TAKE ACTION: Our National Parks Are at Risk: Call Your Senators Today!

The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on a dangerous amendment that could open the door to selling America’s national parks, the very places that define our history, culture, wildlife, and national identity.

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced Amendment 3972 to the Interior Appropriations bill. This proposal would strip out longstanding legislative language that currently protects the National Park System from disposal and sale. If this amendment passes, it would send a clear and dangerous signal: that the federal government could sell off national parks to the highest bidder. 

What Amendment 3972 Would Do

Under current law, the Interior Department is required to retain ownership and operation of all National Park Service units, national historic trails, and wild and scenic rivers, ensuring these places remain public lands managed for future generations. Amendment 3972 would remove that requirement from the Interior Appropriations bill. 

That means:

• The Department of the Interior would no longer be legally bound to preserve all existing national park lands as federal land. 

• It would send a signal to the White House and Department of the Interior officials that selling or transferring park units is permissible. 

• National parks, battlefields, seashores, and historic sites, treasured by millions, could be at risk of privatization, transfer to state control, or outright sale.

In short: a vote for Amendment 3972 is a vote to weaken foundational protections for our national parks. 

Why This Matters to Every American

Our national parks are more than scenic landscapes; they are living history and economic engines:

• National parks preserve key parts of our heritage, from Revolutionary War battlefields to iconic geological wonders. 

• Parks deliver enormous economic value. According to the National Parks Conservation Association, for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, communities receive roughly $15 in economic return through jobs, tourism, and local spending. 

• Park tourism sustains local jobs and injects billions into state and local economies every year. 

This isn’t speculative; Americans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support protecting public lands and national parks, not dismantling them. 

This Threat Is Real — And Happening Now

Advocacy groups, including the National Parks Conservation Association and Western Priorities, are sounding the alarm. If Senator Lee’s amendment passes, it would undermine crucial protections and be a major step toward privatizing land that belongs to all of us. 

We are weeks away from the 250th anniversary of the United States; there is no better time to protect our heritage than now.

Take Action: Call Your Senators Today

Please contact your U.S. Senators today and urge them to vote NO on Amendment 3972 to the Interior Appropriations bill.

Our parks are not for sale. They are not political bargaining chips. They are part of our national identity and legacy.

Here’s what you can tell your Senators when you write/call:

Hello, my name is _____ and I live in _____ (town/state). 

I am urging you to vote NO on Senator Mike Lee’s Amendment 3972 to the Interior Appropriations bill. 

This amendment would strip protections that keep national parks in public hands and could lead to their sale or transfer. Our national parks are treasured public lands that preserve our history and support local economies. 

Please protect them — vote NO. 

Thank you.

Now is the time to act. Pick up the phone, make the call, and tell your Senators that America’s national parks are not for sale.

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Meet Sean Smith, a master of conservation, adventure, and storytelling! This award-winning
conservationist and former National Park and Forest Ranger has trekked through the wilderness of Yellowstone, Glacier, Mount St. Helens, and the North Cascades, keeping nature safe with his trusty ranger hat and boots. But Sean's talents don't stop there. He's a TEDx speaker and even a private pilot.

But amidst all these adventures, Sean's heart beats for storytelling. He's been spinning tales since childhood, and now he writes thrilling national park novels that'll have you hooked from the first page. Imagine the drama and mystery of the mountains combined with the adrenaline of a rollercoaster ride. That's what you'll find in Sean's books, set against the majestic backdrop of Yellowstone, Gettysburg, and Mount Rainier. His most recent thriller is set in Glacier and will drop later this year.

So, if you're craving an escape into the wild, look no further. Grab a copy of Sean's novels and prepare for an unforgettable adventure. These stories will transport you to the heart of the national parks, where danger lurks and heroes rise. Don't miss out! Find all his captivating novels right here and in the QR code included. 

President Biden's Bold Move to Protect Alaska's Pristine Wilderness

Gates of the Arctic ~ NPS

In a powerful demonstration of commitment to environmental preservation, President Joe
Biden has recently taken a significant step to safeguard one of Alaska's last pristine wilderness areas. On October 13, 2023, the Washington Post reported that the Biden administration issued a finding that the Amber Road Project could threaten Alaska Native communities and their lifestyle more than previously estimated. 

