Buy Unleashing Colter's Hell, Lost Cause, and Need To Know three of Amazon's top selling national park thrillers today!

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Books read in 2016

At the end of the year, I like to look back at the books I've read in the last 12 months.  This year's list includes a mix of both fiction and non-fiction, thrillers and history, phycology and forensics, science fiction and science fact.

This lists stretches across a broad spectrum and reflects my interest in a wide sweep of subjects. I use this interest to expand the breadth and depth of my thrillers.

History of the Supreme Court
Science Odyssey
Potsdam
The Affair
The Righteous Mind
The Ghost
Trails of Evidence
Forensic's: Bugs, Burns, Prints 
Lincoln's Melancholy
Tarkin
Boys in the Boat

My next novel is a mystery set in Glacier National Park and centers around an arson fire that destroys a genetics lab on the BlackFeet Indian Reservation.  Twenty Seventeen's list of books will likely include titles dealing with arson investigation, BlackFeet Culture, and how to write a mystery.

What did you read this past year? Any recommendations?

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers











Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Need to Know Now on Amazon!

Need to Know Sean Smith's latest national park thriller, is now available from Amazon. Kindle and
Paperback versions of Need to Know can be found here

Need to Know starts in 1947 when nine silver discs were spotted over Washington State's Mount Rainier National Park. Since then, buried high on its volcanic slopes is a secret government's would kill to protect.

In Need to Know, Park Ranger Grayson Cole finds himself once again at the center of a worldwide conspiracy.

Along with Aimee Crocker, the daughter of a disgraced Army Intelligence officer, the two risk avalanche, blizzards, and deadly agents in a race to uncover something that could shake the world to its foundation.

Need to Know is Sean Smith's third Grayson Cole thriller. The first is Unleashing Colter's Hell about a terrorist attack in Yellowstone. The second called Lost Cause is about a search for a Civil War relic that supposedly has the power to start a second Civil War.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Park Service Top Stories of 2016



Twenty sixteen was another amazing year for national parks.  National Parks receive positive and negative media attention this past year.  The following are the top park stories from 2016.


Malheur National Wildlife Refuge: While not technically a national park, the year started with the occupation of of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon.  The standoff lasted through all of January and into February. Several of the occupiers went to trial and were ultimately found not guilty of conspiring to prevent federal employees from doing their jobs.  This occupation is a national park story in particular and federal lands one in general, because the ultimate goal of this types of actions is to call into question and undermine the legitimacy of federal ownership and management of public lands. If federal lands can be wrested from agencies such as the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service and given to states and local governments its more likely they will be opened to extractive uses such as ranching, logging, and mining. The battle over who ultimately controls federal lands is one as old as the republic and likely will continue for years to come.  With the acquittal of the occupation's ring leaders, we are likely to see similar "occupations" in the future.



Idiot Visitors: This past year saw the National Parks' break visitation numbers once again.  While official counts are not yet final, its expected the parks will have surpassed the previous record of 307 million visitors set in 2015.  This monumental rise in visitation over the past several years is evidence that the national parks are still well loved by the world.  The vast majority of visitors who come to the national parks enjoy them responsibly.  However, 2016 appeared to also have a record number of visitors who simply lost their minds.  From a group of Canadians skipping across thermal features in Yellowstone to others putting a bison in their SUV. Visitors also tried to take dips in park hotsprings, spray paint their way across several parks, to others being run down by elk. Twenty Sixteen appeared to be the year, many visitors forgot to pack their brains and common sense when the visited the parks.



National Monument 
Designations: Over the past 12 months, President Obama and the Congress used their constitutional authority to designate and create several new national parks and monuments, including the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, Stonewall Inn National Monument,  and  the Maine North Woods National Monument.   President Obama used the Antiquities Act to establish four new national park monuments.


Corruption and Mismanagement:  Unfortunately, the National Park Service's image took a hit this year as well.  Stories about ethical lapses from top park management,  rangers, illegally renting out their government quarters, and wide spread sexual harassment dominated many news cycles these past 12 months. These stories battered the agency and made its already difficult job even harder.



