Mr. Vogel, I #foundmypark
Dear Mr. Vogel,
First of all, let me start off by thanking you for your public service. Your background and dedication to preserving our national treasures should be applauded. However, I believe our national parks are more than just treasures but rather places we should experience, feel and breathe in. I am personally asking for your reconsideration of the permit authority for November Project DC to continue to gather in the national parks of DC.
As a member of the DC community for over 16 years I have had numerous opportunities to visit the amazing array of national parks within DC, Virginia and Maryland. Actually, my love for these parks goes back to my first experience with this city in 1997 when I came wide-eyed and optimistic from New York City to intern for a government I was only beginning to understand. I was accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the urban setting but what immediate struck me and stayed with me was that Washington DC had more square footage of parkland then any other city.
It was part of that allure that brought me back to Washington DC with my husband in 2000. In those early years, we would travel all around the area and check out new national parks. Whether driving to out west and exploring Shenandoah and Harpers Ferry or staying closer to home with the C&O Canal, Wolf Trap and of course our National Mall. All of these made me connect with the city I fell in love with all those years ago.
However, as time passes, things change. I became a mom to two incredible boys. I accepted a job with much greater responsibilities and along the way I lost the time to connect with my city. I spent weekends and evenings running from sporting events and school events in Arlington and realized I was only coming downtown to work.
But two years ago, all that changed. Encouraged by a friend I joined a band of strangers to head up and down the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial early on a Wednesday morning. Like clockwork this group who has gone from strangers to friends to so much more has gathered through rain, sleet, snow and heat to not just “work out” in our national parks but to experience all they have to offer.
All of a sudden I find myself longing for the opportunities to watch the sun peak over the Capitol; to run through the mall before and after workouts reflecting on my grandfathers service in WWII and watching the way the light hits the faces on the Korean War memorial along the way. What I found more than anything, is after several years of losing my connection to the city that I fell in love with all those years ago, I was falling in love all over again on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Without November Project, I would not have connected with all of these amazing members of the DC community but also with so many of our of the hidden treasures throughout the city.
With the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, you have rightly worked to inspire people to #findyourpark. I am here to tell you that after many years, November Project has helped me #findmypark in the predawn moments from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Every Wednesday morning (and occasional Fridays) I am able to take a few minutes for me, get some really incredible support from others, experience all our city and country has to offer; all before going home to wake my boys to start their day.
I urge you to reconsider your permit ruling for November Project and help me create an example for my boys that physical activity can happen anywhere but it becomes even more when you can do it fully in the city you fell in love with all those years ago.
Sincerely,
Mary Kusler