The Ambler Road Project

The Ambler Road Project, proposed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), aimed to construct a 211-mile industrial road across the Brooks Range, a rugged and ecologically sensitive region in northwestern Alaska. The road would have provided access to the Ambler Mining District, unlocking vast mineral resources, but also posed a severe threat to native communities and Alaska's environment and wildlife, including the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.

Environmental Concerns

Critics of the project argued that the construction of the road would have had far-reaching, detrimental impacts on the environment. These concerns included:

Habitat Disruption: The road would have cut through critical wildlife habitat, including caribou migration routes, endangering local wildlife populations.

Water Pollution: Increased industrial activity and the road could lead to water pollution, putting pristine rivers and streams at risk.

Climate Change: The construction would have exacerbated climate change by increasing greenhouse gas emissions and affecting the delicate Arctic ecosystem.

Cultural Impacts: The Ambler region is home to indigenous communities who rely on the land and its resources. The road would have disrupted their traditional way of life.

President Biden's Decision

Recognizing the profound environmental and cultural impacts of the Ambler Road Project, the Biden administration threw out the Trump administration's project analysis as significantly deficient and ordered a new analysis. The new analysis found significant threats to the ecosystem, wildlife, and native cultures. 

A final decision on the road is still to be released, but the new findings align with Biden's broader efforts to combat climate change and protect our nation's natural treasures.

How You Can Thank President Biden

Expressing gratitude for this environmentally conscious decision is a powerful way to show your support for the protection of wilderness areas and sustainable environmental practices. Here are a few ways you can thank President Biden for his role in halting the Ambler Road Project:

Write a Letter: Compose a heartfelt letter to the President expressing your appreciation for his decision to halt the Ambler Road Project. You can send it to the White House at the following address:

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

comments@whitehouse.gov

Social Media: Use your social media platforms to share your thanks. Consider tagging President Biden's official social media accounts, such as @POTUS on Twitter or @POTUS on Instagram, and use relevant hashtags to amplify your message.

Contact Your Representatives: Reach out to your congressional representatives and tell them how much you appreciate President Biden's environmental stewardship. Encourage them to continue supporting policies that protect the environment.

Conclusion

President Biden's decision to reanalyze the Ambler Road Project is a significant step toward protecting Alaska's fragile environment and native cultures. It demonstrates his commitment to safeguarding our planet for future generations. By expressing your gratitude for this decision, you acknowledge the importance of protecting our pristine wilderness areas and encourage leaders to prioritize the environment in their policy decisions. Together, we can make a difference, one step at a time. Thank you, President Biden, for taking this important action.

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Meet Sean Smith, the master of conservation, adventure, and storytelling! This award-winning author and former National Park Ranger has trekked through the wilderness of Yellowstone, Glacier, and the North Cascades, keeping nature safe with his trusty ranger hat and boots. But Sean's talents don't stop there. He's a TEDx speaker and even a private pilot, soaring through the skies like a bald eagle on a mission.

But amidst all these adventures, Sean's heart beats for storytelling. He's been spinning tales since childhood, and now he writes thrilling national park novels that'll have you hooked from the first page. Imagine the drama and mystery of the mountains combined with the adrenaline of a rollercoaster ride. That's what you'll find in Sean's books, set against the majestic backdrop of Yellowstone, Gettysburg, and Mount Rainier. His most recent thriller is set in Glacier and will drop later this year.

So, if you're craving an escape into the wild, look no further. Grab a copy of Sean's novels and prepare for an unforgettable adventure. These stories will transport you to the heart of the national parks, where danger lurks and heroes rise. Don't miss out! Find all his captivating novels right here and at the included QR code. 

Need To Know, Getting Buzz!

Need To Know was recently highlighted in Purple and Gold the magazine of Chi Psi Fraternity.  A great shout out for the third thriller by best selling author Sean Smith.  Check out Sean's books here.

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Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, Glacier, and the North Cascades. He is a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith

Unleashing Colter's Hell: Get a Free Digital Copy

Would you like a free digital copy of Unleashing Colter's Hell, Sean Smith's best-selling national park thriller?

To request a copy shoot me an email with Free Copy in the subject line.

Enjoy!

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Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, Glacier, and the North Cascades. He is a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith

Terrible Swift Sword: Philip Sheridan Bio

Terrible Swift Sword is a biography of Phillip Sheridan and paints a complex and times contradictory picture of a man who spent his entire adult life in the U.S. Army. Sheridan started his career as a lieutenant fresh out of West Point chasing Indians near Washington State's Fort Vancouver. It ended as lieutenant general ordering the army to protect Yellowstone National Park. 

