Our Land, Our Parks, Our History

When I was 5 years old, my family took a road trip out for the 135th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. Being only 5, my memory is sketchy, but one thing that I specifically remember minus the heat and Hershey Park is the scene of Pickett's Charge from the reenactment. To a young mind, that fight and bloody carnage seemed frightening, yet intriguing. I remember wanted to know why. Why were they fighting until this devastation occurred?

From that moment on, there was a thrill behind the world Gettysburg. Every single time someone would mention it, my heart would swell. All the way through grade school into high school, it held a magical place in my heart. After getting an internship with the National Park Service last summer, I found an overwhelming thrill in talking about the Civil War. Everything about it made my heart race and made my palms sweat with excitement. I want to discuss, debate and share all of this devastation, the history, the emotions behind this war with the rest of the world!

But tomorrow, everything is going to change.


I'm not much for politics, much to the surprise of many, but there is one thing that I am fighting hard for. The budget deadline is tomorrow, March 1st. Things aren't looking so bright for the NPS, with a looming 5% cut from their miniscule budget they're working from right now. The places I worked all summer will be closed many days a week. Trails will be closed. Maintenance will not be done. But the one thing that scares me the most, for my career but more importantly, the visitors, is the fact that they are cutting seasonal staff, and no longer hiring.

What does that mean to the Civil War soldiers that lost their lives fighting on the ground that will not be seen? Their stories are being brushed aside for politics. Their lives lost, the blood that stained the fields of Gettysburg are being forgotten because of money. If they could come back, could the Federal Government look their ancestors square in the face and tell them this? "Oh yeah, by the way, I'm not letting people go hear about your sacrifice because we need more money for something else."

I'm not saying that we shouldn't invest our government's money in anything else. That would be ridiculous. But even a tad bit more in the NPS produces thousands of jobs in the surrounding communities of the parks. From the Grand Canyon to Gettysburg, thousands of people flock to these sites for vacations, field trips, and more. And with their tourism comes the revenue. These visitors need some place to eat, to stay, to get ice cream, and to buy souvenirs.  But who wants to travel to these places if they're CLOSED?! No one. No one wants to travel across the country to be told, "Sorry folks, we're closed. Come back next time." They won't come back next time, which will continue this vicious cycle.

We need to figure this out. I want to get down on my knees and beg the country to see this land as what it truly is-- ours. It is our land, as Americans, to keep for our future generations. We always say "Go AMERICA! Buy American!" yet we don't value America's own land. These parks are apart of who we are as citizens of the United States.


Can you imagine closing Gettysburg? Can you imagine not being able to sit at Little Round Top and  enjoy the view? Because someday, that might be a reality. But I'll fight until I die for these parks to stay open. Support the National Park Service, and support the United States.