and it was just incredible. that was a two-acre site and it was a terrific experience. and a brand-new one. and baylor university stepped up and bought more land. so the park originally had two acres baylor university stepped up and now they have 175 acres of land to continue their scientific exploits and sharing with the public. just fantastic. and i totally agree about recommitting financially to our national parks. the way, we are looking at the badlands national park in south dakota and we have been shown you some of the iconic locations including yellowstone and mount rainier. the licking memorial, ellis island and yosemite national park. 413 parks andhe sites that make up the national park service. united press international -- the president

expands public lands more than any of his predecessors. more than any other u.s. president. says,tweet from edward they favorite park is yellowstone. mike is joining us from ohio. good morning. worry going live, just getting started, live coverage here on c-span. >> a long time washington, d.c. community activist suzanne meehan and september 13, author larry ty will be here to discuss and sign his book, bobby kennedy, the making after liberal icon. to find out about these and other programs at the national archives, consult our monthly events. there's a copy in the lobby and available on our website, www.archives.gov.

in our role as the nation's record keeper, the national archives maintains and makes accessible the documents and materials created by the federal government agency, including of course the national parks service. through wednesday, august 31, you can view on display in our rotunda, the original organic act, the legislation that created the national park service signed by president woodrow wilson 100 years ago today. if you haven't done that yet, i recommend that you take time after this program and stop by our rotunda and see that document. also part of our holdings related to the national park service are several reels of motion picture film and to get it started today i'd like to show excerpts from three of these films. first we'll look at a clip from the 1938 film "great smokey mountains" which describes the work of the civilian conservation corps in that park. next we'll see an excerpt from the silent film "glacier national park."

a landfall log that shows people interacting with the park in montana. this film is silent so if the spirit moves you, feel free to hum along or whatever. and finally, we'll move 50 years ahead in time and see a clip from the 1984 film produced by the park service, the fountain of life, rocky mountain national park." without further adieu, let's oll those clips, please. [video clip] ♪ ♪

>> in magnificent natural beauty of the american national parks have gone many companies of the civilian conservation corps to further projects which will guard this wealth of beauty against destruction by men and nature. it is not made work. since it came into existence in 1916, the national park service has set up long range plans for the preservation and enjoument of the parks. and the coming of the conservation corps immediately presented the service with a strong, young force to put these plans into action. atop the purple high country of north carolina and tennessee, lands the great smokey mountains national park. 300,000 acres of southern highlands wilderness which an act of congress gave national park status in 1933.

national parks are not built. god did that in the beginning. so work in them is presented at the splendid pictures and making of these pictures more comfortable without disturbing natural conditions. the act of congress establishing great smokey mountains national park prohibited any direct appropriations for development until such time as certain commitments had been fulfilled by the original by the original owners of the land. but when the emergency conservation work program was undertaken, it was found possible to resign conservation corps units to much of the preliminary and important work which needed to be done. at times there have been as many as 15 conservation corps attempts in the park with a working force of approximate 3,000 men. ♪ > these buehrlesque signs near

elkmont, tennessee they chose to affix to their building illustrate the civilian movement. here are boys struggling in the congestive areas of the large cities, most from new york and new jersey. they know 42nd street and fifth avenue and the riverside drive and metropolitan hotels but these natural institution has not added much enjoyment to their lives, they didn't know the great outdoors where perhaps the greater opportunities for their future may lie. the corps transported them physically and transformed them mentally. they're happy, healed and safe for better days. they're paying their way with manual service and making an important contribution to the health and happiness of millions now living and still more millions in the future. in their later times, a well organized educational program, which is a part of the conservation corps movement is

using their magnificent surroundings as a university campus with inspirational venue which is scaresly can be surpassed. practical knowledge more applicable to present day needs than any they have acquired before is being given them and they look to the future with high hopes and high chins. ♪ [video clip, silent]

>> by 1909, the idea for a rocky mountain national park was born. the issue was an emotional one. and naturally so. for it pitted commercial

interests against those who ould preserve such places. [ [video clip] >> let music say the things that words can never teach. forget the language of the world. to him, the rocky mountains were a fountain of life. this was his home and inspiration. enos mills became the chief spokesman for the park cause. the greatest resource of the

people is that which empowers and inspires them to do their best, exorted mills. people are restless for the medicine and the spell of the ilderness. after six years, mills saw his dream achieved. rocky mountain became the 10th national park in america. >> what do people seek? why do they come?

the answers are as varied and numerous as the people hemselves. for many, the mountains mean a journey of trail ridge road to the top of the continent, to stand in the alpine world astride the continental divide where waters diverge to either the atlantic or pacific oceans. ♪ >> for some, it is a place to savor a pace of living not easily found in today's world.

[end of clips] >> so that was the past. now to bring us up to the present and look to the future, it's now my pleasure to turn the program over to julia washburn, associate director for interpretation, education, and volunteers for the national park service. she a conservation professional with more than 20 years of experience working to help people of all ages form deep personal connections with their environment and cultural heritage. would you please help me in welcoming julia washburn and our panel to the stage. [applause]

julia: thanks very much, tom. good afternoon, everybody. thanks for coming today. it's a pleasure to see all of you and to see those of you from a distance. i'd like to first begin by introducing our panel. i will start with wayne rogers. who actually began his national park service career as a volunteer, has worked at several parks and is currently a park ranger at independence national historical park in pennsylvania. our next panelist is julie rode. julie is the c.e.o. and president of the names project, which is the organization that cares for and interprets the aids quilts. welcome, julie. rhonda sheer is our next panelist. rhonda started her career at mount rushmore where she grew up and then became a classroom teacher for 20 years. and has been returned to the park service, worked at several parks and is now the chief of

museum services and interpretation at jefferson national expansion memorial in st. louis. and we have carol mcbryant. carol mcbryant is a relevance, diversity and inclusion strategist at the national level for the national parks service. she has more than 30 years experience in the park service. and one of her jobs of many that she held was the chief of interpretation for the lewis and clark national historic trail during the bicentennial of the lewis and clark expedition. and did a lot of work with the native peoples along the route of the trail making sure that all sides of that story were told. so welcome, carol. welcome, panelists. >> thank you. [applause] julia: and i'm just going to get us on to the correct slide ere.

this is where we're supposed to be in the slide. it's a pleasure to be here to talk to you and with you about national parks as places of healing and resiliency and expression. national parks, as you know, were started for the purposes of conservation and enjoument for the public. i like to say that the national park service is probably the only government agency with the word joy in our enabling legislation. and i invite you all to go and look at that enabling legislation in the rotunda today and see the exact words there. that word "enjoument" can be interpreted in many different ways. and one really important way is returning to a sense of peacefulness and health and healing and making a deep connection with place and with yourself.