During the Civil War, Sheridan along with General Sherman, pioneered total war tactics which led to the destruction of confederate farms and homes and ultimately brought the confederacy to its knees. Sheridan later unleashed total war against the plains Indians, ordering the wholesale slaughter of the buffalo herds. Sheridan believed denying the Indians their means of support would force them into submission and onto reservations. In both the Civil and the Indian wars, total war was likely the key that led to ultimate victory. Some historians believe Sheridan's total war tactics inspired later generations of European generals and led to massive destruction during World Wars I and II.

Sheridan was commanding general of the army in 1886 when the civilian Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, called upon the army for help managing the park. Yellowstone had been a personal obsession for Sheridan. In 1870, the general ordered an army escort of the first expedition into the area. The following year, he provided an army escort for the Hayden expedition, the first scientific exploration of the park.  Yellowstone would become the world's first national park in 1872 in large part due to these expeditions.

By 1886 however, the park was under siege from hotel developers and railroad barons who pressured congress to reduce restrictions upon development and allow exploitation of the park.  Congress complied with industry wishes and zeroed out the Yellowstone's budget basically leaving the park at the mercy of the developers.  But a little used clause in federal law allowed the park superintendent to call upon the army if ever in need of help protecting the park, which he did.

Sheridan ordered a company of cavalry troops to Yellowstone to patrol the park stamp out trespass and fight wildfires.  And in a most ironic turn, Sheridan ordered the army to protect park wildlife like the bison from poaching. The army would remain at Yellowstone and other parks until 1916 when Congress finally created the National Park Service. Today we enjoy Yellowstone due in large part to the actions of Philip Sheridan.

In the end, Sheridan's stamp on many aspects of American life including how the United State's fights war, its relationship with Native Americans, and it's conservation legacy are well assured.

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Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith

We are the Future, The Echoes of the Civil War

This July marks the 154th anniversary of the Civil War battle at Gettysburg Pennsylvania. People today know this battle, as well as, the corresponding Union victory at Vicksburg Mississippi as the turning points of the war.

The actual Civil War fighting ended more than 15 decades ago but the country today appears to be once again on the verge of bloodshed.  Tensions run high even today on the cause, issues, and meaning of the war. Dust ups over Confederate symbols and monuments to their generals and leaders seem to occur every day.  Check here, here, and here for more.

In both my education and private life I've spent significant time studying the American Civil War.  In the past few years alone, I've read the following books and listened to the following lectures.

• Lincoln
• Battle Cry Freedom
• US Grant
• Cause and Comrades
• Nothing But Victory
• Grant
• Team of Rivals
• Killer Angeles
• Confederates in the Attics
• Why the North won the war
• How the South could have won the war
• Gettysburg the last invasion
• Lincoln's Melancholy
• Rebel Yell
• 
  
• Last Full Measure
• Yale Courses: the Civil War and Reconstruction
• Yale Courses: From Emancipation to the Present

This study has revealed a few things.

The Confederates' efforts were not a Lost Cause. After the war, a myth pushed by Confederate Jubal Early grew up that the South fought the war for state's rights, a heroic effort to throw off federal tyranny, much like the American patriots threw off British tyranny. But this wasn't the case. The Confederate states left the Union because they saw threats including Lincoln's election to the institution of slavery. They stated clearly in their secession declarations their desire and purpose to maintain and even expand slavery's reach.

General Early also promoted the idea that due to the North's advantage in men and materials, the south didn't stand a chance. Modern Confederates play up this myth to elevate the Southern cause to noble proportions.  But this too is false. The North didn't win the war simply because it had more men and material, which was true. However, anyone watching the war's progression over the first few years would not have seen these facts as producing advantage. It was the North's deployment of those men and material that eventually carried the day.  Yet moreover, the North outmaneuvered the South in its incorporation of new technologies such as trains and the telegraph. The North also pushed medical advancements beyond those of the South, including the establishment of methods for ambulance care that are still in use today.

