Emily Wakild, the Cecil D. Andrus Endowed Professor for the Environment and Public Lands at Boise State University, recently published and article in the online journal, The Conversation.
The article, “US national parks are crowded – and so are many national forests, wildlife refuges, battlefields and seashores,” discusses the complicated issue of protecting wildlife and preserving nature and public lands while many Americans flock to national parks and wildlife refuges. With the rise of remote work and another year of record-setting outdoor recreation, smaller towns and areas with public land are seeing unprecedented overcrowding and, in turn, destruction of some local ecosystems.
This particular problem was also discussed at an environmental conference, Re-creating Public Land Recreation, hosted by the Andrus Center for Public Policy in the School of Public Service in April 2023. The conference drew over 200 participants.