Join the Pack and Stand Up for Wolves!

The Trump administration recently announced that its proposing to remove federal protection for the gray wolf. If this action goes through, the management of the nation’s wolf packs would devolve to inconsistent state control. Some states have already signaled they will work to dramatically reduce wolf packs, going so far as to authorizing needless trophy hunts.

The Trump administration has opened a sixty day comment period on their plans to de-list the gray wolf. Hand signed postcards can carry more weight but all comment helps.

Click the image on the right, print, sign and mail it today to raise your voice in support of wolves!

Comments must be received by May 14th, 2019.

For more information on the government's plans to de-list the gray wolf, please click 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

What Being Remote Truly Means

A pair of scientists out of Florida are creating a map and visiting the most remote places in America. They used criteria like distance from roads and areas that is accessible by foot. Not surprising the most remote place in the continental United States is inside Yellowstone.

This project got me thinking about the most remote places I’ve visited. Here’s my list of remote places.

Mission Mountains 2.93 miles Lucifer Lake

Grand Canyon 4.3 miles Phantom Ranch

Everglades 4.9 miles Whitewater Bay

Yellowstone 6.3 miles Heart Lake















Glacier 6.7 miles Dawson/Pitamakan Pass












Lake Clark 53 miles Tuxedni Bay

While compiling my list, a couple things struck me.

First, even though I’ve hiked thousands of miles, and consciously tried to get into the wilderness, I’ve never really been than far from civilization. Outside of Alaska, I’ve only been on average 5 miles or less from a road. That’s never more than a two hour hike back to civilization.

Second, even deep into wilderness parks like Glacier or Yellowstone, indications of civilization were always present. At Yellowstone for example the contrails of transcontinental flights seemed always overhead. Meanwhile, at the Mission Mountains the lights of St. Ignatius could be seen in the distance. At the bottom of the Grand Canyon, park tourists who didn't feel safe venturing more than a few feet from their cars were ever present peering over the gorge's edge.  Even in Lake Clark, more than 50 miles from the nearest road, we were never more than a stones throw from the airplane, the hikers camp, and the bear viewing platform.

For me being truly remote means being vulnerable, being separated from easy rescue.  I felt most vulnerable and probably most remote in the Everglades backcountry.  My brother and I took a small boat deep into the Everglades wilderness. If a storm had come up or the boat failed, we would have been stranded with no easy way to walk out.  This trip was back in early 90's, long before the cell phones, meaning their was no easy way to call for help.  This vulnerability made me realize how interconnected and reliant we are on each other for our survival.

Finally, pulling together my list made me realize that despite the fact that wilderness and backcountry acreage has grown, the opportunity to be truly remote has shrunk. This loss of remoteness means feeling truly vulnerable or exposed is diminished, lost. And in the end, the irony is a loss of remoteness means our ability to understand our true dependence on our fellow humans is also lost.

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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

Biggest National Park Stories of 2015



Old Faithful Geyser and spectators,
Yellowstone National Park, Acroterion |

This past year was big for national parks and national park system including the establishment of new park units, record visitation, and huge wildfires.  Here in no particular order, are the top national park stories of 2015.

1. New National Parks: The creation of new national park units was a top priority for the President this past year. Along with Pullman Historic Neighborhood, Browns Canyon, and the Honouliuli Internment Camp site, the federal government also created Manhattan Project National Historic Park. These parks preserve some of our most threatened landscapes, protect former slave housing, tell of the story of the world's entering the atomic age, and help us never forget the internment of some of our fellow Americans.  National Parks preserve and protect not only what we hold dear, but also some of our are hardest lessons.

2. Record Visitation: The national park system saw a record number of people coming through the park entrances. As of the start of this month, the national park service had welcomed more than 272 million people and was on pace to see more than 300 million people for the first time in its history. These numbers are up nearly 4 percent from last year. The park service broke visitation numbers despite a shaky economic recovery, terrorism threats, and the belief that they are no longer relevant. The public seemed to vote with their feet this year, that not only are parks relevant, they are more loved than ever.

3. Huge Fires: Another number that was up this year was the cost of fighting wildfires. The federal government spent more than $1.7 billion fighting fires across the country this past year. This is up more than $100 million from 2014.  Fires raged throughout much of the country including large fires in Montana, Alaska, Washington, and California. Sadly, 2015 was a deadly fire season seeing seven firefighters killed battling the blazes. Congress is responding to the crisis by proposing additional federal resources  to fight these monster blazes.

4. Politics: Like any other aspect of our lives, the national parks are no refuge from political fights and squabbles. This year, the battles over the confederate flags spilled over into our national heritage. Debates over how to correctly portray civil war history including Confederate efforts were hotly debated. Confederate memorials and Statues were removed across the south. The effort reached a crescendo with the removal of the confederate battle flag from the South Carolina state house grounds. The park service also struggled with how best to convey Civil War history, without being seen as promoting or making light of the South's complicity in the promulgation of Slavery. In response, the Park Service ordered the removal of confederate flag merchandise from its gift stores. It's likely the debate over the South's role in the civil war will continue. The flag flap is a reminder that national parks are often on the front lines on how America represents, honors, and tells its story. The park service will likely be called repeatedly to provide leadership on many socially and politically controversial issues.

5. Centennial: The national park system will turn 100 years old next year. As such, the park service is rightly making plans to celebrate the milestone. As well as, 16 free days, the park service is planning countless events, specials, parties, and celebrations to mark the centennial.

Yellowstone is the worlds first national park, and Americans can be rightly proud of the national park system they have created since then.  Park thrillers is looking forward to the next hundred and can't wait to see what's in store for our national parks.

Okay, that's our list of the top National Park Stories for 2015. What did we get right? What did we miss? Tell us in the comment section. Also, please check out the national park thrillers Unleashing Colter's Hell and Lost Cause, two of Amazon's top selling political/terrorism thrillers.

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

Spokane TEDx Speakers Announced!

I'm honored and humbled to have been selected as a speaker for the 2014 Spokane TEDx conference.

Here is a brief write up for my speech.  I hope you can make it.

Why protect national parks?

The answer to this question may not be as simple as it appears.  America's park system is made up of more than 400 sites and protects some of America's most sacred ideas, hopes and places.  In 2016 our national parks will celebrate its 100th birthday, yet despite this milestone its future couldn't be more in doubt.  Threats like climate change, political unrest, funding uncertainty, and inappropriate recreation threaten to destroy the very places and values we've defended for nearly a century.

 

Passing on an unimpaired national park system is a huge challenge, some may say its impossible. However,  future generations will judge us on the effort we make.