and parks can be places for deep healing and also can be places for healing on a societal level. so that's what we're going to be exploring today in our panel. so personally, this resonates well for me. i grew up here in washington, d.c. and my father, abbott washburn, was a cold warrior during the 1950's and 1960's. i can only imagine how much stress cold warriors were under during that period. and he credits rock creek park here in washington, d.c. as saving his life. he says that rock creek park, walking in that park every single day was what kept him calm but kept him focused, what made him able to do that important peace making work he was doing during those periods. so at a personal level, many, many people find solace and connection to parks. and we understand that and embrace it in the white house,

the obama administration also understands that and embraced it this year which is why we have national park r.x. day and started a national parks prescriptions program. you can see the surgeon general there in that picture. assigning a park prescription. we now have doctors across the country who are beginning to write prescriptions to people to go outside, move their bodies, get into parks. these are great prescriptions for both physical and emotional healing. so we're excited to be able to take that and sort of codify it and help doctors embrace it. and then of course on a societal level, our national parks represent our american heritage. and they aren't represent the american narrative and places that represent struggle and they are places where we commemorate that struggle. we can have important conversations.

if you'll note here, this is selma to montgomery, back in march we were able to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the march from selma to montgomery, and one of the ways we commemorated it was to bring 150 young people from across the country together to re-create the march. and we called it a learning march because every day they did a little piece of the walk and then would have dialogue in the evenings around what freedom means to them and what social justice issues are we working on today, and how can a country heal from its past injustices. and so parks are platforms for these kind of conversations. so we have a distinguished panel here today to talk with us a little bit about their own work in relationship to parks with healing and resilience as going into this next century of parks, we move from conservation to conversation. and to that end we will be

inviting you to join us in a conversation after we watch several film clips. and i'm going to turn it over to wainwright now who is going to start us off with introducing a film clip. wayne: ok. the interpretive ranger in me always wants to start off with saying, on behalf of the national park service, welcome. my name is wayne, i'm retired army and have been with the park service three years now, just passed my three-year anniversary but did spend a year and a half as a volunteer. it started with i was going down a very dark path ptsd-wise and it was a chance outing, family outing, i saw a sign "volunteers wanted." i inquired and talked to the big boss wife and she gave the thumb's up and here i am today. coping with ptsd, something we've started to learn throughout the park service is that a lot of veterans, and even current active service

members visit national parks to get away. and i wrote a story a couple years ago about my experiences, and i titled it "the park service saved my life." and the question i like to ask is for those of you who need healing or those that need healing, what are the things that have helped you or your loved ones in that healing process? and have the national parks ever been a thought to help in that process? the video that we're about to watch, it really resonated with me. it's called "a veteran and his camera." it's a veteran who served in iraq, also, came home, diagnosed with severe ptsd. he decided to take his camera and he went and traveled for 25 case -- 25 days, 12 national parks. i don't want to get too much into it and spoil it for him but really experiences how it helped him just in that short

amount of time, get that next foot forward to that next step that he needed to get to in that healing process. so with that, roll the clip. [video clip] ♪ >> my name is j.t.m. from st. louis, missouri, a former u.s. army soldier and iraq veteran. i spent 25 days on the road going to 12 national parks. roughly 7,200 miles from coast to coast and started in virginia and ended in california.

♪ >> the parks i visited were shenandoah national parks, great falls national park, manassas battlefield, lincoln memorial, big bend, carlsbad calf everybodies, gunnison, dinosaur national monument, yellowstone, olympic national park, mount rainier and yellowstone national park. i guess the thought of traveling to the national parks and taking the trips i did started sometime in late spring. i really kind of wanted to reconnect with who i was before the military and before i started having issues with post-traumatic stress disorder. so in 2000, i joined the u.s. army. i was in 82nd airborne four years in fort bragg, carolina and in 2003 deployed to iraq, spent a year there and came back and shortly after was diagnosed with ptsd. it affects everyone differently. for me it's just more anxiety

stress and aggravation in my normal everyday life. a good example of that is going to the grocery store. i try to go in the early mornings or maybe mid afternoons where i know there will be the least amount of people there. the more people i'm around, the more anxious i get, i become hyper aware, i guess you could say. i try to avoid situations that might trigger any negative thoughts or emotions in my everyday life so i usually just tend to stay home as much as possible. over the years, i've researched how other veterans have dealt with the stresses of getting out of the military and then readjusting back into life and the one common thing that i actually saw was there's a lot of veterans that will go out and explore the national parks, and the more i thought about it, it just seemed like something that could benefit me as well. so i jumped on the internet and started researching the national parks. one of the first things i noticed is that there are over 400 national parks, something i

had no idea there was. and to top that off, i noticed in 2016 there's going to be celebrating their centennial anniversary and the fact i own a camera and use that as part of my therapy for my ptsd, i figured it would be a really good opportunity to actually take my camera and put myself in the situation i'm getting out of the house but also capturing beautiful footage of the parks at the same time and hopefully challenging myself along the way. once i committed to myself in my mind i was actually going to leave the house i started mapping out why i wanted to take my trip and kind of made that coincide with friends and amily i hadn't seen in a while. once i'd been on the road a few days and even to a few different national parks, i think i started breaking out of my old comfort zone which was really confining and started feeling a also bit more open. there's different challenges

and things that the parks had that kind of opened me up and helped me push through those barriers. so going to the lincoln memorial, i kind of felt like it was going to be problematic for me just because it kind of reverts back to the whole ptsd aspect and going into public. once i got there and celted in a little bit, i kind of tried to focus on just getting footage and kind of focused myself on my camera work and what i was doing. it was a beautiful day to get out there and the sun was out and people were out. it definitely got me anxious but i'm glad i did it. every park offers its own little adventure per se. i was out of shape so i knew that going on hikes in the different terrain would kind of help me a little bit, would be another challenge with things i'm already trying to deal with but the challenge i welcomed. so having my friend kelly with

me was pretty helpful because she really did push me out there on some of the harder trails, once i otherwise would not have gone on. i think one of the first big physical challenges for me was carlsbad caverns. i forget, 1.2 miles downhill basically into a massive cave. the temperature drops as you go down and there's lots of stuff, tripping everywhere, the ground's wet and can be slippery in different areas and once you get down there, there's an elevator to get back up, i hopped out of the elevator and being the knucklehead i am decided to walk back up because kelly is walking back up. that really pushed me to my limits but i made it and i think it really kind of set the tone for what was to come down the road. by the time i got to mount rainier and redwood national park, i'd noticed i'd gotten a lot stronger. so i ended up going out on an