Centennial Celebration: This past year marked the 100th birthday of what some call America's best idea. Parks across the country held special events,  concerts, birthday parties, and speaker series.  The NPS, non-profits, businesses, and countless others used this milestone birthday to raise awareness about the national park idea, the challenges the park system faces, and the opportunities that lay ahead.


So, that's the list of the top National Park stories from 2016.  What do you think? What did we miss?  Tell us in the comments section and make sure to forward this story to your friends.

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Saturday, November 5, 2016

My Tips for Seeing Yellowstone

On October 26th, 2016 I had the honor of addressing the Department of Ecology on my Tips for
Seeing Yellowstone from an insiders point of view.  My tips include where to stay, what to see, and where to look.

The talk can be found here.

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Monday, October 24, 2016

Top Tips for Seeing Yellowstone!

This Wednesday I'all be presenting at noon at the Washington State Department of Ecology on my top tips for seeing Yellowstone National Park. I hope to see you there.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Congress should Fix our National Parks

My op-ed calling upon Congress to fund and retire the maintenance backlog is running in the Covington Reporter. National Parks face a $10 billion backlog which means trails don't always get repaired, potholes are left unfilled, and campgrounds aren't always opened. 

Some of called the national park's America's best idea. We as Americans should demand that Congress treat them as the precious gift they are.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Covington Calls On Congress to Fund the Parks


Covington City Council Passes Proclamation Asking

Congress to Support National Parks

 

Statement recognizes the economic impact visitors have on the local economy

 

Covington, WA — The Covington City Council is the first in Washington State to recognize the national parks with a proclamation recognizing the cultural, educational, recreational, and economic benefits they provide and asking Congress to provide dedicated funding to fix our parks.   

“As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, we should give rangers the resources they need to protect our parks for the next 100 years,” said Covington Mayor Pro Tem and former National Park Ranger Sean Smith. 

In light of a history of congressional underfunding, the proclamation calls on members of Congress to create a reliable and predictable stream of resources to help the National Park Service (NPS) address deferred maintenance at its more than 400 sites across the country.  It is estimated that the current backlog of overdue park repairs—include crumbling roads, rotting historic buildings, eroding trails, outdated public buildings, and safety hazards such as deteriorating water and electrical systems—totals $12 billion nationwide and over $500 million in Washington state, including $285 million at Mount Rainer National Park.

Fixing our parks will help support an important economic engine for our state. NPS reports that during 2015, here in Washington, park visitors spent an estimated $470 million in local gateway communities like Covington while visiting NPS sites, helping to support 6,400 jobs and providing our state an economic boost of $631.7 million in economic output.

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers
.

 

Friday, September 2, 2016

Why I Write Thrillers

In my day job I work for the Washington State Department of Ecology on the safe management,
transport, and disposal of hazardous wastes.  One of the largest solid waste trade groups is the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Organizations (ASTSWMO).

Recently, ASTSWMO interviewed me about my life outside of work. The link below is to the ASTSWMO summer newsletter and includes my interview on why I write national park thrillers.

Check out the interview here. Scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter.

Thanks ASTSWMO for interviewing me for the newsletter!


Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

My Favorite Parks: Mountain West

Here is a listing of my favorite parks in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Utah. What are your favorites?



Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
 

Craters of the Moon, Idaho

Glacier National Park, Montana

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Arches National Park, Utah
 
Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Saturday, August 13, 2016

My Favorite Parks from the West

Over my life I've visited national parks in nearly every state.  What follows in the next ten posts are my favorite park in each state.  Here are the first five from the West. What are your favorite parks in these states?

Denali National Park Alaska

Redwood National Park California

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Hawaii

Crater Lake National Park Oregon

Mount Rainier National Park Washington


Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Saturday, August 6, 2016

To the President: Set the Parks on the Correct Path

With the completion of the major political parties presidential campaigns, the country now heads to the homestretch in its election of commander-in-chief. As such, its never to early to get National Parks on the incoming president's agenda. Below is an open letter to the next President of the United States.

