A Park Personality for Everyone

Whether you crave adventure, care deeply about wildlife, fight for justice or just want a quiet place to be with the people you love, there’s a national park for you — as well as a park issue to motivate you.

At the National Parks Conservation Association, we believe everyone has a park match. We have found that, out of all the diverse types of people who love national parks, they generally fit into four basic types of parkgoer: See You Outside, Good Steward, Historical Advocate and Fauna and Flora Appreciation. You can determine your match through our online quiz.

Each person’s story reveals how parks can reflect the things we enjoy, the issues we stand for and the values that shape us. Our parks connect us in a way that reminds us that we belong to something bigger. Parks can be personal as well as powerful.

We asked four NPCA staff members to speak about how their park match profile not only reflects the love of our parks, but also how it impacts their work with the organization.

Their stories show how personal connections to parks can shape the work we do — and why protecting these places matters, now and for the future.

FAUNA AND FLORA APPRECIATION: The Plant and Animal Lover

Ryan Valdez — Senior Director, Conservation Science

How do you relate to being a “Fauna & Flora Appreciation” parkgoer?

I’ve been fascinated with wildlife and being outdoors ever since I was a small child. Fishing in small rivers and wondering about natural places filled my days and made summers so rewarding. I remember always wanting to see things more closely and feeling that wonderful sensation of being in a wild and natural space.

Whether it was a stretch of land next to a road or a far-removed place filled with undisturbed nature, to me, all of it was home to creatures great and small. It wasn’t until much later in life that I realized that such places weren’t always going to stay that way, and that they were not as plentiful as I had thought — they were vulnerable to rapid change and development.

When I learned that national parks existed to protect and preserve such treasures, it brought relief in so many ways, coupled with knowing that people had jobs as stewards of such places. They were biologists, land managers and educators — and that’s who I wanted to be — one of those people in one of those parks. It wasn’t long before I discovered the common denominator in all the roles I identified with was science. And in my adult life, I became not just one of those people, but all of them.

How does this profile relate to your work at NPCA?

As the senior director for science at NPCA, I look for ways to use science to help us better understand and protect parks. Whether it’s using computer science and geography to map park landscapes, building databases about wildlife in parks or working with students and other scientists engaged in park conservation, science has always been a strong connection point.

And when you work with science, you also get to keep learning new and different things every day. This is one of the reasons I enjoy staying connected to universities: They are incredible centers for learning and discovery. Education has helped me learn what was most important to me and that nature and biodiversity were worth fighting for.

There are many ways to help protect parks so that others may experience them, and science is nearly always part of the effort.

What do you want us to know about parks right now?

There are numerous challenges facing parks today, but the ones I’m closest to in my role at NPCA involve impacts to natural ecosystems from climate change, human alteration and destruction of wildlife habitat, improving our understanding of how coastal environments can be more resilient to change, learning more about endangered wildlife in and beyond park boundaries, and helping ensure that the laws and policies involving natural sciences in decision-making are upheld.

There are many levels at which to get involved in conservation science, but I’ve chosen to focus on those connected to our national parks. Parks are spectacular homes to our nation’s plants and animals — and they are places we can share with friends and family, so they too can be inspired by the incredible beauty of nature.

HISTORICAL ADVOCATE: The Community-Centered History Buff

Eboni Preston Goddard - Southeast Regional Director & NPS Diversity Lead

How do you relate to being a “Historical Advocate” parkgoer?

America’s national parks stand as living records of our nation’s journey. They not only preserve our magnificent natural landscapes but also safeguard the profound American stories that shape our collective identity. Through these parks, we honor the full spectrum of American experiences including the essential — yet often overlooked — contributions, triumphs and legacies of Black, Brown, Asian and Indigenous communities that have fundamentally shaped our nation.

How does this profile relate to your work at NPCA?

The Southeast region is uniquely positioned to establish connections that amplify community voices, address environmental threats and promote biodiversity — all while preserving cultural history. Our diverse representation allows the region’s authentic stories and inclusive needs to drive our advocacy, conservation and preservation. As the regional director, I’m honored to lead and advocate for these amazing cultural and natural landscapes as I stand in community with our members, partners and fellow park advocates.

What do you want us to know about parks right now?

Preserving Black American history through our national parks is essential to understanding the very foundation and evolution of our nation. For too long, our national story has been incomplete, often excluding the experiences, contributions and leadership of Black Americans. When the National Park Service preserves sites such as the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument or the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, it affirms that Black history is American history — inseparable from our national identity.

National parks stand uniquely positioned to elevate these narratives with unmatched permanence, authority and reach. When sites join the National Park System, they gain the nation’s strongest protection and a profound legitimacy that acknowledges their essential place in our heritage. With over 300 million annual visits, these parks introduce diverse audiences to stories they may never otherwise encounter, serving as powerful educational tools that bring the past to life in ways textbooks cannot.