eight-mile hike by myself. it was a good hike. it was just a mental thing of pushing myself to see how fast i could do this. once thing i liked about the military was it put me in situations that forced me to go beyond what i thought my limits were. i think there's a parallel to be made there with the national parks. once you get out there, you find yourself in situations you otherwise would not have. before you know it, you've accomplished a big hill, you've climbed a mountain, you've traveled through streams, so many different things. and for me it was kind of getting out in the open public space where there was a lot of unknowns and really getting out of my comfort zone. you know, one trip's not going to cure anyone of anything or fix all your life's problems but in the moment it does really relieve that stress that help you think maybe more outside the box of whatever is going on in somebody's life or your life or my life, whatever. and someone that's seen the

chaos of war and the tragedy that it brings, i can honestly say the natural parks did give me a sense of peace that i really hadn't felt in probably since i was a teenager. but that therapy i think is not only limited to someone like myself or other veterans but anyone can experience it. all you have to do is get out there and go visit some national parks. ♪ [end video clip] [applause] >> good afternoon. i'm here to talk to you a little bit about the aids memorial quilt. i think our interpretation here

is a little bit different than being with many park service folks, but we have been an entity that has been in operation for 30 years. and who would have thought 30 years ago, a simple act of beginning to make a quilt panel to testify, to work through your grief and your loved for a loved one who has been lost to aids would turn into an incredibly testamentent that is to 94,000 lives created by over 100,000 individuals. our founding story comes at a there were7 when tens of thousands of people who were sick and dying and it felt like no one cared. and it felt like the group being impacted the most was the other and we were being talked about

as statistics and it was terrifying. idea, hean had an asked people during an annual candlelight vigil that on dirt -- on of the mayor and harvey in san francisco, to carry a packard, a poster board, with simply a name written on it of someone you love who was lost to this disease. i had hidden ladders in the bushes and they take these names on the side of the wall. what happened was for the first time in this annual candlelight vigil, people stayed. they started talking about the person whose name was on the placard. know he was gone but he was my brother and i loved him. people grieved openly and publicly about what was happening. it looks like a quilt. you know, we need to wake people

up and we need them to talk about people rather than statistics. would changethis the face of the economic -- the epidemic. for two years, he told people we needed it and for two years, they told him it was the craziest idea ever. but he made that first memorial and today as i said, we have inr 100,000 lives engaged the conversation. our connection to the national park is about our national mall and our civics stage, and we brought this in 1987 and it was the first time we have the voices of gay people, straight people, tall people, white people, black people, all engaged in a conversation about changing the dialogue about hiv and age and it -- and aids and it changed our conversation from one of the other to one of we are all invested and we are all in all in this conversation.

this particular photo is from that first display and one of the things that i think about is this quote is both epic and intimate at the same time there you have the intimate details of an individual life sewn into a three foot by six foot panel. approximate the size of a human grave. the deade laying out in washington in the hopes that washington would wake up and help us, and yet it is now so epic in scope, and i feel like that is part of the joy of the national parks, that every time you are in an epic kind of situation, there is an intimacy to it as well. as we set up the clip, it is from 2012. when we came back to d.c. and we were here for two particular events, one was the festival with the smithsonian and the other was the international aids

conference. the film was produced by the park service in the national capital planning systems. role that clip. playing] ♪ >> the inception and idea for the quilt really has its roots in the early years of hiv and aids. 30 years ago, this disease arrived, as it were, and 25 years ago, in just one small neighborhood, the castro in san francisco reached 1000 year at our founder had an idea, asking people to march with client --

with black is in their hands and the people who have loved and lost. he taped these up the side of the building and when he looked at it, he realized it looks like a weld. -- a quilt. ♪ >> i think the thing that makes quilt so so -- the powerful is that it was created by thousands of people and parts of communities that if been affected by hiv and aids and it is their personal investment that makes the stories in the quilt so powerful to the public. ♪ the quilts part of

created threewe digital experiences. the first one we started on is an interactive table touch browser that allows people to search and browse digital images of every one of the sixth house and block, 48,000 panels that make up the aids memorial quilt. the second one we developed specifically for this is an internet -- interactive timeline of 30 years of the history of the development of a -- of aids in the 25 year history of the quilt. the third experience is here but it is everywhere. it is what we call a mobile web app. throughout the course of the history of the aids at -- epidemic, this has been on display at more than 25,000 locations and more than 20 people -- 25,000 people have asked aryans the quilt -- have

experienced the quilt. it never changes. that is a wonderful thing as well as a burden. it grows day by day by day and so how do we gather the information and collected and preserve it and make it accessible after mark the ever-changing nature of it is hard of its beauty and part of its additional workload. >> i think the aids called is different from any of the traditional memorials here in watching them. you will see as you walk around in the national mall, it is a living memorial constantly being added to. static thatomething is seen in one place but it moves to new audiences and they can interact with it in different kinds of ways. i think more my -- more nontraditional memorials would

be well received by the public. the response to the aids quilt yearshe course of 25 tells you there is a profound interaction with this type of expression. j, lester j, raymond j, sonja j. >> in the extent that the national mall in particular is a contested place with a community evolving over time, nontraditional memorials do very because theystage can invite mick -- various communities to interact with them over time rather than setting up a permanent place. quilt has beens a pioneer in an interactive memorial we will see more of in the richer. it really doesn't fight community engagement and its entrant -- it addresses important issues and motivates

people to think about how these issues affect their lives and effect the broader culture in the country and throughout the world. it is not just something that commemorates something from the past. it can mentor -- it commemorates something people are living through now. ♪ julie: one thing i would love for you to think about is what is a cause you care about deeply on a personal or intimate level or a public society level? what would be a good public that form for addressing your cause personally and public we. thank you. [applause] >> so in 2016 while the agency is celebrating the 100 birthday and preparing to go to the next century of public service, we

have discovered more and more not only in great distances to come from far away and marvel at a wonderful history, but we are learning more and more that we are here for our neighbors who live close by and we are that weing more ways can have conversations and partnerships to help community neighbors with issues that are very important to them and the community. i bring with me today some conversation that demonstrate the kind of collaborative model and focus in our mission. hosted summits to invite the neighbors neighbor to come to the park and have a conversation about the best ways to share the story of the ancestral homeland in addition to the presidential story on the

mountain. time when point in they were soon revealed in new ways to unveil a better community of learning and understanding that independence national park in philadelphia, the parkhead crucial conversations with neighbors about how best to share the that of slave workers george and martha washington brought with them in addition to the story of the foundation of the nation that is shared at independence hall. international historic site, the young kids who live in the urban area learn how to have important conversations with children in rural areas and they shared back and forth the ways they were working to preserve the resources of the neighborhood and the community. ,t valley forge national park the community neighbors celebrated and honored annually,