To the President:

Congratulations on your recent victory and becoming America's 45th chief executive.  The next four or possibly eight years will likely be quite challenging.  Managing the economy, foreign and domestic affairs, energy matters, and many more matters will place great demands upon your time. However, I write today to make sure that National Parks stay on the radar during your administration.

To some, National Parks aren't on the same level of importance as other issues like the economy or energy production.  However, I believe National Parks are equally important as these is
sues. National Parks are more than pretty places or dusty old buildings, rather they are the physical manifestation of all American's value and hold sacred. 

Americans today inherited the National Parks from our ancestors who set aside their short-term desires and wants so that we could enjoy parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite.  We can never repay our ancestors for this gift, however we can pay it forward to the next generation. In other words, we can leave the National Parks and the National Park System in better shape than what we were given.

To do this, I recommend the following things:

1. Fund the Parks
The National Parks are an incredible bargain. Congress allocates a little more than $3 billion to run the park system. For that amount, which is about half of what the United States spends on a single nuclear aircraft carrier, the American public gets more than 400 sites that preserve and protect some of America's most sacred ideas, hopes and places. It's an incredible bargain.

What's more, research shows that every dollar the country spends on national parks, it returns $4 to the national economy.  That's a great return on investment. 

The past several administrations have rightly recognized the value and importance of national parks and reflected this in a growing national park allocation. I encourage you to continue this trend.
2. Establish New Parks
Over the past several years, the Obama Administration has used the Antiquities Act to create 10 new National Park System monuments including Castle Mountains, Waco Mammoth, and Fort Monroe.  I encourage you to continue this trend as well.  However, the trend the past several years has been to add historical monuments to the park system, while adding monuments dedicated to protecting the environment to other agencies such as the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The Park Service has a stronger conservation mandate than these other agencies and placing them in under other agencies reduces natural resources protection. I'd encourage you to reverse this trend.
3. Define and Enforce Appropriate Recreation
The National Park Service often argues that it has a duel mission that it must balance recreation with preservation. Yet, this is incorrect. The Organic Act of 1916 establishes for the  National Park Service a single mission which is to provide enjoyment of the national parks in such a way that will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. The law does preclude what we understand as modern recreation, nor does it mandate it however. Rather, the law clearly states the Park Service is only to allow those form of enjoyment that leave the resources unimpaired. Surprisingly, the Park Service has yet to complete neither a system wide recreation review nor even a single park review. There is no way for the NPS to know if its recreation is impairing the resources without this review. As President, I encourage you to conduct these reviews.

4. Get control of Visitation
National Parks are quite popular. In fact, 2015 set an all time visitation record at more than 305 million visitors. This smashed last year's record by more than 15 million! These incredible visitation numbers clearly show that the national parks are well loved, however the parks may soon become loved to death. Some are even calling upon the National Park Service to establish park carrying capacities.  In fact, Congress ordered the Park Service more than 40 years ago to come up with these capacities, yet the NPS has failed to do so.

Rather than recognize visitation limits, the Park Service has over the past several years actively promoted the national parks with programs like Find your Park. These programs have been so successful, pushing visitation to all time records.

It's time to recognize that national parks have limits on their ability to absorb visitors.
5. Recommit the Service to its Mission
Twenty Sixteen marks the 100th birthday of the national park system. It is a time to celebrate and look back upon the Park System's achievements the last century. However, it also provides an opportunity to look forward to set the tone for the Park System's next century. I'd encourage you to set the tone for the next 100 years by achieving the following before the end of your first term: fully fund the parks, establish new parks, define and enforce appropriate recreation, and establish need visitation controls. 

Doing these simple tasks will set the parks on a trajectory which will best insure they reach their bicentennial.


Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Draft Need To Know Covers: What do you think?


Below are four draft covers for Need To Know, the next Grayson Cole Thriller. The novel is set at Washington's Mount Rainier National Park and is a cliff hanger about a secret that's been buried on the volcano's slopes for nearly seven decades. Once revealed, the secret will shake the world to its foundation.

