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Happy pride and welcome to the landscape your

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show about America's parks and public lands. I'm

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Erin Weiss with the center for Western priorities

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in Denver,

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and I'm Kate G in Salt Lake City.

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About Well, summer is officially here. It's been

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scorching hot lately Lee angela July fourth is

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around the corner, but it is still June,

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and we've got a great conversation about

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Lgbtq in station in national parks lined up

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in honor of pride month. But before we

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get into that, let's do the news.

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On Monday, the Us Supreme Court announced... That

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it will review a lower court's ruling that

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blocked the ui basin railway. That is the

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so called oil train that's intended to connect

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that oil fields in Eastern Utah to the

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national rail system, which would let that oil

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be more easily transported to refineries, the idea

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behind

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this train for the oil industry is that

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it would make it a whole lot cheaper

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to develop that oil in Utah.

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If it was to move forward,

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the train would more than double the total

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amount of oil transported in the Us via

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rail as of 22.

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It would result in a tenfold

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increase of hazardous material transport through sensitive areas,

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especially along the Colorado River in Western Colorado.

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Now the supreme court is interested in this

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case because it involves the question of how

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broad federal agency environmental

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reviews can and should be. In this case,

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the rejection came from the the

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transportation board that was reviewing this, which

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does not

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on the face of it have environmental duties

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as part of its responsibility.

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So we're gonna be following this case very

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closely, of course, when it is argued during

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the next Supreme court session, and of course,

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we'll bring you updates.

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Our guest today is doctor Hit Tal, creator

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of the gaze of National Parks Instagram account,

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which is aimed at fo drink community among

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Lgbtq people through a love of the outdoors.

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Hit. Thank you so much for being here

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today.

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Thanks for having me.

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So let's start at the beginning. What led

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you to create the gaze of National Parks

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Instagram account? You know,

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it was all a joke.

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If you would have told me you know,

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a year and a half or 2 years

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ago that be running an instagram account, I

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would...

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Totally think that you were crazy.

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But I've gone hiking with a bunch of

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buddies up in Aca National Park,

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you know, we we're... We've been friends in

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school,

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you know, we're all doctors now, and they

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though are straight white, you know, straight white

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males.

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And

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we were talking about life, but as we

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were hiking and, you know, sharing what's going

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on,

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I didn't really have much to add because

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they were talking about getting their kids into

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certain school districts, Na and so forth, and

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they asked me. They said,

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Why are you so quiet? And I said,

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in that very moment, I realized, you know,

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our lives were diver. I think about very

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different things.

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And they asked me they said, well, what

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do you think about? And

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I said, well, you know, I think about

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building community these days?

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I'm late to the gay game, and I

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think about, you know, as I get older,

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who are gonna be my everyday people.

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And, you know, they said, well, hey, you

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always have us, and I said to them.

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They do, but it's not the same. Right?

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I

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you know, just to call someone and say,

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hey, Like, what are you doing today? Or

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hey, You wanna grab a meal or whatever?

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And

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you know, they're pretty surprised that that's you

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know, what was going through my head because

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I tend to be a extreme ex. I

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tend to have a lot of people around

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me all the time,

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friends and so forth,

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And so they joked around with me and

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they said,

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well, attached, what are you gonna do about

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it? And

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so as a joke, I

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I came home and I created this, you

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know,

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Instagram account to send to them as a

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joke to say,

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I'm taking into my own hands. I'm gonna

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meet boys like me.

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And

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it started out as a way

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for me to meet boys. And

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you know,

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it was a joke. Like, who's gonna ever

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join an this Instagram an account called gaze

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of National parks

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and I said to them, I said to

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them if 1 or 2

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people are actually real and say, like, a

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hundred people join this account, and I get

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to go on a hiking date with them

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or get to even make friends, that's a

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2 percent conversion rate, and that's a win.

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And we laughed about this. Right? But

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since then, I think this has taken a

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life of its own. It sparked a lot

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of joy, and

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it's just becomes something that I never thought

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it would become. So describe what the account

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is now, what what kind of posts are

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on there and and what do you look

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for when you're finding finding content to put

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up? Yeah.

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So once again, remember, it was a joke.

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When I started it,

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it really didn't have... A thoughtful purpose. Right?

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And

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it was, you know, it was a... If

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at best, it was gonna be something where,

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you know, I could meet guys like me.

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But,

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you know, all of a sudden, the story

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started rolling in. And when they started rolling

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in,

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it became very evident that people were writing

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in with a lot of trust, a lot

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of love, a lot of heart, a lot

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of hope.

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Right? What they were

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what they were writing in was

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like, genuine

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feelings about how nature was, impacting their lives,

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they're were talking about the trial and tribulation.

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They were overcoming,

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by finding peace in nature,

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you know, relationships they had built, you know,

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love stories, and

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all of a sudden it became more than

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just, you know, some guy running an account,

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Right? Hoping to me boys. It was

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oh, wow. Like, there is a lot of

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good here, and how do you, you know,

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highlight that good?

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And so,

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you know, over time the purpose of the

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account change,

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for me at least. Right?