pages of african descent. the park found ways to reveal the stories often untold. of workshopseries that brought forth demonstrations of froman-american history one cousin into another, dancing and drumming and art and live -- literature. at the jefferson national memorial, and grant national louis, safe -- in st. there is a strong site in place and therenity leaders is a team working together to support a community in need and sometimes the community -- the park staff was able to provide programming and education centers during its time when the community was fearful for their safety. developeda curriculum

by the faith and justice initiative and they will teach a training workshop to help the educators and the students learn better ways to express responsibility and civic engagement. i like to quote eleanor roosevelt who said universal human rights begin in small place is close to home. as we watch the movie of young exploring national parks and open spaces for the first time, we get a sense of learnt's like for them to new things about themselves, learn teamwork, learn how to overcome animosity through a challenge of crossing a fallen log hand with a classmate, so the idea with these initiatives the youngms is that people are learning the skills necessary to implement social responsibility and rights as they become the voice, the

future of our national parks and helped to forge new ways of building strong communities and learning. i think i have a question to consider. which button do i push? >> there you go. >> you push the one that works for you. there we go. very good, thank you. as we watch this clip, i would like us to consider when did a park experience close to home prepare you for something bigger than you expected or launch a new understanding in ways that surprised you. now we can roll it. clip]

♪ >> we get to be adventurous and go to places we would not normally go to or know about. >> here to help us work together and focus on teamwork and not judge you to other -- judge each other. believe give up, always in yourself, and copper your fears. >> it teaches me to be brave. ♪ >> a nonprofit in philadelphia that provides about 1200 kids with character education through active experience in nature. we take kids on local trails and .e go canoeing and rockclimbing

we also go on a regular asus. really excited to work with the national park trail and conservation program. a big piece of the partnership is to be able to provide a better. it's for students. program of thend national service, a community assistance arm of the agency. we work with community groups and nonprofit municipal governments to plan parks and trails to prove access to waterways and create recreational opportunities through like -- locally led partnerships. one of the things we're trying to do a lot more of is to work with innovative partners to really engage the population that we have not done a good job engaging, young people in urban areas.

it is pretty much an ideal partner for us because they have connections with a lot of different schools and they are already doing this work. someone whounded by felt that a lot of the most important experiences as a child were hiking and rockclimbing and skiing with his family and decided he wanted to offer those in some way to kids in philadelphia. sometimes you try it and you are like, you know what, that was not that that and i'm glad i did it. say,imes you try it and that was not that bad but i do not ever want to do that again, right? >> the open to the middle school to serve the community and they only accept students that qualify for the free lunch program and are also in this immediate neighborhood. an independent school, we do all the fund-raising ourselves and

we do that so we can ensure that students have a hike only of education and we want to make sure they have a list education and that we are at aiding the whole child. with urban blazers and started coming up with a curriculum we could work with students on understanding teambuilding and the importance the role thaty in being outside and in nature can play in a child of his life and it helps calm the students. >> one of the most important reasons this was started is because of the character traits that you are able to either practice or developed in the outdoors. nature is theto ultimate new thing for almost every student that we were with. they are doing something that practically no one else in the neighborhood has ever done, which create bonding as a >>.

>> my first year, i did not know anybody. more to know them more and and now they are like my best friends ever. >> my favorite part about this trip was being in the water. ♪ >> often when they come to school, the shared experience is negative. outdoor trips gives a positive shared experience to discuss and build friendship. there were two young boys in my classical and new each other from a previous all and they did not know anything about each other other than that. they would not eat each other or sit next to each other. it was very difficult to have either of them function because of the animosity. we went on a hike and we had to walk across if all entry and they were both there appeared all the others to does when across and it was just the two of them.

they talked it out, held each other's hands, and walked across together. after that, they had something in common that was not a negative experience were harmful for them to be inking about and now they are much better friends because they have something to talk about them a really trust each other and have a sense of unity. ♪ >> they understand when we are on any field trip, it is listening and paying attention and being response. met carries over into the other classroom. that focused his often many ways. >> i've seen students work together in school much more effectively after being able to help each other through a difficult situation. the problem they are trying out all ofher out, hiking,

those things come back to the classroom. you do see the problem solving skills over time. >> their experience outdoors gives them so much to write about, using determination of experience a new things, all topics they can feel comfortable and confident writing about. they can share with their peers so it is easy for them to discuss as well. >> i still did it and i did not get wet. >> for them to find other is more than just playing basketball. they can go hiking and fishing. you see now they appreciate the outdoors. great.s it just excited me.

>> urban blazers, they really focused on unstructured time and self discovery. i think those things, i really wish more young people can feel connected with the outdoors. >> it is great how the national park service is embracing the idea of a broader population getting into the parks and experiencing them. we concert in the parks that are local to us, a stepping stone to the state parts -- state parks and the national parks. >> they realize if they want to remain relevant to the american people for another 100 years, they need to do a better job of byting people where they are working with partners like a urban blazer. we start building those connections and then maybe you really connect with a student and they come back with a parent and then they decide to do an

internship at the national park service and then through the internship, they can get hired. >> we will line up across the creek working up against the order -- the water. >> you engage 100 students and works forne student the park service, and it helps us to versus ir agents the in a way that is very needed. >> the way to their intellect is through their heart and if we have opportunities for them to learn something that intrigues them, sparks their curiosity, gets them more interest in, that is where the fire begins to grow have them wanting to do more research and more reading and more active participation in the classroom or when they are having a conversation about the dining room table with the family. that will help them make a personal connection not only back in the classroom but for the rest of their lives.

>> a female. >> apv. -- abb. baby. >> by removing her, you are removing hundreds. >> philadelphia has an incredible park system but the user ship tends to be much more from the wealthier neighborhoods rather than high poverty communities or even working-class neighborhoods that are really close to the trail. are going to be walking two blocks to get on the 61 bus. as much as we would love to have the funding to take his out to a huge park like yosemite, it is

not what is going to build them into lifetime users of the park. we take them to the boxers trail across street from where some , then they can go out there on their own. when it is hot on a sunday, we want kids to be able to hop on a bus, they know where they can get off and hang out and i know how to get back and a 13 or 14 years old, they are able to do that safely. seeing how our students have grown, it is not just taking kids hiking or rock climbing but educating kids and making them aware that the city, the environment, how that all plays in educating a child. >> it needs to be for the children and what the children need for their lives and their learning that nothing can really and place the enrichment of showing these innards ditties didn't sites and places they

will have never experienced otherwise. they deserve to be able to see those things and have that experience and have a piece trees with just the lowing. it is an experience that cannot be replaced. ♪ the waterfalls, looking out. >> sometimes we get frustrated and mad, but we have got to do like teamwork. >> you want to come back here? like how everybody is blocking and some people stop. i like how we was helping each

other when we got scared. >> to have the person you can work with and go through a lot of stuff with and not be criticized, but you have another person to back you up. >> able to do this? >> yes. i believe in myself. ♪ [applause]