The first cover is reminiscent of a Tom Clancy Thriller and promises Clancy intrigue and suspense. The second  plays on novel's conspiracy theories, while the third mirrors a poster that might accompany the book's movie tie-in. The last resembles a spy thriller and hints at the secret at the heart of the story.

So which cover to you like? Make sure to vote in the online poll to the right.

Need to Know Tom Clancy Cover

Need to Know Conspiracy Cover
Movie Poster Cover
Need to Know James Bond Cover
Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Top Ten Things to do in National Parks

Today marks National Park Thrillers 5th anniversary. This article also marks National Park Thrillers 200th post. Over the past five years, we've written and talked about national park issues like funding, grizzly bear conservation, and what I've learned from my parents while visiting national parks.

Over the past five years, National Park Thrillers has seen more than 35,000 hits an had readers from across the globe. I appreciate my readers and listeners. Thank you for your support.

Today's podcast is entitled The Top Ten Things to Do in National Parks and can be found here. In this episode, we detail the ten things every visitor should do when visiting a national park from taking a hike to learning something new.

The Park Thrillers Podcast YouTube Video is found below.




What do you think of our list? What did we get right? What did we miss?

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers


Saturday, July 2, 2016

The Truth is Out There? National Parks and UFOs

Today is World UFO Day, a holiday for those interested in unexplained aerial  phenomenon to meet and look to the sky. The July 2 date was chosen because of its connections to the Roswell UFO crash.

My next National Park thriller is entitled Need to Know. It's due out this fall and centers on a UFOs and a world wide conspiracy to keep their true nature and purpose hidden from humanity.

UFOs have been spotted all over the world and on every continent. Not surprising the national parks are the location of some of the worlds most famous UFO sightingsse hidden from the world. What follows is a listing of the top five National Park/UFO sightings and connections.

5. Glacier National Park After World War II the United States in Operation Paperclip transferred thousands of ex-Nazi scientists to America to work on physics, chemistry, munitions, rockets, and advanced aviation programs. Some beleive these projects include super sonic aircraft that employ advanced pulse engines and light bending stealth technology. This stealth systems also allow them to fly in broad daylight without detection. Some believe these top secret craft have been tested and flown in Montana's Glaicer National Park.

According to these experts  Glaicer was chosen for a super secret advanced aircraft test facilities because it was the only park at the end of the war to be both remote and with railroad access. Nazi technology and materials were transferred to the park and stored in a two mile deep research facility, that according to some still exists today.


I've been to Glacier countless times, I've even been a ranger there having worked with the Park Service back in 1992.  I've driven the Going to the Sun road hundreds of times and at all hours of the day and night. If there is a secret base off the road (which is only two lanes), it is incredibly well hid. Moreover, in order to access the road without being seen, the CIA would have to close it (there is no other access across the park) causing huge traffic disruptions. People would notice the road being closed.

Finally, the Going to the Sun road is buried under dozens of feet of snow roughly 8 months out of the year. CIA and Nazi scientists would be either locked out or locked into their base for most of the year. If there ever was a secret Nazi test facility at the park, its likely been abandon for a more convenient place to conduct cutting edge research.

4. Yellowstone National Park It seems UFO, National Parks and top secret underground bases go together like pen and paper, peaches and cream, table and chairs. You get the point. Our next park on the list also involves top secret underground research bases.  Like Glacier, the federal government has supposedly excavated large subterranean caverns under the national park to conduct super secret research and tests. Strange lights and flying orbs have been reported, which some say proves the park is a secret base.  These UFO researchers believe that parks are actually cover and park regulations and restrictions on human movement are put in place to prevent visitors from stumbling on the truth.


Like Glacier, I've also been to Yellowstone countless times and as it just so happens I was also a ranger at our nation's first national park. I had the honor of working at the Grant Visitor center and leading hikes at the West Thumb geyser basin. On occasion I'd hear from visitors curious to learn about the secret tunnels and hidden bases under the park.

