U.S. National Park Service
Our nation's veterans and service members are directly connected to the nation's public lands. It’s a legacy tied to the Buffalo Soldiers’ struggle for inclusivity over a century ago. Today, about a quarter of the National Park Service workforce are military veterans. The lands we military veterans once defended are now the lands we fight to protect and conserve. For nearly two decades, the Sierra Club Military Outdoors (SCMO) campaign has striven to continue that legacy for all servicemembers, veterans, and military families.
SCMO has partnered with many organizations, successfully getting key legislation passed over the last several years. This includes the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors (H.R.2435), Military and Veterans in Parks (H.R.6342), and Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (H.R. 6492) Acts. These bills aim to improve outdoor access for veterans from marginalized communities by removing barriers. As I write this piece, SCMO is also working at the state level to get veterans easier access to state and national parks. This includes legislation waiving fees for veterans at state parks in Michigan and Georgia - building upon the success in New York advanced by the New York Outdoor Rx Coalition.
Our servicemen and women reflect every aspect of what makes America one of the world’s most diverse and multicultural societies on Earth. But the realities of war have left scars on the countries we’ve fought and on those who’ve fought in our wars. The goal for all of SCMO’s work is to ensure more veterans, service members, and military community members can access the healing benefits of the outdoors. For many veterans and active duty military members, nature offers a refuge and a place for healing. Enabling access to that nature is the least of what we can do in return for the sacrifices of our service members. Though there are no more living Buffalo Soldiers, their legacy and connection to the outdoors remains impactful.
Buffalo Soldiers are African American soldiers who served in the U.S. Army’s western frontier deployment after the Civil War. The Buffalo Soldiers emerged two years after the Civil War. Congress established them in 1866 through the Army Reorganization Act. The bill established six all-Black regiments, including the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 38th to 41st Infantry, which later combined to form the 24th and 25th Infantry. Their duties included protecting settlers, constructing infrastructure, and keeping order in the western territories. The Indian Wars were among the various conflicts they fought. They were notable for showcasing discipline and effectiveness.
Black Americans faced harsh discrimination and racism inside the Armed Services, as well as in civilian life. Buffalo Soldiers endured extreme weather, from scorching desert heat to freezing plains winters. The lack of sanitation and supplies led to many Black soldiers succumbing to disease. While Black soldiers in the West fought Native Americans, African Americans in the East faced lynchings, segregation, and persecution. Hostility frequently greeted the Buffalo Soldiers’ service protecting frontier settlements, which largely went unacknowledged by those they were protecting.
The nation used Black soldiers in its westward expansion. Manifest Destiny was the 19th-century belief that this expansion of the United States across the North American continent was justified and inevitable. This ideology was part of the driving force of the United States’ expansion into the West. It led to the mostly violent removal of Indigenous people from their ancestral lands. The paradox of Black Americans serving as foot soldiers in U.S. military imperial conquests while facing second-class citizenship has affected many throughout U.S. history.
But the Buffalo Soldiers’ legacy goes beyond war. Their role in the U.S. conservation movement and the early development of national parks is important but often ignored in contemporary times.
In 1899, the U.S. Army stationed the Buffalo Soldiers of the 24th Infantry and 9th Cavalry at Yosemite and Sequoia national parks. They were among the first park rangers assigned to combat poaching, illegal grazing, and logging in the parks. In Sequoia National Park, Buffalo Soldiers, under the direction of Captain Charles Young—the park’s first African American superintendent—maintained the park, constructed infrastructure, and implemented regulations. Young and his troops created better park access by building roads, trails, and other amenities.
The National Park Service, established in 1916, formalized the conservation and park management principles pioneered by their efforts. The Buffalo Soldiers’ story ended in 1951 when the U.S. Army officially desegregated. Their contributions show the Buffalo Soldiers’ dedication and versatility to conservation. Despite racial discrimination and adverse conditions, they provided distinguished service, protecting natural resources, and created opportunities for future generations of park rangers and conservationists.
Sierra Club Military Outdoors aims to honor the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers by working in diverse communities and with local and national non-profits and agencies like the VA to connect veterans from marginalized communities to the outdoors. Our veterans have advocated for the protection of wild spaces, including the Bears Ears National Monument and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2016, SCMO hosted a special Warriors Sweat Lodge in partnership with the Dine people of the Cherokee Nation. It was an effort to bridge the gap between veterans and the local Indigenous community, helping veterans from both communities heal through nature and the sacred rituals of the sweat lodge.
We strive to connect current and future generations with our history and understand the triumphs and struggles to forge a more inclusive path. One way we are working to preserve the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers is through a partnership between Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter, the Detroit Outdoors coalition, and Military Outdoors, which brought Detroit youth and families to Yosemite National Park in 2024 for a Buffalo Soldiers legacy exploration. It is a partnership that will continue this year as well.