♪ >> first of all, would like to think the national archive for the work that they do in helping us surely the scenes of our national narrative, the things and thee us america heritage that we can have that we can go back and look to as we begin to look at who we are as a nation. would like to thank the national park service for the journey they have given me for the last 30 years and i would

like to share with you some of the emotional work i have in doing in native america and ask for you to take some time today to ponder the things national park might mean in the hurt and the healing in our native nation. the work i have done in the national park service is tremendous and it asked and an entire career that the most meaningful work i think i've listenne is to sit and who this confident belongs. when i listen and i hear the of the taking of land, the taking of culture, the taking of language, i begin to think about what that means to me. who doesdear friend

tremendous work around generational trauma and dealing country. what she tells me is that healing will take place when we come together as a nation. people of our indigenous will be able to happen when we begin to set aside the denial and the shame that serves as barriers between us in our native nation. today.bled to sit here there are plenty of other people who could be here to talk. through indigenous eyes. i only share with you what i have a curious myself and i ask to also think about your experiences with our native nation.

if you do not have experiences with our native nation, i encourage you to reach beyond your comfort don't think about what it might have been to have a great loss in your life and what to take -- what it would take to come back to a place of balance. i will show a film to you that is actually produced by a group of young people from the quarterly and tribal youth in connection with the unity conference. to a one that points us deeper level of understanding of why our tribal nations might be facing some of the things that they are and think about how we might able to come back to it later there our nations are health week, and sharing their indigenous knowledge with us so that we would understand the place of our american heritage

as the national park service turns 100 years old today. i encourage all of us at citizens of the nation and of to reflect back on the indigenous people and their perspectives of this land. as you watch the film, think about your own self, your own family, your own community. conflictever had a that led you to a place of self-destruction, depression, or great sadness? also think about what helped you to return to that place of a healthy balance. there will always be wounds in your life where there is great loss and sadness. but we all have come back to a place of a healthy balance. parks, may be those to think about for

our native people as they go home to the ancestral land and a walk in the tracks of those who a national them, parks have a role in helping heal a nation. thank you. [video clip] ♪ >> i woke up and i remember the crying. he was screaming so loud, thought someone was dying. mom, dad, he screamed. but there was no use trying.

around.e not iran outside and saw he had a pity -- a bad crash. bike was in a ditch and his arm a bloody gash. he looked so pitiful just sitting there in the dirt amongst the crash -- the trash crying, i want mom and dad. i picked him up and started running toward my uncle. it started raining and it got so dark that you could barely tell it was day. my brother cried and asked, sister, where is mom? i did not know what to say when the truth is, i do not know. my uncle started coming and he ran into the yard and took my brother's army and held him in his arm. tellhe saw my face i could whats alarmed and he said happened, did you fall, too?

i am so tired of wondering why, why do they drag and do drugs and leave us? he said, it is hard to explain and i said uncle, try. then he told a

out loud, creator help me in a way that would make my ancestors proud. don't you forget this, you can be anything you want to be.

just work hard, never give up, perseverance is the key. strength, dignity, honor, that is in your family tree. >> creator, help me live in a way that will make my ancestors crowd. creator, help me live in a way that will make my ancestors route -- proud. creator, help me live in a way that will make my ancestors proud.

>> little brother, [inaudible] we will overcome the pain. remember, warrior spirits live within us. we shall remain. [applause] >> i may pose to you, something that i do when i feel sad or have great loss. and has to do with going back to familiar places, going back to my family, to where i grew up. indigenous nations are invited to return to their homes,

familiar places and the national park service is committed to providing youth opportunities with elders to go back to the homelands, to walk in the moccasin tracks of their ancestors, to heal as the national park service opens up, sits and listens and learns from those on whose land we set. -- we sit. sometimes we all need to go back to those familiar places, from which we came, in order to heal. i'm proud of the national park service for beginning to open up to the elders, to the youth, and place of our human existence on this planet, and this confident, that once belonged to and still belongs to our ingenious people along with

all of us who have inherited the land that we call national parks. >> thank you. thanks to you for curating and introducing for us. we now have about 50 minutes where we can engage in conversation with each other, with all of you. you will note that we posed a series of questions, some big ones. i'm going to review those questions with you. wayne asked what are the things that have helped you avoid your loved ones heal and have the parts ever been a spot to help in that process is to mark -- process? julie asks what is a cause you care about on a intimate level or a public societal level, and what can be effective public platforms for addressing your

cause, both personally and publicly? when did a park experience close to home prepare you for something bigger than you expected or launched a new understanding in ways that surprised you? asked have you or your family had a loss or conflict that lead you to a place of self-destruction, depression or great sadness, and what helped you return to a place of healthy balance? these are some questions we posed to you, and we welcome you to share your stories with us. we have microphones on both sides of the house. we welcome you to share your stories and to ask questions, make comments and observations and engage in conversation with our panelists. if you have a story to share or a question or comment, come on up to the microphone and well we

are waiting for people to think , i will posttions a question to each of you. journeys, ipersonal can tell you are very passionate about the work that you do. can you think of a time when you kind of new this was what was right for you, and what was that connection? what made that connection for you? i will put wayne on the spot. >> it actually involves rhonda. rhonda was my boss at valley forge. we were just discussing my last day at valley forge was veterans day, 2013. we had a guest speaker drop in. this speaker was supposed to speak to a group of people that i helped organize.

this group of people were brand-new recruits into the united states army. my idea was why not have them renew their oath of enlistment in the place for the united states army was born. rhonda loved it. being the season of the time, -- being a seasonal at the time, i thought she would not like it, that that is the type of boss rhonda is. we get this group, we organize it, we come down from the recruitment station in harrisburg. they brought a group of about 50. prior, i get a call from our special events coordinator. they say you need to write up a seven minute speech. being the good park ranger and soldier im, i did it -- i am, i did it.

i e-mailed it to the special events coordinator and that was it. when i was introduced, and standing up there, toward the end, i added a couple of things in the speech and i recover the look on rhonda's face was like where is he going with this. .here must have been 400 people about half of the group were veterans. i'm getting my talk, i removed my hat. i did not want to talk to them as ranger wayne, i wanted to talk as staff sergeant rogers. end, i threw in and told them you are no longer our fellow citizen. you are now our brothers and sisters in arms. as i said that, and there was this kind of hush in the crowd.

i invited all veterans to stand and retake that oath of commitment, that oath of enlistment with these 50 young and women who were taking it for the first time. it was like wow, i did that. i realized at that point, that it -- i'm going to make it, i'm going to do all right. rhonda kind of gave me the thumbs up and gave me plenty of rope to hang myself. i handed her back plenty of rope. [laughter] >> we recognize talent when we see it. >> i noticed we have a member of the audience that we will go to. kid, my parents took us to a lot of national parks.

i thought it was the family trip and i could not identify it. it was not until i was older reconnect and the civil war was what started me going back and then exploring. i'm told these days it is hard to get kids off their butts and outside and at the same time, i see all the kid with -- all the kids with pokemon go and they do not look out -- do not look up. but they are collecting is over here. i was wondering how you guys feel about that. but to make it a more interactive experience.