Meanwhile, the South throughout much of the war enjoyed advantages, that if properly exploited could have led to victory.  For example, the South fought much of the war on southern soil. This meant Confederate enjoyed a better understanding of the terrain, support from a friendly populace, and far more secure supply lines. The North, meanwhile, faced the opposite conditions for most of the war. Moreover, the Confederate's victory conditions were far simpler than the Union's. The South was fighting for independence. Total victory over and subjugation of the North was not required to achieve that goal. Rather the South merely had to make the North tired of war in order to win. The North, on the other had, was fighting to maintain the Union, which meant they had to defeat the South entirely. This was a much more difficult task.

In addition, the South missed several opportunities to win the war outright.  For example, the South's failure to push its advantage onto Washington D.C. after its victory at First Manassas was likely a turning point of the war.  Had the South followed General Jackson's advice and marched onto Washington D.C. the war may well have ended soon after its first major battle.

In the end, the war's outcome was not foretold at its commencement.  In fact, many Confederates at the time would likely laugh at the modern interpretation that the war was lost from the beginning.

Real people fought the civil war. According to Ken Burns 1990 documentary The American Civil War, "The Civil War was fought in ten thousand places, from Valverde, New Mexico and Tullahoma, Tennessee, to St. Albans, Vermont and Fernandina on the Florida Coast."  But it was also fought by hundreds of thousands of combatants and endured by millions more, who were real people with real strengths and weaknesses. They fought and believed the war was fought for high-minded ideals like ending slavery or independence. But beneath these lofty goals, many more average, mundane, selfish, economic, political, and personal motivations pushed people to fight the war.

These people weren't superheroes. They were real people who struggled with their own ambitions, their own fears, their own limits. Many in Lincoln's cabinet thought him unworthy of the presidency, that they themselves could better run the war. General George McClellan thought Lincoln "nothing more than a well-meaning baboon" and often seconded guessed and disregarded his Commander-in-Chiefs orders.

Meanwhile, General Stonewall Jackson was a sub-par college professor, who became a brilliant military tactician. He was also a hypochondriac who often failed to share details of his war plans with this subordinates.  This flaw may have been one that ultimately got him killed.

Lincoln himself was a man of varied traits, he saw his mission to save the Union clearly and did everything in his power including issuing the Emancipation Proclamation to achieve that goal. Lincoln skillfully guided the nation through the war, all while battling with the confederates, and even at times his generals, cabinet, and wife.  Lincoln also dealt with and suffered from depression throughout much of his adult life, which on several occasions left him contemplating suicide.

Real people, not super humans, fought this war and saw it to its conclusion. 

Many are still passionately engaged in the American Political Experiment. The public debate over the location, meaning, and removal of confederate monuments reveals that many believe in a political process for resolving public matters. While some take matters into their own hands through violence and intimidation, most communities push through these debates and resort to legal mechanisms to resolve the issues. While some may not support nor appreciate the outcome of the political process, the process has held in every instance.

We are the future people who are to heal the nation.  In many instances, politicians kick difficult issues down the road for future generations to solve.  At the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Central Washington, the United States Government produced plutonium for the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki.  Over the next four decades Hanford's reactors made enough nuclear material for 60,000 weapons.  This production also produced millions of gallons of mixed and contaminated waste. More than 50 million gallons of this waste is stored in single shell tanks, some of which are leaking today.  While the political and military leaders at the time took some efforts to provide for the long-term disposal of this waste, they punted on many of the more difficult issues believing future generations would be in a better position to solve the problem.

In some instances, political leaders since the Civil War have punted on the infinitely more difficult challenge of bringing the nation back together and healing its "original sin" of slavery. The nation over the 150 years since the war's completion has yet to adequately solve the challenge of integrating and granting justice to a previously enslaved people. And while those past leaders may not have consciously or overtly stated they were gifting these problems to us, here we are. We today are the future citizens granted the sacred duty of healing the civil war's still raw wounds and ramifications.

Can we do it?

Yes.

Will we do it?

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Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith

Park Madness 2017! Lake Roosevelt vs Cape Lookout: Who you got?

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament winds up tomorrow in Arizona pitting Gonzaga University out of Spokane against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For the past several years, Park Thrillers has run a "Park Madness" tournament with basketball teams corresponding with neighboring national parks. 

This year's final pits the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Presidents in Washington State against the Cape Lookout National Seashore Lighthouses from North Carolina.

Who you got? the Presidents or the Lighthouses?