These parks serve as spaces for truth, reconciliation and opportunities to confront the chapters of our past that posture the narratives of our future. Each park site reflects Black excellence, agency, lessons on movement building and the ongoing fight for civil rights in America.

SEE YOU OUTSIDE: The Adventure Seeker

Dennis Arguelles - Southern California Director

How do you relate to being a “See You Outside” parkgoer?

I take advantage of every opportunity I get to immerse myself in nature — from my local city park to the wondrous wild landscapes across the West. I really couldn’t imagine going more than a few days without a walk under an oak tree forest, in the rugged hills and mountains surrounding Los Angeles or along our beautiful coast. Visiting our national parks has always brought me wonder, peace and joy, along with a deep appreciation for the foresight it took to protect these places for future generations.

What brings me even greater joy is sharing these treasures with others. I always seek to bring family and friends to these places, and at NPCA, I work with partner organizations to connect them to our parks and the natural environment. For some of these communities, it may be their first time on a trail, away from the hustle and bustle of the city — not realizing that public lands exist so close to home for everyone’s enjoyment.

How does this profile relate to your work at NPCA?

Connecting more people to our national parks, particularly those from underserved communities and park-poor areas of LA, hopefully helps them feel welcome in the outdoors and demystifies what it takes to visit a park site. Not only is this important for the folks we take, but it’s also helping us build a broad, diverse and dynamic group of park supporters for our national parks in LA and beyond.

It’s also important for all Americans to be able to see themselves and their cultural heritage in our parks. I have the opportunity to help make our parks more welcoming by working to improve interpretation and ensuring the inclusion of the stories of all communities that have contributed to our parks (and our nation as a whole).

This includes a recent addition to Yosemite’s exhibits that tells the story of the critical role of Chinese American workers in the early days of the park and to the founding of the National Park Service. I’m also working on an expansion of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area that will include historic sites relevant to Native American, African American, Latino, Asian American and other communities that have contributed to and shaped the city and its surrounding landscape.

What do you want us to know about parks right now?

In SoCal, we have numerous smaller or lesser-known parks that protect unique ecosystems or preserve key stories from our past. Under the current budget proposal, these are the parks most at risk. They include Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego, which protects cultural and military heritage and a coastal ecosystem that’s disappearing. Channel Islands National Park, which some dub “America’s Galapagos,” contains evidence of some of the earliest human habitation in North America, as well as unique terrestrial and marine life, including species found nowhere else in the world.

In Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area exists under the constant shadow of urbanization, loss of habitat, invasive species and other challenges that threaten the long-term health of the region’s unique Mediterranean ecosystem. We’re working to expand the park’s boundaries and the role of the National Park Service to help protect the landscape, restore native vegetation and critical wildlife corridors, and to work with local communities to ensure this beautiful landscape will continue to be a refuge for wildlife and people alike.

GOOD STEWARD: Lover of Country, Land and Legacy

Jimi Shaughnessy - Veterans Program Manager

How do you relate to being a “Good Steward” parkgoer?

In the early days of a young Marine’s career, we are taught proper field tactics, like the principle of “leave no trace.” Outside of the field, we’re also taught to “leave it better than you found it.” These ideas carry over into many parts of life — including how we treat the people and places around us.

We leave no trace because the enemy can track us, we leave no trace because animals can follow our scent, we leave no trace because we reuse as much as we can — we take pride in improving the condition of a space, leaving it better than we found it for the next generation who will take our place. We do it because we believe in collective success.

These values are rooted in a shared sense of responsibility for natural spaces, and they naturally carry over into how we protect our parks and public lands.

I believe that this ethic of stewardship also translates clearly into policy. Public lands require our constant care to ensure they remain intact for future generations. That care takes shape through policies that support land stewards and funding that makes long-term maintenance possible.

It takes a full team to protect and maintain our parks — in the field, at the campgrounds, in the parking lots, in the field offices, in accounting, in IT. Everyone is essential. If any of these components fail, we risk losing the ability to care for the lands that require ongoing support.

When I visit a national park, I find myself asking: How is my presence improving this area? Can I carry out everything I bring in? How can I be extra kind to people and animals?

How does this profile relate to your work at NPCA?

My work at NPCA is to connect veterans with national parks and support their journey into advocacy. My role is to identify the traits and characteristics developed in the military that align with land protection and to explore the nuance of what “protection” means when it comes to policy. I work to demystify advocacy for new advocates.

I connect with veteran organizations, talking with veterans and their family members about the importance of protecting our national parks and public lands. We organize park outings where veterans can serve other veterans and military families across the country.

What do you want us to know about parks right now?

One of the greatest threats to our parks right now is proper staffing. Every park is facing some kind of staff shortage, and these shortages will negatively impact wildlife, visitor experiences and gateway communities. Park staff fill many roles within a park unit, and they are the most cost-effective way to manage public lands.

To me, being a good steward means carrying patriotism when caring for our land. The patriots in the Park Service uniform are doing just that, and we should continue to support them and their work.