>> a terrific question. to one of the other panelists. >> i sat on the national aboutng committee and envisioning monuments and memorials of the future and trying to do and ideation session about, what could we do to add an overlay to existing experiences or another layer to it that would allow people annotating in real time. how has the story transformed, and we looked at things through the lens of other designers and their particular input and what you just described is one of the things we discussed this morning because of the whole pokemon go kind of idea.

what could we do that would bring the eyes up and once the deeper in., it is part of the engagement conversation. i understand from some of the folks on the committee that the park service is already doing some of that within some of the monument structures and areas where you can look at those. i am fascinated by that an interested in way that is going. >> i know the national mall did something where it created a tour, correct me if i am wrong. we are developing the same thing. many of the pokey stops. -- gymswo pokemon jim's in our national park. my kid plays and i do it for him. we developed a tour where a lot atthe pokestops are set up

washington square so we are trying to develop a tour where we will catch some pokemon but stop, look up, there is no more left, we caught them all. between the mall at us and other parts are doing it as well. >> one thing that is accessible about mobile technology, it is around four five years and now it is in everyone's pockets. everybody's pocket. out from behind your computer screen and helps you connect with the rest of the world. seeing embracing of mobile technology as a wonderful way to engage people and get them excited not just about a band --okemon but

expanding their horizons and augmented her -- reality on the horizon, this will be a good tool. >> i am sorry. one thing, in light of that, i want to emphasize that one of the things we inc. is so important with young people especially like in the movie, i say put them in the water, the kids, not the iphones. [laughter] searchm in and let them for crayfish, could pick -- put the kids on bicycles with a helmet and take them on the trail. -- in a in a key new canoe. besides the wonderful technology that opens up all sorts of arenas for them, we are looking for ways to put them into the experience they would never have done on their own. on the bikes, in the trees, whatever works, to be engaged in ways they could never imagine they would be finding themselves in. classic point you.

good point. yes. >> i have been retired for years. thank you. i am so fortunate. anyway, i was in philadelphia and washington and wound up at this beautiful national park in california. i did not expect the day to be so emotional, very emotional participating in the event. thank you to the park service. the workn is to make force more diverse and that is what i spent most of my career on. just an estimation and not necessarily a question. the irvine at blazers in philadelphia, my hometown, very emotional about that. i would like to see the panel take this information. i think there is a little bit of a disconnect on getting this kid

employment. i would like to see more if weic mentors, even could just get one of the kids out of 100 into the national park system. it is not easy and you need one-on-one interaction and someone to really take it to the next level. that is just my passion and i hope you could take that back. >> thank you. i will ask carol to speak to that one. her job is diversity and strategist with that goal. of my passions. thank you for all your service with the national park service. as we begin to look at our next 100 years, the stories that we tell in the places we protect our critical, that we as citizens of these united states begin to see them as ours, ours

being collective and all of the diversity that makes us a nation. diversity in the ranger and other professional ranks, it is critical. sayst heard our director that he is putting people at the center. an important piece to inviting diversity into any organization is to also work on, probably more important, is to probably work on inclusion and build a place of inclusion where people feel valued and that their voice is being heard. i think you will start seeing that as we enter into our next 100 years, that not only will be -- will we be looking at diverse america, inviting them into the employment of the national park service, but making them feel

like they are a part of something, that they want to be sitting here 30 years from now talking about who they are and who their people are and the stories that make us a great nation. so thank you very much. >> thanks. reginald. hello and thank you for the panel and all of the curating that you did today. getlast question got me to up and talk a little bit about my experience and answer question number three. i am actually with the national park service, the division chief at the office of partnerships and stewardship and i have only been here for four years. to come in from the outside, it has really been superduper exciting for me. this idea of getting urban kids, i am from an urban environment, los angeles, through the park service through an idea of programs and parks, that has not

been my experience at all. a little bit about my journey, i was in graduate school at ucla looking for an internship. the only internship i was historicd in is this building, dunbar hotel along central avenue and los angeles and it was the black hotel built where all the jazz players stayed in the 1920's and 1930's and it was where they would stay when they came off of the railroad line after work. for me, it became the place to build out my dreams around urban planning here that i think there are other tracks folks could actually take. it is not just taking a kid to a national park and then having them think about a career. there are folks who are active in universities who are , but notd in careers necessarily knowing about the national park service as an option. i am wondering, and in the

building i was affiliated with was actually on the national register of historic places. that is how i then found out about the historic tax credit program and became more interest and worked on more monuments. then i got the chance on the park service and i am here now. are there other programs within universities where the work is actually right there waiting people tonnecting parks and the park program? that is my question. >> panelists? carol: yes. there are. thank you for asking that question. we have some folks in the front some absolutely wonderful programs, and bringing college and grad students into the national park service through cultural resource is a great, it

opportunity for phd students and others seeking masters degrees to do their practical work within national park service and begin to be exposed to that. i would challenge us to reach deeper into the university's and begin to work closely with them to identify the population, which we're seeing apply for these types of jobs. our seasonal employment program i another opportunity, but would also challenge us as supervisors and managers in to be more active and proactive in our communities and letting folks know that these opportunities do exist, so they can be a seasonal ranger like wayne was an experience the parks as an employee and know, ay become, you

career, dedicated employee of the national park service. we have to do our part. we have to reach out into these communities and say, these jobs are viable, these are places where we want your voice. this is what we want to represent our nation's diverse stories, and be in clueless -- inclusive, not just in the workplace health, but also in how we announce our jobs and i will speak just a moment to the national park service people who are watching and who are here today. as supervisors, we have a role to going beyond hitting the submit that in for jobs, and doing all of our work before we do that. making sure that people understand that we have places for all of america. so thanks, reggie, for bringing that to our attention and challenge folks out there to

take that to heart as we enter into the next century. hr does not recruit. hr announces our jobs for us. the jobs for us. it is incumbent upon us to do the hard work to get into the community. thank you. [applause] >> hi, julia. i am jocelyn emone. i am a lot of things, but among park ranger.r i like the way this conversation is going. carol made a great point about critical role of supervisors, managers here i will include that two other employers, visitors. and dirty is that i came to the national park service in 2010 as an intern.

