Access to wilderness is the topic of a wide-ranging 50-minute podcast that explores the history of the exclusion of indigenous peoples in public lands, the impact of wealth disparities on natural spaces and the pressing need for increased access to outdoor spaces for all.
Despite efforts to conserve land across the country, access to wilderness remains a challenge for many Americans. “A hundred million people in this country–and that’s 28 million kids–do not have a park close to home,” says Diane Regas, president of the Trust for Public Land. “Do not have a green space close to home that they can access.”
The issue also affects the indigenous peoples of the United states, who also lack access to many of their ancestors’ lands. “We often hear this phrase that the National Parks are America’s greatest idea or something to that effect,” says Dina Gilio-Whitaker, American Indian Studies Lecturer, California State University San Marcos. “But the reality of that is that native people have always inhabited these spaces. Everywhere, every square inch of this of the land on this continent was indigenous territory. They were spaces and lands that native people used for a variety of purposes.
Participants in the discussion include:
Justin Farrell
Author, Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West
Dina Gilio-Whitaker
American Indian Studies Lecturer, California State University San Marcos
Diane Regas
President and Chief Executive Officer, The Trust for Public Land
Jessica Newton,
Founder, Vibe Tribe Adventures
