Willi Brooks was born and raised in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where the outdoors is a key part of everyone’s life. He grew up doing outdoor activities such as skiing, camping, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, rafting, and many more activities in our country’s national parks which have enabled him to enjoy the outdoors. The town of Jackson Hole has seen tremendous benefits from national parks on the people, the town, and the environment. “From a social |standpoint, the general quality of life of people who live in the Greater Teton and Yellowstone communities is very high. When I say high I’m speaking to people’s physical and mental health, sense of purpose, happiness, and overall respect for nature and the environment. I believe that having easy access to high-quality outdoor spaces, especially public lands, can change almost anyone for the better”. Willi brooks has also seen and felt the economic effects that national parks have had on towns like Jackson Hole. “As for economically, GYE [ Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ] can be a harsh place to live during winter seasons. Because of the distinction of National Parks and the access to public land, value has been defined and demand has been created. People want to visit these places because they are ‘the place to be’. This allows for small communities to thrive off of tourism that traditionally may be too rural.  The ‘National Park’ distinction has made people want to come year-round, creating economic drivers and industry to support working citizens and allows for communities to have the amenities they do today.” Willi was fortunate enough to grow up in Wyoming where 48% of the land is open to the public. 

Unfortunately, there are many states such as Texas that are 95% privately owned land. Texas has far fewer opportunities to educate people on the outdoors and for people to experience the beauty of nature in the public lands. National parks and national forests have helped the economy of a place like Jackson Hole tremendously by attracting out-of-state tourists that want to take part in various outdoor activities in the parks and appreciate the natural beauty of the landscape and animals. Willi grew up thinking that in every state, everyone had access to so much beautiful public land and unfortunately, that is not the case in several states. Having public land available to him has been an essential part of his upbringing because it has given him a purpose and responsibility to treat the land with respect and preserve it for future generations to experience the outdoors. 

The National Park Service was created August 25, 1916, by Woodrow Wilson, but the history of national parks goes back to March 1, 1872, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law, which was the birth of national parks in the United States and the whole world (Source). President Teddy Roosevelt took it to the next level by creating 150 national forests, four national game reserves, 51 federal bird reserves, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments (source). By this time in history, the big game animals in North America such as bison, deer, elk, and moose were completely decimated, and Roosevelt made it his mission to create national parks and forests to protect these animals and allow them to get their numbers back to what they used to be. National parks were created to not only preserve land and habitats for animals to thrive in, but also to allow for all future generations to use and appreciate the land and animals. The national parks and forests of the United States generate money in several ways, but taxpayer dollars are one of the strongest sources of funding they receive. People pay taxes to maintain the beautiful land and in turn, they have access to the land and its resources. 

Willi sees the positive effect that national parks and forests have on the environment, himself, and the people around him. These public lands are an essential part of life in Wyoming and there are many other states that are fortunate enough to have such large quantities of public land. “I think at my age it can be rare to experience something new. National parks allow me to have new experiences and adventures, I still get excited every time I leave town and head north even if it is for just a quick errand. Not only are NPs a daily reminder to me to be my best and do my best for my surroundings, but they give me a sense of purpose to be able to keep something intact and pass it along for future generations to experience”. The sense of purpose and adventure that Willi feels on a daily basis is something that should be felt in every state and luckily many efforts are being made to increase the number of public lands in our country. Outdoor recreation in national parks and forests creates happier societies in which the people are more driven to preserve and appreciate the land.