Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Montana. There, organizers report about 200 protesters showed up, with probably around 50 dogs in tow.

Over a megaphone, the organizers thanked everyone for coming, encouraged people to share material on social media, and were careful to keep attendees out of the road, so park traffic could flow freely.

They led chants along the lines of “Hire, don’t fire,” and everyone sang “America the Beautiful.” Rangers and some of the other seven full-time staff fired as part of the recent downsizing in the federal workforce told stories of the important work they’d left unfinished, and the hardships they were facing with the sudden loss of their paychecks.

A through line in those stories was emphasis that these people had all chosen public service as a career path, despite low pay, out of a calling to serve the American people, and protect our natural places.

Other attendees voiced concerns about plans to sell public lands, reduce their protections, and push extraction on them beyond healthy limits.

While organizers had hoped for rallies at all 433 national park units, many of those are remote, and still socked in with winter weather. Notice was also limited, with plans only coming together this week. Protests were held at “over 100 units,” according to Resistance Rangers, with the most popular being at urban sites like the Golden Gate Presidio where 500+ people attended, or flagship park units like Rocky Mountain National Park, which saw 800 protesters turn out.

That’s not to say their weren’t plenty of attendees elsewhere. Gates of the Arctic, in Alaska’s Brooks Range, saw 150 protesters. Haleakalā on Maui had 60 people show up.

Resistance Rangers is in the process of planning future actions, and organizing those better with more advance communications. Stay tuned here, where I’ll be bringing you news of those as early as possible, along with reporting around national park and public land issues.

Wes Siler is your guide to leading a more exciting life outdoors. Upgrading to a paid subscription supports independent journalism and gives you personal access to his expertise and network, which he’ll use to help you plan trips, purchase gear, and solve problems. You can read more about what he’s doing on Substack through this link.