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And the goal was to just keep telling

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me stories of, every walk of Lgbtq and,

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you know, how people are living their lives.

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If you look at a lot of

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Lgbtq organizations,

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rightfully so.

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They have

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had to spend time on

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fighting for

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Lgbtq rights or

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Lgbtq people living their best life.

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But to some degree, our community is getting

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there,

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and

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we need to tell the stories of how

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people are living. And we have to tell

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the stories of how to live.

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And so, you know,

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life isn't always rosy. Until we have stories

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of people overcoming drug abuse. We have people

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overcoming, you know,

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very tough situations, but we also have people

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who are building families. And

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you know, essentially, it's using

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nature as a backdrop to tell the stories

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of people.

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And

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the goal of the account is to Spark

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Joy.

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So

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you know,

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everyone who submits the story, we will highlight

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it as long as it is, you know,

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Instagram appropriate.

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And

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you know,

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you know, if you ever wonder if there

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is a

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trans individual who wants to be a park

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ranger or a gay you and diplomat or

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ever wonder if, you know, someone

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in meta is running vr concerts

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or

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the head of you know, innovation at Kaiser

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permanente

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or a board member from Noah or the

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director of Gossip girl or the vice chair

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of Arizona States depart...

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Democratic party,

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ever wonder if these people are gay, well,

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yes, they are. And you will find them

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on our... You know, there... You'll find their

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stories on our on our Instagram pay. And

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I think that's the beauty of it is

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that they're living their best life, You know?

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And

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if you're an Lgbtq person out there,

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age and you read these, you could say

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I can't too. And I will tell you

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that personally,

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when I realized I was gay,

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I became very lonely because I, you know,

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lived a life where,

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I was just like my peers, I, you

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know,

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I I'm a doctor. I

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just did not see myself the way that

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the media was portraying

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Lgbtq people, which was

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at the time,

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troubled team's trying to come out people who

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had a lot of drug abuse and, you

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know, sex addiction and their families dis designing

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him.

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And I did not wanna be gay like

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that, and I became very lonely. Fortunately,

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I was a member of the Harvard community,

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and you know, when people finally me learned

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I was gay, they were, like,

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are you kidding? Like, you know, so and

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so department chair is gay. And, you know,

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the head of Hillary Clinton's campaign is gay.

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You wanna meet him? And, you know, before

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you knew it, I was meeting

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the who's who of Lgbtq people.

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And I was like, oh,

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I can be gay like them.

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But what happens if you are a teenager

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in Oklahoma or in Minnesota or somewhere rural

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or, you know, there's no 1 in your

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family who identify as Lgbtq. Well,

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you know, if you reach this account, you

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can meet you can see all these people

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from every walk of life, and they're only

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1 instagram message away, and I think that's

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the beauty of it.

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So I feel like we've sort of

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danced around this issue, but on your website,

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which you do have a website for the

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account.

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You talk about the loneliness epidemic specifically in

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the gay community. Can you give us some

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stats on that and tell us about how

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the account is... Sort of combating it?

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Yeah.

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So,

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first of all, the loneliness epidemic is ubiquitous.

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00:09:54,924 --> 00:09:57,327
It's... You know, everyone's experiencing it around the

277
00:09:57,327 --> 00:09:59,950
world. But according to the Us surgeon in

278
00:09:59,950 --> 00:10:00,268
general,

279
00:10:01,222 --> 00:10:01,460
you know,

280
00:10:02,335 --> 00:10:04,243
Lgbtq people are at the, you know, top

281
00:10:04,243 --> 00:10:04,561
of the heap,

282
00:10:05,294 --> 00:10:07,851
you know, along with elderly immigrants and teams.

283
00:10:08,650 --> 00:10:11,127
And a lot of Lgbtq people as they

284
00:10:11,127 --> 00:10:13,933
age are, you know, found alone in their

285
00:10:13,933 --> 00:10:14,807
homes, you know,

286
00:10:15,444 --> 00:10:16,159
at the end of life.

287
00:10:16,955 --> 00:10:17,693
And so

288
00:10:18,068 --> 00:10:20,135
the goal here, right, is once again,

289
00:10:21,343 --> 00:10:24,120
to tell stories of people that you that

290
00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:25,810
you can identify with. And

291
00:10:26,659 --> 00:10:28,483
1 of the other stats that we know

292
00:10:28,483 --> 00:10:31,433
is nature can help convert loneliness to sol.

293
00:10:31,909 --> 00:10:34,368
Mh. And so 1 of the things that

294
00:10:34,368 --> 00:10:35,582
we've done is that

295
00:10:36,272 --> 00:10:38,112
there's 2 things that are happening help first,

296
00:10:38,430 --> 00:10:39,805
people are posting their stories

297
00:10:40,179 --> 00:10:42,247
and what we are learning on the back

298
00:10:42,247 --> 00:10:45,109
end. Right? Because you don't see everything that's

299
00:10:45,109 --> 00:10:46,461
happening on the back end of the account.