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Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith

National Park Thriller Makes News

Need to Know, Sean Smith's third national park thriller, is making news again. The Covington Reporter's front page story on the new thriller can be read here.

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Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith

Sean Smith Releases Need To Know

Sean Smith Releases Need to Know

 

Third novel in his National Park Series

Just in time for the New Year, Covington Resident Sean Smith released Need to Know his third national park thriller. The novel can be found here: http://bit.ly/NeedtoKnowKindle

 

Set at Mount Rainier National Park, 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 this thriller, 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 the third thriller of Mr. Smith's Grayson Cole series. The first of this series is Unleashing Colter's Hell and is about a terrorist plot to ignite the Yellowstone super volcano. Sean followed up Colter's Hell with Lost Cause, a thriller about a search for a civil war artifact rumored to have the power to start a second civil war.

 

Mr. Smith's first two novels are award winners including a Reader's Favorite gold medal for Colter's Hell.  Lost Cause won a bronze medal in the Author's db cover contest.

 

Sean Smith is an award winning conservationist and author. He is a former National Park Ranger at Yellowstone, a TEDx speaker, and private pilot. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1989 with a degree in Political Science. He got his master's in Natural Resources Management from Central Washington University in 1996. He currently runs Washington State's efforts to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals from consumer products and serves as the Mayor Pro Tem of Covington.

He has been writing stories and books since he was a child and currently writes national park thrillers from the shadow of Mount Rainier.

All his novels can be found here: Mr. Sean D Smith

Why protect national parks? | Sean Smith | TEDxSpokane This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. In 2016, the National ...

 

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

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

Park Madness: Sweet Sixteen!

The National Park Madness tournament marches on to the finals! The first two rounds have been
exciting with a few stunning upsets! Who could have predicted the upstart Shiloh sending the juggernaut Isle Royale home in the first round? As expected however, all the number 1 seeds including Shenandoah, Kansas vs. the Board of Education, Crater Lake, and Cape Lookout all dispatched their first two opponents.

Surprise parks making it to the third round include Lake Roosevelt, Fort Stanwix, St. Croix, and Lincoln's Boyhood home. Plenty of exciting clashes lay ahead!

Is your team still in the hunt to be Champs of Park Madness? You are you pulling for?

 

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

Lost Cause wins an Award!

Lost Cause, the National Park thriller set in civil war sites, has won an Authors'db cover contest award. Lost Cause received the Bronze medal in the terrorism thriller category.

Lost Cause is Sean Smith's second thriller to win an award. Smith's first thriller Unleashing Colter's Hell won the Reader's Favorite 2012 gold medal for the terrorism thriller category.

These park thrillers make excellent holiday gifts.  Get your copies of these award winning thrillers. here.

Star Wars Galactic Park Posters!

In 1977 I was 11 years old. That spring my father took my brother and I to see Star Wars at a theater

in Butte Montana. Like millions of other people,  the galactic soap opera made a dramatic impact upon my life. It's almost as if I went into the theater one person and came out another.  In fact, I often orient my life experiences as either BSW (before Star Wars) or ASW (after Star Wars).

One of my other loves are America's national parks.  I've worked as a ranger in 3 parks and visited more than 100 others. Like Star Wars, the National Parks made a dramatic impact upon my outlook on life. During the 1930's the federal government created a whole series of posters to promote the national parks and encourage Americans to visit their national heritage. In fact, the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) made a whole series of park posters designed to spread the message of recreation and conservation. Next year the national park system will celebrate its 100th birthday.


Star Wars and National Parks, at least for me, share a lot in common. Obviously, both represent fun,
adventure, excitement. But Star Wars and National Parks also resonate with people at a deep mythological level. Star Wars connected with a mass audience because it tapped into themes of good and evil, fall and redemption, trust and betrayal. National Parks at their core, represent America's most treasured values as well. Parks such as Gettysburg National Battlefield and Bainbridge Island National Internment Memorial represent our nation's high and low points. While Yellowstone National Park and Lewis and Clark National Historic Park represent the unknown and exploration.

In light of the release of Star Wars the Force Awakens and the upcoming National Park Centennial, I've combined two of my favorite things in WPA style Star Wars Galactic Park Posters.

What do you think? What other Star Wars Galactic Park Poster would you like to see?

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

What's the best Civil War "Lost Cause" Thriller?

Just ask google, they know! Get your copy here.