My standard answer was that I was a mere GS5 ranger and my security clearance was pretty low (okay actually non-existent). Therefore the park leadership didn't see fit to tell me everything about Yellowstone's management. However, what they did tell me is that Yellowstone is the site of the world's largest super volcano which is overdue for its next eruption. The super hot magma just a mere three miles below the surface, heats billions of gallons of groundwater to near the boiling point and spreads it throughout much of the park's acreage through many unmapped thermal vents, tubes, and fissures,  I seriously doubt there are massive underground installations in such a active geothermal and seismic place. This response was often met with a skeptical look and "oh, you must be one of them."


3. Devils Tower: According to scientists, Devils Tower is the neck of an extinct volcano.  The sides have eroded away through millions of years of wind and rain leaving the much harder volcanic rock which made up the volcanoes core. It is the nation's first national monument, having been established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906.

UFO researchers from all over the world have been drawn to Devils Tower not the least of which because of its prominent role in the 1977 hit movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The local Indians name for the site roughly translates as Bad God's Tower.

The site has become a mecca of sorts for UFO chasers. Locals even claim its some type of beacon or portal facilitating alien transport.

2. Washington Mall: In 1952, the United States was just entering the height of the Cold War. The
Russians and the Americans were in the initial phases of the space race. Americans were terrified they would fall behind the Soviet nemisis in what everyone knew would be the location of the next world war: Outer Space.

On July 19, 1952 Air Traffic Controllers spotted several objects on radar. There were no scheduled flights that evening. The objects came from the south and were seen over the national mall including over the national park units like the White House. Witnesses described the objects as oranges balls of fire trailing a tail.

The objects got the attention of the country including the president. President Truman asked the CIA to look into the objects. On July 29th, the Air Force held its largest press conference since World World II.  The Air Force claimed the objects were aerial phenomenon like meteors and radar hits were explained by temperature inversions.

While this was the official explanation, the CIA became concerned about the threat of UFO reports and how they could overwhelm defense resources, leading to a public panic, and facilitating a foreign invasion.

1. Mount Rainier: In 1947 Kenneth Arnold an executive, with the Great Western Fire Control Supply Company, was flying home from Chehalis Washington in a small two-seater private plane, when he spotted 9 objects racing down from Canada, past Mount Rainier and off past Mount Adams.  Mr. Arnold reported the sighting and is credited with the first modern era UFO sighting.

The Mount Rainier sighting is the starting point of my new thriller Need to Know which explores what would happen if an object had been buried in the mountain's snow and ice for nearly 70 years. The story delves into what its discovery would mean for the world and who might be willing to kill to keep it secret.


That's my list of the top UFO national parks. Did we get it right? Which parks did we miss? Tell us your UFO park stories in the comment section.

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

A More Perfect Union

Manzanar National Historic Site
It seems to be popular sport these days for those on both the left and right to talk down their country and its future. The left points to racism and gun violence as obvious evidence of our national sin. While the right counters it's an overreaching federal government and international terrorism that signals the country's failure.

But the only way one can truly make this claim is to ignore American history, to be truly ignorant of where we have been and where the country is likely to go.

What does this have to do with national parks, one might ask. When one mentions the term national park, the vast majority of people think of places like Yellowstone and Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and Everglades.  National Parks are the location of countless family vacations, where cherished memories are made. National Parks are home to treasured wildlife and spectacular scenery.

If this is all anyone thinks of parks then they have served their purpose. Yet, parks are much more.  National Parks surely tell and protect the positive aspects of our nation's history. But America's story is a complicated one.

Over our more than 240 year history, Americans have made progress such as slavery's abolition, the extension of the franchise to women, and civil rights, and environmental protection. We have established parks that rightly commemorate these accomplishments.

However, America's progress has not been a straight path. We have stumbled and fallen short of the mark. The United States forcibly removed Native Americans from their homes. During World War II, we interred thousands of Americans in camps. At our nation's birth, we enslaved millions condemning countless to a life of toil and misery, and led massacres against women and children.

These are true black marks on America's historical record. 

However, unlike most other countries, America doesn't shy away from its dark stories. Rather, we are a people who want to remember these dark chapters. We learn the lessons of these stories, so that we never repeat these mistakes.

America's founding document is the Constitution. It's opening statement, called the preamble, sets our central goal as "to form a more perfect union." Note the constitution doesn't say the country will form "a perfect union," a noun, a destination. Rather, our purpose is to "form a more perfect union," a verb, it's a process.

This goal is a double edged sword. On the one hand, America will never reach perfection. There is no promised land. Anyone expecting perfection will be disappointed. However, on the other as long as we continue to strive toward perfection, toward bettering ourselves, we attain the goal the founders set for us.

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers




Sunday, June 12, 2016

Please Designate the Apollo Landers as National Monuments

Please help add the Apollo landers to the national park system. Add your name to a petition asking
President Obama to designate the landers as national monuments.
This July 20th marks an important anniversary.  Sadly many will allow the day to pass without so much as an understanding of the importance of this date in world history. It marks the date of what many of described as the greatest technological achievement in world history. I'd drop the qualifier technological and call it humanities greatest moment, the Apollo 11 moon landing.


Why is this landing so important? Aside from the obvious engineering and technological achievements, for me its the political and societal hurdles that had to be overcome that are more impressive.


In 1961, President Kennedy challenged the United States to land a human on the moon and return him safely to earth before the end of the decade.  To us today this seems like a simple goal, easily attainable.  Yet it should be remembered that at the time Kennedy made this challenge America had only launched one person into space and only for 15 minutes. That's like someone climbing a local hill and saying within nine years, they would be the first to climb Mount Everest. It's almost laughable. In fact, going to the moon was as difficult as America's construction of the Panama Canal or it's building the atomic bomb.


And yet, with a clear goal, deadline, and political will the impossible happened, America landed not one but 12 people on the moon.


In the 47 years since America's landing on the moon, the United States' space program has languished. In fact, the nation's ability to launch astronauts into space is totally dependent upon the Russians. Meanwhile, private companies like Space X and countries such as China are ramping up their space efforts. It's likely people will soon return to the moon.


When that happens, the Apollo lander sites may be at risk of salvage, vandalism, or looting. Moreover, these sites are as important to human history as the prehistoric footprints found at Laetoli in Tanzania. As such, they Apollo sites are worthy of federal protection.

In 1906 Congress passed the Antiquities Act  which authorizes the President to designate federal property or territory as National Monuments. This property must be of historic or scientific significance.  The Apollo landers meet all three of these criteria. 

In 1906, President Teddy Roosevelt was the first president to use the Antiquities Act when he made Devil's Tower in Northeaster Wyoming at national monument. Since then nearly every president has used the Antiquities Act to designate national monuments, many of which later were elevated to national parks. 

President Obama has a unique opportunity before him. He can be the first president to designate a national monument on another heavenly body. This would set the precedent of conserving human history, scientific advancement, and the environment off planet earth.  With a simple stroke of the pen Obama would be able to place his conservation record among those such as T.R., Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Richard Nixon, and Jimmy Carter. Moreover, this designation will commemorate and send the hopeful message that humanity can make great leaps in progress, it just takes clear goals, set deadlines, and political will.

Mr. President please take this opportunity to designate the physical equipment of the six Apollo lander sites as national monuments. These sites should be added to the list of national park sites and jointly managed by the National Park Service and National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Please visit the following link and add your name to the growing list who support making the landers national monuments!

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Happy Birthday Mom

As most of my fans know my parents made it a priority to take my brother and I to national parks. We traveled to parks from New York's Statute of Liberty to Arizona's Grand Canyon.  We also spent time in Florida's Everglades and Alaska's Denali. Although I didn't always appreciate them at the time, those trips are some of my most cherished memories.

In 1972, we moved to Alaska. To make the move, we bought a Ford Truck and Camper. Over the next 12 years we put thousands of miles on the truck. We spent countless nights around campfires and toasting marshmallows and regaling the family with tales of our days adventure.

These camping trips in America's wilderness away from just about everyone else in the world, deeply bonded our family. 

I now have a family of my own and have come to realize how much work and effort goes into a family camping trip. My dad, and especially my mom made these trips appear effortless and with minimal drama. I've come to appreciate how much my mom and dad did to make these trips adventures that I'll never forget.

My mom during these trips planned all our meals, carried heavy backpacks, packed the camper, shared the driving and often put her family's needs ahead of her own. Oh, yeah and she often went on these trips with perfect hair and style.

All of the pictures included for this blog post were taken long before smart phones and selfies. As such, someone had to be the camera person. Guess what? That camera person was often my mom. My brother, father and I are in the lion's share of the camping pictures, which makes the ones I do have of my mom all the more precious.

Mom your work at these, and countless other times of my life didn't go unnoticed. Your efforts if not at the time, are now much appreciated. You set an example that I now try to emulate with my family.

I hope you have a very happy birthday. Let's plan a trip to a national park soon!
Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers


Friday, May 27, 2016

Last Full Measure of Devotion

This Monday is Memorial Day, a national holiday to honor and remember those who have died serving in America's armed forces.

To most, national parks protect some of America's most iconic wildlife and scenery. Yet, the National Park System also protects and honors the legacy of some of America's hallowed battlefields and bravest soldiers, including Minute Man NHP, Gettysburg NMP, and the World War II Memorial.

To mark the day, the National Park Service holding several events. While we can never fully thank those that as President Lincoln stated "gave the last full measure of devotion," we can at the very least never forget their sacrifice.


Last Full Measure

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Friday, May 20, 2016

Happy Endangered Species Day

Today is Endangered Species Day, a time to learn about the countless endangered species that share our planet. It's also an opportunity to recognize those like the National Park Service who work to protect some of our most precious plants and animals.

In honor of our nation's endangered species, I created the following limited edition print which illustrates the Grizzly Bear, one of America's most iconic animals.  Enjoy!

Check out a previous edition of the National Park Talk podcast for more information on Yellowstone Grizzly bears and what you can do to help insure their future.

 
Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Saturday, May 14, 2016

National Park Centennial Limited Edition Posters

Many of the first national parks were established to protect unique wildlife from illegal hunts and poaching. Congress establish parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite to protect species like the bison, grizzly bear, wolf, and mountain lion. Other parks protect species such as the fisher and the Nene found nowhere else on the planet.

The next edition of the National Park Centennial Limited Edition posters honors the National Park Service's efforts in wildlife conservation.



 
Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Sunday, May 8, 2016

National Park Centennial Limited Edition Posters

The National Park Service and System are celebrating their 100th birthday this year. Parks across the country are marking the anniversary in different ways. A list of those celebrations and activities can be found here.

National Park Thrillers is also celebrating the start of the park system's next hundred years with limited edition commemorative posters. The first called "Defending America's Best Idea" honors real American heroes, the park rangers who everyday preserve and protect our national heritage. 

Drawn in the style of the Depression era works progress administration "See America First" park posters, these posters will highlight each month a different aspect of national parks and the values their protect.

Look for the next poster the end of May.

 
Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Antiquities Act: Executive Over-Reach or Necessary Action?

In this episode of National Park Talk, we discuss the importance and need for the Antiquities Act, an act that has been used by nearly every president since Teddy Roosevelt to preserve and protect some of our most treasure public lands and places.

The Act is under attack from those who believe recent presidents have abused the powers vested in the executive office and are working to undermine or repeal the act.

Unfortunately, the president and even some conservation groups appear  too sensitive to these criticisms and have apparently forfeited many sites which are worthy of protection as national monuments under the national park service to other agencies.

Finally, this episode will speculate on those places President Obama should designate as national park monuments in his remaining time in the oval office.

The podcast can be found here.  It can also be found at the YouTube icon below.


Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Sunday, April 3, 2016

National Park Madness: The Finals Cape Lookout vs. Valley Forge

National Park Madness  is down to the finals. North Carolina's Cape Lookout and Pennsylvania's Valley Forge are the last two teams standing. They will play to determine which park will be the winner of National Park Madness 2016!

Who are you pulling for?