I thought I knew what a national park was

Denali National Park (Photo by Sam Baker)

“These parks are not untouched land. ... People have been here forever, and this land has been touched forever. And those people are still here.”

— Kiana Carlson

Season 2 // Episode 3

National Parks are often referred to as “America’s best idea.” And there’s a lot to love about them. But they also have a complicated history — a history of broken promises, displacement of indigenous people, and genocide.

And that history is not over.

So how do we move forward? Is there a way to right the wrongs of the past? Can we protect our wild spaces in a way that is also socially just?

This episode comes to us from environmental journalist Sam Baker, who's struggled for a long time with the paternalism of environmental movements in the US. But she sees a way forward that offers hope. She takes us from a young national park in Germany to Denali in Alaska and explores how we can start taking steps to create a better future.

Read the episode transcript here.

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