Why I work to protect national parks!

Here's a short video I did a few years back which like my Ted Talk from last year, encapsulates why I work to protect national parks. 

Like many of you, I'm sure national parks are more than pretty place, or sites where history changing events took place. Why they resonate so much for so many people I believe is likely do to the fact that they are places where personal stories were written, places where memories were made. 

As I state in this video national parks are like the scrapbook of many of my fondest experiences. I'm sure its the same for many of you as well.

 

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

National Park and NFL Mashup: AFC South

It's now the AFC South's turn for the National Park/NFL mashup.  Teams in this division include the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Tennessee Titans.  What do you think of their makeovers.

Houston Grandes, Park: Big Bend National Park

Indianapolis Aviators, Park: Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park

Jacksonville Astronauts, Park; Canaveral National Seashore

Tennessee Smoke, Park: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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

National Park and NFL Mashup: AFC North

Next up in the National Park/NFL mashup is the AFC north. This division includes the Baltimore Ravens remade into the Baltimore Banners. The Cincinnati Bengals are now the Firsts, the Browns become the Soldiers and finally the Pittsburgh Steelers are transformed into the Continentals.

Baltimore Banners, Park: Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

Cincinnati Firsts, Park: First Ladies National Historic Site

Cleveland Soldiers, Park: Buffalo Soldiers Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

Pittsburgh Continentals, Park: Valley Forge National Historic Park

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

Appomattox's bells are still ringing 150 years later

Appomattox: NPS

Today is the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War.  Over that time the country has seen many changes, the enfranchisement of African Americans and Women, the expansion of gay rights to name just a few.  Yet for many the change isn't fast enough for others its too quick.

This struggle over social progress often plays out behind arguments over federal or state power.  Should it be the states that take the lead in public policy or should it be the feds? Should America have 50 little government experiments or should a national standards be set?

In 1860, the fight over where America's ultimate power lay was at the heart of the country's debate over the pressing issue at the time: slavery.  And despite the passage of 15 decades, the debate over which level of government should set the course rages on. In my research for my latest thriller Lost Cause, one thing became clear, for many the Civil War isn't over. No, its still being fought. It may be in a cold phase, but the passions, animosities, and angers that fueled the Civil War, still burn today.

Many today see the Civil War as ancient history, or as something that happens in other countries. It couldn't happen here, many say. But it can. And in fact, many American's wish for it and even more shocking a few are working for it.

Roughly two years ago, on the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg, I wrote about what touring the battleground revealed to me.  America isn't a noun, it's a verb.  Rather than being a place or even a people, America is an action. A state of becoming a more perfect Union.

In other words, America is in a continual process of becoming better. But this "process" comes at the cost of continual political battle between those who wish to maintain the status quo and those who strive for something better. It's out of this struggle however, that real and lasting social progress is forged.

Our ability to compromise, to find common ground broke down during the Civil War and more than 600,000 people paid the price. Many believe our political system today is similarly broken.  Let's hope not. Or we may once again see ourselves cast into civil war and chaos.  Sadly I do not believe our country would survive a second civil war.

Bells rang out throughout Appomattox at the signing of the surrender of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.  But they didn't mark the end of something, rather the beginning. The beginning of the hard work to forge Union without bloodshed and violence. It's fitting that they will ring again today, to remind us of the hard work necessary to preserve the gift given to us through the saving of the Union.

Perhaps we should ring them everyday.

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 conservation work and novels, follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Park Madness: GETTYSBURG!

Perhaps inspired by the pending anniversary of General Lee's surrender at Appomattox, today Gettysburg took home the Park Madness title for 2015.

The battle between the Everglades and Gettysburg was well matched and in the beginning when Gettysburg's floor commander John Reynolds went down looked like Everglades might take home the crown.  As expected, Everglades unleashed its all star trifecta of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), the Florida Panther (Puma concolor), and the Python from Burma. Gettysburg challenged the eligibility of the python prior to the contest, claiming the snake was an exotic and barred from participating. But the challenge fell on deaf ears and in the end didn't matter.

After Reynolds was taken from the court, John Buell and Winfield Scott Hanncock, with the help of Joshua Chamberlin coming off the bench took up the slack an ultimately led the park to victory.

Congratulations to Gettysburg! 2015 Park Madness Champions!

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 conservation work and novels, follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers