Protect Our Parks!
Postcard Project
I was inspired by The Simple Environmentalist’s call to action to advocate for our parks! We are currently at risk of losing environmental regulations that protect our health and safety, as well as losing public land protections that support healthy ecosystems and communities. There are many other very important causes to contact your senators about, but for this article, we’ll focus on our national parks and forests. We can save thin pieces of cardboard and cut them into 4x6 postcards to send to our senators. Postcard stamps are also cheaper than regular stamps. Do it buy yourself, with friends, or inspire others! Check out the hyperlink above for a step by step guide, or paste the following into your browser:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DKuUTglxWNg/?hl=en&img_index=1
If you’re not sure what to write about, read below for a quick summary with external links on the impact and importance of our parks!
Why the Parks Matter
“Parks are key to ensuring the health of our environment because they play a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems, providing clean water and clean air, and enabling conservation of natural resources.”
Our national parks and forests provide outdoor recreation, preserve our national resources, maintain healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, and provide a source of revenue for our nation. Healthy ecosystems and resources, most notably clean water and air, result in a healthy and thriving population. They also promote physical activity, resulting in better physical and mental health for our population. Not only do the parks themselves generate profit, but the tourism supports many small, rural towns across America. They also provide accessible educational opportunities and build communities.
There is a lot of protected land in the United States. We often think of the lands protected by the National Park Service as public land, but our public lands also include land protected by the Bureau of Land Management, National Forest Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service.
Our National Park Service alone produced 55.6 billion in economic output in 2023. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, the outdoor industry generated $1.2 trillion in economic output and supported 5 million jobs in 2023. Their records also show 57.3% of all Americans aged six and older participate in outdoor activities. According to one study, households living near protected land areas are 16% less likely to live in poverty. The National Forest Foundation points to over 300 scientific studies that show how exposure to nature reduces stress, boosts our immune system, improves memory, helps reduce and manage chronic pain, and improve mental health. How will this industry suffer if our camp grounds are logged, mountain tops are removed, and the land is sold for private development? Where will we go to camp and climb and fish? How many towns will disappear when the tourist have nothing to see?
There have been examples of resource mismanagement by various national land bureaus (see the American Chestnut tree), but I never thought they would ever be put up for sale. When I first heard the news that we could lose millions of acres of private land, I couldn’t even process that it was real. How could people not know how important our public lands are? How could they not see the larger network and community that it supports? In communities and relationships, it’s important to remember to consistently express gratitude for the people around us and all the things they do for us. Even if you thanked them for cleaning the floors last week, you thank them the next time they clean the floors. Had we forgotten to thank our lands for all the things they continuously do to us? Did our representatives not know how important our lands are and all they do for us? Are we so far removed from nature, that we forgot how we depend on it?
I’ve spent many summers and holidays visiting family nestled in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. I flyfished among cattle on the rivers and creeks. I’ve floated on the clear waters Jackson River. I have memories catching crawdads with my cousins in the cold, crystal clear headwater streams of the Alleghany Highlands. I’ve been speechless as I drive over the mountain top as storm clouds form in the distance. The forests and the parks are home and belonging. We must remember to thank our lands, and let others know their importance to our lives. When we invest in our lands, we invest in our culture and our people.
Public Officials’ Contact Information
Virginia
703 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-2023
231 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-4024
Robert Wittman - House Representative - 1st District
2055 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-4261
Jennifer Kiggans - House Representative - 2nd District - Natural Resource Committee
152 Cannon House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-4215
Robert Scott - House Representative - 3rd District
2328 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-8351
Jennifer McClellan - House Representative - 4th District
1628 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-6365
John McGuire - House Representative - 5th District
1013 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-4711
Ben Cline - House Representative - 6th District
2443 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-5431
Eugene Vindman - House Representative - 7th District
1005 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-2815
Donald Beyer - House Representative - 8th District
1226 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-4376
H. Griffith - House Representative - 9th District
2110 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-3861
Suhas Subramanyam - House Representative - 10th District
1009 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-5136
Vacancy - 11th District
Links to all US Senators
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingLink to all US House Representatives
Link to all US House Representatives
US Representatives are located in three office buildings. CHOB is short for Cannon House Office Building. LHOB is short for Longworth House Office Building. RHOB is short for Rayburn House Office building. To send mail to your representative, you will write out the long form of their office room on the link above. All buildings are located in Washington DC, 20515.
For example, Alabama’s house representative Barry Moore of the first district is in office room 1511 LHOB. His address is written as:
Barry Moore
1511 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
