Nonprofit Chronicles

The presidential campaign is getting me down. Inexplicably, after a week of revelations that Donald Trump forced himself on numerous women,  a poll out today [Sun Oct 16] has Hillary Clinton with only a narrow lead over the creepy and unqualified Trump. This blog has been serious, too, with posts on the suffering of broiler chickens and the ethically challenged Trump and Clinton foundations. So when a link to an entertaining video about the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service arrived in my email (via the Society of Environmental Journalists) this afternoon, I decided to share it here.

The novelist and environmentalist Wallace Stegner famously said of the nationals parks:

National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.

I’ve had the chance to spend time with Sally Jewell, the interior secretary, and with Jon Jarvis, who leads the National Park Service; I’m convinced they are good stewards of the parks. To support the parks, you can donate to the National Parks Foundation, which in turn has had major support from the Fidelity Foundation, the Popplestone Foundation and the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation, according to its 2015 annual report.

One of the (few) cool things about growing older is the ability to secure a senior pass for just $10 that gives you lifetime access to the parks. I intend to use mine frequently.

Meantime, enjoy!