Photo by Caryn Miske.
My first memory of a national park site was visiting Gateway National Recreation Area’s Sandy Hook Unit in New Jersey as a kid. The beach was alive with surfers in the waves and families enjoying the sand, and in the distance the Sandy Hook Light, the oldest working lighthouse in the country, stood as a steady marker of history and place. I can still picture seeing a horseshoe crab for the first time and learning how ancient these creatures are. That day I began to understand that our parks and public lands are not only beautiful places; they are classrooms, gathering spaces, and living reminders of our shared history and future.
That same spirit carried into our Month of Action this August. At a time when budget cuts, staff reductions, and cultural erasure are threatening the very programs and people that keep our public lands alive, Sierra Club chapters, the Outdoors for All, and Conservation campaigns came together to show what is at stake. From national parks and historic sites to local trails, rivers, and neighborhoods, communities organized outings, clean-ups, town halls, and postcard drives to honor land management staff, share personal stories, and call for equitable access. Together we demonstrated that these places matter not just as scenery but as the foundation of healthy communities, thriving local economies, and a more honest telling of our shared history.
California
Yosemite
In Yosemite National Park, the Outdoors For All campaign, Green Latinos, Nature for All, and the Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center gathered for fellowship and activism! Outdoors for All campaign manager Roberto Morales led a discussion on how important these spaces are for all, the history here, and how we can continue to protect them. Attendees also took part in the in-park protest to support SJ Joslin, a park ranger who was terminated for hanging a trans rights flag on the iconic El Capitan rock formation.
Photos by Roberto Morales.
Manzanar
In the Owens Valley, Janet Barth, a member of the Toiyabe Chapter’s Range of Light Group, joined the Manzanar Committee, NPCA, INYO350, Friends of Inyo, local leaders, and community members for a Day of Action to defend the truth of WWII Japanese American incarceration history. Participants heard from survivors, activists, and allies who honored the people and places that shaped our history and affirmed that this injustice must never happen again.
Photos by Janet Barth.
Colorado
In Colorado, Rep. Joe Neguse joined Chapter Conservation Chair Ramesh Bhatt for a hike on the Flat Iron VIsta Trail in Boulder, Colorado. The hike was attended by 30 people from various organizations as well as state and local officials. Neguse has cosponsored bills to reinstate the workforce for DOE, DOI, and the Forest Service.
Photos by Kim Pope.
Idaho
In Idaho, the Chapter attended the Sawtooth Salmon Festival in Stanley, learning about the salmon’s journey from the Pacific Ocean to central Idaho and efforts to recover this endangered population. After the festival, volunteers went car camping at Wood River Campground in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and collected and mailed 13 thank-you cards for the remaining nine full-time non-fire U.S. Forest Service personnel in the SNRA.
Photos by Amanda Reed.
Missouri
Eileen McManus, an ExCom member of the Missouri Chapter’s Thomas Benton Group, hosted a postcard party with Sierra Club members in her area as part of the August Month of Action. Together, they sent more than 20 handwritten postcards to National Park superintendents across the country, thanking them for their dedication and service.
Photos by Eileen McManus.
Montana
The Montana Chapter of Sierra Club drew more than 50 people to a rally at Glacier National Park (GNP) to protest the firing of staff, and the loss of funding for GNP maintenance needs. The timing of the rally coincided with a meeting of the Western Republican Caucus – a group of senators representing states from Montana all the way to Louisiana. The caucus was meeting in GNP to unveil the American the Beautiful Act, which would provide funding for park maintenance needs, only weeks after these very same Republicans had voted for the “Big Ugly Budget Reconciliation” bill, which rescinded hundreds of millions meant for staffing, but also for addressing infrastructure upgrades, and building resilience against extreme weather.
Attendees let the Senators know that they will be held accountable for their actions, and supporters signed postcards thanking Park Rangers for their work in this difficult time.
Photo by Caryn Miske.
Nevada
The Great Basin Group hosted a picnic in honor of the 109th anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service. Attendees took action by filling out postcards in support of NPS staff and funding. Gatherings like this show the power of combining time outdoors with meaningful actions to protect the natural spaces we all cherish.
Photos by Cullen McGinnis
Utah
The Utah Sierra Club brought dozens of community members together for a powerful town hall at the Glendale Library in Salt Lake City. With six empty chairs symbolizing absent members of Congress, Utahns filled the space with stories of healing, connection, and pride rooted in their national parks and public lands. From concerns about local economies to the deeper value of recreation, history, and mental health, voices carried a shared commitment to protecting these places for future generations.
Photos by Maria Archibald and Alyssa Chamberlain.
Washington
Members of the Washington Chapter joined Forest Service staff for a day of trailwork on the Pacific Crest Trail near Snoqualmie Pass. With staffing cuts leaving fewer crews to maintain the trails that connect our communities to wild places, participants rolled up their sleeves to help clear, repair, and care for a section of the PCT that thousands of hikers travel every year. Volunteers also wrote thank-you cards for rangers. This simple act of gratitude paired with hands-on stewardship reminded us that supporting our parks means caring for both the landscapes and the people who protect them.
Photo by Lia Brewster.
Wyoming
In Wyoming, volunteers celebrated access to the outdoors through summer outings. The chapter partnered with Latino Outdoors and Juntos Wyoming on a hike and picnic in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. We hiked among the towering rocks of Vedauwoo and shared stories afterward of what the outdoors means to us. We also discussed the importance of building community creating safe spaces for the immigrant community to learn about and access wild places.
Photo by Rob Kidd.
August Action Hour
The month wrapped with an Action Hour hosted by the Digital Strategy team in partnership with the Outdoors for All campaign. The program blended poetry with briefings from OFA Deputy Campaign Director Gerry Seavo James and Yosemite Heritage Center staffer Connor McIntosh on the challenges facing the National Park Service, from staffing and funding cuts to plummeting morale. More than 400 people joined live, sending 355 public thank-yous to rangers and submitting hundreds of personal comments to NPS pushing back against the administration’s attempts to rewrite history at our parks and historic sites.
