Greetings from Yosemite National Park

There is little that compares to the tranquility of the ending day in Yosemite’s Wilderness. The whispering of soft breezes through the limbs of the trees and the filtered, low-angle light reflecting like jewels on the rippling surfaces of alpine lakes, give me a sense of peace like few other things on this earth. These are experiences I have been fortunate enough to have in National Parks since my first backpacking trip at the age of 10 in Grand Teton. My first Park job took me to Denali where my eyes were opened to the vastness of the Alaskan landscape and the true wildness of untrammeled country. After five summers exploring and learning from some of the most challenging and beautiful landscapes I have seen, my Park career took me south to Yosemite. Here I continued to explore Wild places, but began to feel a deep desire to share these experiences with young people that, for whatever reason, do not have access to them. Since 2007, I have been working in collaboration with a variety of youth serving organizations and institutions to break down barriers and create meaningful opportunities for youth to engage in their National Parks. I feel this work as a great honor and a also a great responsibility: to share the places that have given me so much with the young people that will become the next generation of constituents, leaders and stewards of Parks and Wild places.

Sincerely,
Jesse