then a couple of appointments ther, most recently i was congregation leave this centennial summer. serviceey in the park started in washington, then to a .ark a little bit different. now i am at the smithsonian national museum of african culture, which is opening september 24. i cannot state enough how critical it is for people to folks to be exactly who .hey are

i am a historian of black power. i am a southerner, a woman. because i work with a lot of people who affirmed me in being who i am at that time fully and completely, when we get to grand park 2016, it is a little tense right now if you pay attention to the news. it was the only. i am a historian of black power. i am a southerner, a woman. black park ranger. counted about three, maybe four, mexican-american park rangers. then that is it. >> how many people work at the in in an and >> interpretation probably 70. overall, the rest of diversity came in fees and maintenance. so i am there. we had 56 and turns. one of the most versatile the most diverse grand canyon never had. this is an organization that services primarily african-american youth. this summer when black men got

murdered by the police, we were in the wilderness away from the might bees where we protesting. with no cellthere phone reception and no tvs and the internets to trying to handle this really tense moments. i joked to mexico because i was angry, and then i came back. do, because ie to have been affirmed in my and talked very well in the mechanisms, was lead a couple of facilitated dialogues. what i found, god bless the thereful rangers who were , it was a point of we don't know what to say. say when a man is child?d in front of his a child the same age. i was angry, to. say? that is why i

have this love and hate relationship with this wonderful agency. i think going back to carol's point, that is why it is critical for people -- there was nobody else but me that could've conversation in that way. it became a place of healing for staff, as well as interns. they were feeling isolated like they could not talk about these things. park a, we made the place of healing. andk you for your support encouragement, and please keep up the hard work. >> thank you for your hard work. [applause] amazing story. from an amazing woman. we really a precedent -- do,eciate the work that you and congratulations on your new job.

jocelyn brings up a love and with thetionship organization. centennial and today as a turning point. i see it as an opportunity. carol mentioned the directors atking about putting people the center. i think we can. if we seized this moment and opportunity and say that we want a diverse, justice seeking equitable national park service, that, and we can. i am excited about that. thank you. we have someone at the microphone. please identify yourself. i am going to open my mouth and show you how stupid i am. that is why people used to say

keep your mouth shut, people may think you know some. 10:00,here, i started at and i was still 15 minutes late. i may have missed something. my expectation of coming here was 100 years ago james monroe who was president who was started it. i was late, so i may have missed it. , i would really see this in richmond, ,outh dakota and yellowstone it.i would like to smell i have seen enough films, but i have not smelled it. do you organize -- do you help people?

i am not in school so i cannot soto parks with a classmate, i am beyond that stage, and i do not have many years in my life. how do you help people to see the parks? >> excellent question. >> that is a great question. fun that you sent -- summarized we are recruiting the and bringing them to the park, but what are we doing with the other people in adults? i think it opens up more whattunity to network we're doing to reach a wider audience and more people not go thank you for the challenge. i havein my experience

seen lots of two or groups -- our groups. that is one good option to consider, doing research on what offered. tours are i also think it is a good idea to join any civic organization that does this kind of field on their own. we have one group in st. louis , people facings senior years and looking for they come onand national park field trips. that may be an option to look organizations that are organizing those kinds of field trips. long-distance trips available. it is a good challenge to think ways to get you on a bus and bring you to our parks. thank you for bringing that up,

and we will have to more people questions and see what we can offer. >> i think you brought up a issue as a society, and that is aging. and as an aging society, we need about all of those experience.r >> it was woodrow wilson who signed the organic act. the president woodrow wilson signed the organic act. youhe rotunda here today can see the legislation he signed. to make the national park service what it is today, 100 years ago today. we invite you to do that. i see that we have a person at the microphone. would you please identify yourself. >> i work in the centennial office to share. it has been a privilege. i wanted to speak to your question about how we are ages.ng people of all

wouldf the great think i like to highlight is through the we have branched out and worked with corporate partners to help create further opportunities to bring people to the national parks and the national parks to people. i would like a huge thank you to the national park foundation, is a philanthropic arm that things, butdo those in particular, i have to give to humana. out they did a great program where we brought seniors to the park. it was specifically for seniors 62 ages or older. they purchase now -- thousands of passes for seniors and make sure they got into their hands at no cost and did work to bring people actively to the sites. it went all over the nation. to humana. they did a great program where we brought seniors to the park.

it was specifically for seniors 62 ages or older. they purchase now -- thousands of passes for seniors and make sure they got into their hands at no cost and did work to bring people actively to the sites. it went all over the nation. it was also an expanded of the park prescription plan and people.parks, healthy i'm really glad you asked that question. i think everyone deserves to be in the national parks. it is something to really think about as we think about partnering with those we have maybe theed with or neighboring -- the neighbor or corporation of the road. do a lot together wanted her hands and hearts together and really make these to humana.es they did a great program where happen. i really hope that starts to reach further and further. people look up for that. we want to bring healthy parks to help bp will -- healthy people. >> can you give your name and her? >> i believe another person just past their on. i want to take a moment to mention the passes available. we have a senior pass for $10 that gets you access free to all grants. kid in the park

pass for all fourth-graders in their families. and access pass if you have a disability so that if you evidence of a disability through the mail you can have a lifetime free pass to the national parks. ways of getting a pass. i think you have something to , carol. let's let me add a couple of more passes. carol: lindsay at a couple of more passes. there are active military passes. if you are active military, you access this. general one or the for $80ou can purchase per year to get access to national parks. i wanted to remind all of us come in the park service to

think for $80 about her history and what we did to bring people to national parks. it involves the railroads and thinks we may not be so proud of in terms of feeding bears and , etc., thatlls would bring people to the national parks. 100 years we think about how we can go to the communities and also, mobile devices and the abilities digitally, but we cannot lose sight of this. what is it like to smell a park?al

thank you for reminding us of that as we are so busy thinking about other ways to reach citizenry. thank you. >> we have another person to speak. my name is thick you schwartz. i grew up in the west, and i have been frequently visiting national parks since the 1960's. i feel like a mixed message. park?the thank you for reminding us of that as we are so busy thinking about other ways to reach citizenry. thank you. >> we have another person to speak. my name is thick you schwartz. i grew up in the west, and i have been frequently visiting national parks since the 1960's. i feel like a mixed message. visit the parks, visit the parks come that i remember when yosemite was getting so crowded. i get this mixed message we were over visiting some of the larger parks. end -- indress the don't understand the message. i go to small national parks, large national parks and historic parks. i do not understand the message. can clear that up for me? >> we can try. >> i think there is a balance. places,ward of these the national park service needs thatrefully look at balance as we invite people to heritage. in that, some of our large

