Public Lands: Thanks for the Memories!

Portia Bharath is a climate and energy fellow at the National Wildlife Federation.

In September of 2019, I traveled almost five hours by car to visit my partner, Brad. At the time, he was attending college in West Virginia and we had decided to enjoy the late summer weather by visiting Cooper’s Rock State Forest. Being the environmentalist, I was the one to suggest we “get out and enjoy nature!” Brad reluctantly acquiesced, as he has a pretty strong fear of eight-legged creepy crawlies — which we encountered SEVERAL times that day.

Despite that, it was a beautiful, bright afternoon, and the weather was perfect for hiking. The tree tops provided just enough shade from the late summer sun and we came prepared with water and snacks, ready for a fun time.

We are from the part of Maryland that consists mostly of flat countryside, so I stood in awe of the enormous rocks and caves sprinkled throughout the forest. I suppose they don’t call it Cooper’s Rock for nothing! Exploring such varied landscape reminded me of concepts I had learned in a geology course: how tectonic activity over millions of years formed mountains, how weathering and erosion results in unique land features like the majestic sandstone cliffs in this forest.

We had a wonderful time romping around the woods, making jokes and talking with one another. That’s one of the perks I appreciate about being in nature: sometimes it can inspire conversation that wouldn’t flow in a typical setting. Something about the trees, the layer of crunchy leaves underneath your shoes, and breathing crisp air into your lungs spurs new ideas. New ways to look at things, a fresh lease on life, or a quick mental reset — all this you can glean from spending a few minutes outside with the trees. Most times for free!

I love knowing that public lands are widely available for anyone to enjoy — humans, wildlife, and bugs alike. They are important for our mental health, for environmental health, for recreation, and in my case, they helped to form some very fond memories.

Brad and I visited the park just before we officially started dating, so Cooper’s Rock will always mark that transitional period for us. I can’t even begin to imagine how many millions of people have formed significant memories at a public park, a beach, or in a magical forest — celebrating birthdays, weddings, proposals, first kisses, first skinned knees, first real cave explorations, first wildlife sightings, first rock climbing experiences and so much more. Public lands give us all so much — it’s important that we make sure to leave these lands better off than we found them so future generations can enjoy them.

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So many of our country’s parks and public lands written about in these love notes would not exist but for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). This important conservation program was permanently funded when Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act last year. You can learn more about the Land and Water Conservation Fund here.

Would you like to write about public lands that you cherish? Please email Mary Jo Brooks at brooksm@nwf.org for guidelines. You’ll get this cool sticker as a thank you.