I Almost Forgot What Patriotism Sounded Like—Until I Read This Statement by Former NPS Director Jon Jarvis

My friend, and national treasure, Dave Kindred passed along this statement from Jon Jarvis, a former director of the National Park Service, from 2017, when the blight of the current president had not yet spread over all the government. It’s helpful to remember that we all should have seen this coming.

“I have been watching the Trump administration trying unsuccessfully to suppress the National Park Service with a mix of pride and amusement.

The NPS is the steward of America’s most important places and the narrator of our most powerful stories, told authentically, accurately, and built upon scientific and scholarly research. The Park Ranger is a trusted interpreter of our complex natural and cultural history and a voice that cannot be suppressed. Edicts from on-high have directed the NPS to not talk about “national policy,” but permission is granted to use social media for visitor center hours and safety.

The ridiculousness of such a directive was immediately resisted and I am not the least bit surprised. So at Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta should we not talk about his actions to secure the rights to vote for African Americans in the south, or is that too “national policy?” At Stonewall National Monument in New York City, shall we only talk about the hours you can visit the Inn or is it “national policy” to interpret the events there in 1969 that gave rise to the LGBT movement? Shall we only talk about the historic architecture of the Washington, DC home of Alice Paul and Alva Belmont or is it too “national policy” to suggest their decades of effort to secure the rights of women can be linked directly to the women’s marches in hundreds of cities last weekend?

And as we scientifically monitor the rapid decline of glaciers in Glacier National Park, a clear and troubling indicator of a warming planet, shall we refrain from telling this story to the public because the administration views climate change as “national policy?” These are not “policy” issues, they are facts about our nation, it is how we learn and strive to achieve the ideals of our founding documents. To talk about these facts is core to the mission of the NPS. During the Centennial of the National Park Service, we hosted over 300 million visitors (now that is huge) to the National Parks and most came away inspired, patriotic and ready to speak on behalf of the values we hold most dear.

In case you'd forgotten, this is what real patriotism sounds like. A love not only for the land, but also for the history that was made upon it and the people who come to learn that history and the land on which the country was built. As a former (state) park ranger my own self, I stand and cheer him to the clear blue sky.