#NotEven1 Child Should Be Denied His Birthright

Last week was Teddy Roosevelt's birthday, so it was only fitting that there was a lot of discussion and debate about the 2018 budget proposal to cut nearly 400 million dollars from the National Park budget and the proposed increase to the entrance fees of seventeen of the most frequently visited parks.  On Twitter, some users expressed their dismay that the increase in entrance fees to $70 per private vehicle or $30 per person would likely make it difficult for some middle class families to visit the parks. 

The #NotEven1 hashtag, which is used for multiple purposes on Twitter, was adopted by some to protest that not even one person or family should be kept from visiting the parks by these steep entrance fees.  On October 26, a day before Roosevelt's birthday, The Washington Post published an article about the controversy.  In it, a link to the open comment period, which closes on November 23rd, was shared.  Many nature loving groups are encouraging their members to write comments expressing their concern that the higher entrance fees will deter potential visitors with limited funds from enjoying the parks.

All this discussion brings me to my post today.  While I concur that increasing the entrance fees will certainly have a detrimental impact on some family's ability to visit the parks, I am surprised by the lack of recognition of just how many American families are already denied their birthright.  In order to arrive at the gates to a Yellowstone, a Grand Teton, or an Arches National Park (three of those 17 which will see an increased entrance fee), one must have often already traveled a great distance -- and invested a good deal of money -- into that endeavor.  A family that is financially disadvantaged might not have a car that is safe for a long road trip, let alone money for frequent stops to fill up the tank along the way or for the motel stays that will be required before they have reached the National Park to which they are heading.  

Yellowstone National Park

Grand Teton National Park

Arches National Park

If a long car trip is out of the question, whether because their car is unsafe or because they are unable to get the time off from work that would enable them to spend so many days on the road traveling to and from their destination, they are also unlikely to have the means to purchase plane tickets and rent a car once they've arrived at the airport closest to their ultimate destination.  

In short, the entrance fee is only the final obstacle in a long list of them that makes it quite difficult for children from financially disadvantaged families to ever visit a National Park, despite the fact that they live in a country where Teddy Roosevelt wanted these lands to be the gift for all of the public to experience.  #NotEven1 becomes the hashtag to describe their lack of opportunity to visit a single National Park.

Birthright America was created to help close this gap, to help ensure that all of America's children can visit their National Parks.  Yes, the increased entrance fees will provide yet another obstacle to fulfill this mission, but it is just another obstacle.  

Help ensure that all of America's children can visit their National Parks

Do add your comments to the National Park Service website by November 23rd, but also think about those for whom the entrance fees are not the only reason they are unable to visit the parks.  Consider marking your calendar for #GivingTuesday on November 28th.  Your support of Birthright America provides ALL children with the opportunity to visit a National Park, regardless of its entrance fee.

A Single Step

And so it begins...

Lao Tzu tells us that "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."  Certainly this is so.  With the formation of the Birthright America, Inc. approved in the State of Florida, the application for non-profit status as a 5019(c)(3) underway, the logo beautifully created by my daughter, Madison, and the first donation received, I am now several steps into this long journey.

As I briefly detail in the "Genesis" section of the website, I first imagined a foundation such as this one many years ago.  Perhaps that initial spark and thought was the true first step?  As I've embarked on creating the website, planning my pitch to potential sponsors and donors, and putting all of the logistics into place, I have found myself reflecting on what makes a person likely to want to donate to a cause such as this one.

My hope - and belief - is that many of us want for all of America's children what we want for our own and that we realize that by providing the next generation with opportunities to learn and flourish, we are investing in a future far more grand than the world we have thus far known.

Yes, I want the country's children to have the chance to experience the physical beauty of America's National Parks, but I also believe that having partaken of such experiences will make them more able and likely to be agents for positive change in the future.  "Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind," says Seneca. 

Just imagine what these children will become.  How their experiences with Birthright America will transform them in their formative years.  Certainly, a thousand mile journey will take time, but when it is as worthwhile as this endeavor, one must begin with that first single step.

Welcome to the Birthright America blog.  We are happy to have you as a companion on this journey.