Are we facing a dangerous conservation crisis? When the Director of US Fish & Wildlife Service says we are facing a conservation crisis, you can believe we have a problem. An article in Field & Stream discussed a speech Director Dan Ashe gave about three issues we are facing in parks and conservation that are moving us towards a crisis. 

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Director Ashen discusses the problems that are moving parks and conservation agencies towards irrelevancy. 

We talk about diversity, young people in the outdoors, disruptive innovations in parks and conservation and the partnership between US Fish & Wildlife and the National Park Service that led to delisting the Island Fox as an endangered species.

Daisy Martinez founded Trash Free Earth so her neighborhood park would look better. The idea spread and Trash Free Earth now hosts regular cleanups where a diverse collection of volunteers come together to make  a park look beautiful. 

Trash Free Earth has created a patch challenge. People who accomplish all five elements of the challenge receive an exclusive patch. 

If a park hosts a cleanup, it will reinforce the idea that the park is responsible for cleaning up. If a community organization organizes and hosts a cleanup, it will spread the idea that the community is responsible for keeping their parks clean. 

You can Follow Trash Free Earth on Twitter and Facebook.

Shelton Johnson returns to the Park Leaders Show for episode 101. If you missed part 1 of his interview, you can listen to it here.

In this episode, Shelton talks about the importance of telling stories. Shelton's Buffalo Soldiers program at Yosemite National Park has brought a story back to life that the world nearly forgot.

Shelton also discusses making meaningful connections with people.

"The surest way to change the future is to change today." - Shelton Johnson

Shelton is the author of the novel Gloryland. 

Being a park ranger is not usually a job that puts you in the spotlight. But every once in a while, a story gets discovered that needs to be shared with the world. That is what happened to Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson. 

When he began telling the story of the Buffalo Soldiers experience in Yosemite, people began to notice. The story of theBuffalo Soldiers led to a pivotal role in Ken Burns' film series about the National Parks. Shelton got to meet Oprah. Shelton got to meet President Obama. Eventually, Shelton got to meet Jody Maberry, host of the Park Leaders Show. No big deal, I know, but it did lead to this interview on the Park Leaders Show. 

Shelton discusses the path that lead him from inner city Detroit to being a park ranger in a wilderness park. He also explains why access to the outdoors is a civil rights issue. 

Shelton Johnson has also written a novel about Buffalo Soldiers called Gloryland.

If you have Amazon Prime, you can watch the Ken Burns' National Parks film for free. Just click here.