western national parks do face some of the impacts that ,ompromised that conservation and we need to balance that. i don't know what the future brings in that. i think the message should be clear and very concise that the national park service and bytes -- invites all people to experience their heritage and nation, but that you also need careful in that violence. the and then agent professionals that work within that, not just the human dimension, but the balance and ecosystems and historic structures that we are charged with preserving and protecting

as well. i am sorry you have a mixed message. everyone is welcome. as we go through time you may me to put measures in place to balance that so we can preserve and protect these future generations. >> i would like to add to that there are now 413 -- i think we just got the northwoods added by president obama. there are>> i would like to addt there are now 413 -- i think we just got the northwoods added by president obama. alle are parks on all -- in 50 states and u.s. territories. mainly when we hear the overcrowding comments it is yosemite,owstone and biggrand canyon, the western parks. they are mainly only overcrowded in the front country. not the distant parts of mainly theess, but areas around the visitor centers and the valley of yosemite. they are mainly only ever

crowded during the summer. i think if you type -- if you time your visit to the large right you will not experience the overcrowding. we have balance visitor use and preservation. ok, i don't see anymore folks at microphone. here comes one more. please identify yourself. , and i works karen at the partnership office. some of the things we heard today, because i think as we go back to the partnership office it gives them a way to about how to do some more things, where to look for more partnerships and funding. even just thinking about this now isation we have really maybe we need to do a little bit more with looking at groups and groups that serve our elders and pair them

together so that when we are bringing children into wherever is, we're bringing elders as well. doing that together gives us the to bring thisity to their homes. there are things like , and other ways of getting people who have different abilities in. i did give my card, and so we will get other ideas and things. you for those of you that spoke and shared your stories, because i think we can go back and make fun connections to see if we can get more support for some of these things. >> inspiring. i will pass it over to carol on then the yield --

elders and young people coming together again. >> the national park service sponsors youth from native and their elders to come to the places of their ancestors. this is our second summer of doing the program. there are many stories i could tell you about the youth who hear about the stories of their on the reservations and communities of which they have left thosed never ask varianceually where these stories to place. last summer i was fortunate to these. to go on one of elders able to go with battlefieldighorn and stand on the battlefield and wheree to see the places their ancestors fought for who

they were, who fought for a way life, who fought for their people was tremendous. the healing that takes place and , and one of the things i see in these young people as they stand in the places and hear the story from the elders come the same store they have heard at home, but in isce -- the power of place so powerful when we start looking at healing. it is a powerful thing to see a sense of pride of the young people who stood there and understood who they were time because first they are the descendents of those who fought. an incredible opportunity for me to see that happening all over the country. andre bringing native youth

their elders to the places of their history. we need to draw the program to a close. invite each of the panelists to give us some healing,hought about resiliency, moving from conversation to the next 100 years of the national park service. rain. start here with >> like i said at the intro, the park service saved my life. rain.are programs for veterans listening. i am not exclusive in the park service. old that need and help. they may came up -- come off as frustrated. let them get frustrated, let them work it out. for those who know someone who needs help, point them in a

direction. think how isht not a cracked bell going to help a he'll? the veterans take our oath to country very seriously. we also like symbols. the cracked bell is a symbol defended. do not blow them off. them in a direction. v.a., nationalhe park, joe schmoe at the dollar store who will get a beer with them afterwards. it is hard for me to tell my years, it over the has gotten easier. time, in an interview one the park service allowed me to tell my story without having to story. my first two parks were military parks. valley forge national historical

park, revolutionary war. if that made sense what i just said. over the years, i was able to get everything in your out. i made the american public unknowingly, unwittingly victims of getting that out. an audience. whether they think they can help or not, the only way they will know or you will know is to do it. i used to have this conversation when i worked with her, the one thing i hate is down.eople turn an idea the only way you will know if it works is to do it. if it does not work, nothing changes, you just go back to the way you are until an opportunity itself.d

-- presents itself. >> there is a couple of things i address.e to i believe our national parks are vic stage. to within the park system, whether it is the national mall, which have experienced or in valley forge. anywhere we go we are telling our nations dores. how we care for the parks is how we care for nation story. as we move forward and think about places where some people deal like they need feeling or hope or feel abandoned. i can tell you this quilt was not welcome when we first came d.c.

hard-fought auto of will you be allowed to tell the story that is about what the world perceived as a gay story on our nation civic stage. back in 2012, 1996, each and every year thereafter, welcomed fleet of national park service employees, capitol police all sorts of understand ato national story needed to be told. thesestart to look at show what the community is looking for an dialogue that place.o take land wec arenas, the own as citizens of this country make for the best backdrop for these conversations. honored to be a part of

that story with our quote and a citizen who cares about each one of these stories. >> thank you. here we are on our birthday today. we are wrapping up our first 100 and enteringice the next century. think wewant people to have all of the answers. part of this is that we have goals for our centennial plan. we also want you to know in some regards we are building the bridge as we walk over it. there has been a past traditional philosophy that when we get to have the honor of wearing the green and the gray hats and do

ranger-like programs that we may think of ourselves as the but what we are learning processransformational is that we are sharing expertise with our neighbors and all of you. so it is an invitation to find ways to visit your parks,

whether it is the local one we talked about or the ground -- crown jewels far away, but we would like you and her audience and neighborhood to look at the whole agency and history with sort of a new set of eyes like we are. let us know where you find connections and what we are sharing. let us know what you want us to tackle in your communities in the way you think your agency or park can help share resources. you are the content experts from your life and personal background and your education and experience. the park service is saying we have learned we cannot do this alone. we are learning that more and more every day that we move forward. it is an open invitation to find your connection, come back to your park again. please go to a small park, please try to work with the crowds at the big parks. let us know what you see to vis, whether it is the local one we talked about or the ground -- partnerships and collaboration. future to co-create the with all of you. we would like you to be with us as we go on the trail and paddle canoes. create our curriculums and our interpretive talks. that is the whole magic of how we can raise the future with

great confidence and excitement. >> thank you, and thank you again for everyone's attention. ,t 100, we have a rich history but at the point of my life i began to look at the springboard future and the work that i do. i challenged each of you to today thinking nationot just our native that all of the diversity that makes us american. when was the last time you heard visited places of someone different than you? it is a national park, and i you to take the time

and someone else's story to be able to put a new lens on and perspective for who we are as a nation. i think back to the work that i do in our indigenous communities , and the dedication i have put for everything i do working toward giving a voice to those that have been silenced long. to hear the stories that have book.been written in a park.re in the national are the booksarks that need to be open and read in a different way, and a different narrative. to win cave, to all of the places we hold dear as a nation, i firmly