Teddy Roosevelt. We all learned about him in high school and about all of the great things that he did for our country. He dedicated his life to our country and to the preservation of our beautiful lands in the form of national/state parks and public lands. These public lands in the United States are so important to our rich heritage and culture.

However, in recent events, the importance of these lands is being overlooked and the protection of them is not being valued.

Our public lands and national parks offer numerous benefits to citizens. Not only are these lands important because they work to preserve our precious environment which would get destroyed and mistreated if not protected. They are also a place for people to be with nature and appreciate the beauty of our country in its most natural form.

Lands that are protected by our national parks are sacred to many Americans and should be considered as part of our rich heritage and history rather than just a place to put a shopping mall.

These parks provide safe habitats for large amounts of animals as well as provide safe places to protect our trees from deforestation. The protection of these lands is the only way to keep them safe from the greed that ravages our country. People do not see the importance of protecting our natural wonders because money, fame, and fortune clouds their vision.

Public lands and national monuments need to be protected more than ever because in December of 2017 President Donald Trump announced that monuments, such as The Grand Staircase Monuments and Bears Ears both located in Utah would be shrinking exponentially. The conservation of lands such as these is so important and the fact that the protected areas are decreasing is shocking and heartbreaking. It seems that in America, pride is not being taken in our magnificent lands.

Our national/state parks and lands have and continue to impact my life. I enjoy hiking and being in nature. Without the state parks around my home, I would be lost. I spend many weekends in the beautiful state parks surrounding my hometown.

Being able to see nature in its pure form is amazing. These parks not only provide for our flora and fauna they also have the to potential to provide jobs for the community and a place for the community to spend the time to get to know nature and why it is so important.

These parks and lands that are so crucial to our country need to continue to be protected to the highest extent. We need to advocate for them because they cannot do so for themselves. While I’m not usually one to speak out I feel that now may be the time and I hope that others feel the same. Nature does not have a voice but we do.