yosemite national park

An Unexpected History Lesson

Posted on by Michele Arduengo
Hillside Trail, Muir Woods National Monument
Hiking the Hillside Trail in Muir Woods National Monument

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me

–Woodie Guthrie

When my daughter was in preschool, she learned the lyrics to Woodie Guthrie’s folk song This Land Is Your Land. After one summer vacation, while she played in the Gulf stream waters off the coast of Florida, she asked, “Can we go see the Redwood Forest now?”

I had never seen the Redwood Forest, and my daughter’s request piqued my curiosity. I thought about my own childhood, when I had accompanied my older sister on a botany class project to collect plants and how curious I was about the plants and where they grew and what their names meant. Suddenly I wanted to see the Redwoods, and the Giant Sequoias.

It took a few years, but we managed to design a vacation trip that satisfied my daughter’s request to see the Redwood Forest and my growing curiosity, and I am so glad we did.  Continue reading “An Unexpected History Lesson”

The Intersection of Plague and National Parks

Posted on by Sara Klink

Plague cases in the United States over 42 years. Copyright Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
American national parks have spectacular scenery enjoyed by hikers worldwide. It’s one way people can enjoy some of the preserved wild places in North America. Due to this intersection of humans and wild animals, a bacterium that is endemic to the southwestern United States has infected a few humans after trips to Yosemite National Park, sparking many news headlines about the plague and closure of a few camping sites for chemical treatment to reduce local flea populations. In total, this summer has seen six cases of infection and unfortunately, three deaths from the plague. Continue reading “The Intersection of Plague and National Parks”