300
00:10:47,747 --> 00:10:50,525
We are bombarded with thank you notes. Thank

301
00:10:50,525 --> 00:10:52,588
you so much because of, you know, you

302
00:10:52,588 --> 00:10:54,651
posted my story. I actually had someone reach

303
00:10:54,651 --> 00:10:54,889
out.

304
00:10:56,493 --> 00:10:58,881
Who, you know, is 2 hours away from

305
00:10:58,881 --> 00:11:00,474
me, and I've actually now made, you know,

306
00:11:00,633 --> 00:11:01,589
some gay friends in the area.

307
00:11:03,101 --> 00:11:04,398
Or we hear

308
00:11:04,867 --> 00:11:07,010
you posted my story, and I told my

309
00:11:07,010 --> 00:11:09,629
story of being a mormon man who have

310
00:11:09,629 --> 00:11:12,327
to come out and 5 other mormons have

311
00:11:12,327 --> 00:11:14,335
reached out to me. And, you know, we've

312
00:11:14,335 --> 00:11:16,815
been talking about the process of how to

313
00:11:16,815 --> 00:11:18,975
come out and still be true to our

314
00:11:18,975 --> 00:11:19,615
beliefs. Right?

315
00:11:21,308 --> 00:11:23,773
And so on the back end, we've heard

316
00:11:23,773 --> 00:11:24,251
things like,

317
00:11:25,125 --> 00:11:27,511
this account has probably been the most impactful

318
00:11:27,829 --> 00:11:29,658
Instagram or social media account. I've ever earn

319
00:11:29,658 --> 00:11:30,692
encountered in my life. Wow.

320
00:11:32,934 --> 00:11:34,525
And if you read the stories,

321
00:11:35,241 --> 00:11:37,786
they are very raw in genuine.

322
00:11:38,279 --> 00:11:40,774
And I think that's what people are talking

323
00:11:40,912 --> 00:11:42,269
about and, like, appreciating.

324
00:11:43,545 --> 00:11:45,141
And we cover topics like,

325
00:11:46,113 --> 00:11:46,613
Ce,

326
00:11:47,148 --> 00:11:49,378
you know, having to deal with, you know,

327
00:11:49,537 --> 00:11:51,846
coming out with, you know, religious families,

328
00:11:52,802 --> 00:11:54,235
you know, open relationships,

329
00:11:55,048 --> 00:11:57,599
you know, being gay in rural areas. So

330
00:11:57,599 --> 00:11:59,194
these are the things that people are identifying

331
00:11:59,194 --> 00:11:59,274
with.

332
00:12:00,311 --> 00:12:02,464
The second thing that's happening is that,

333
00:12:04,234 --> 00:12:06,172
You know, we are also

334
00:12:06,790 --> 00:12:09,746
actually holding events and getting people together in

335
00:12:09,746 --> 00:12:10,385
the outdoors.

336
00:12:11,037 --> 00:12:13,731
So we hold sometimes day events where people

337
00:12:13,731 --> 00:12:16,187
come, 1 of them that we had, people

338
00:12:16,187 --> 00:12:19,142
showed up about, yeah. 30 to 40 people

339
00:12:19,142 --> 00:12:22,016
showed up, they stayed from, you know, 10AM

340
00:12:22,016 --> 00:12:22,894
to 5PM,

341
00:12:23,133 --> 00:12:25,608
right, where we hiked and then grabbed lunch,

342
00:12:25,847 --> 00:12:29,150
lunch lasted from literally noon to 5 because

343
00:12:29,445 --> 00:12:31,592
everyone was, you know, meeting each other and

344
00:12:31,592 --> 00:12:31,910
talking.

345
00:12:33,579 --> 00:12:34,318
We've held

346
00:12:35,011 --> 00:12:36,703
you know, actual week long

347
00:12:37,014 --> 00:12:37,514
camping

348
00:12:38,290 --> 00:12:40,922
you know, camping events where people have come

349
00:12:40,922 --> 00:12:44,272
from age 25 to 54. They've ranged from

350
00:12:44,272 --> 00:12:45,947
people who work in events all the way

351
00:12:45,947 --> 00:12:46,766
to the

352
00:12:47,078 --> 00:12:50,208
head of innovation for Kaiser. Right? Every race

353
00:12:50,265 --> 00:12:52,895
every soc economic background, and they have come

354
00:12:52,895 --> 00:12:53,395
from

355
00:12:54,090 --> 00:12:57,291
Germany, Hong Kong, London, Scotland, and they have

356
00:12:57,291 --> 00:12:59,122
flown in just to spend time with us.

357
00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:01,271
Wow. And as they are leaving,

358
00:13:03,340 --> 00:13:05,011
you know, you can see, like, some of

359
00:13:05,011 --> 00:13:07,172
them start tearing up, because they say,

360
00:13:08,045 --> 00:13:09,950
you know, in the everyday, hustle and Bustle,

361
00:13:10,030 --> 00:13:12,252
it's like, it's very difficult to sometimes connect

362
00:13:12,252 --> 00:13:12,729
with people.

363
00:13:13,522 --> 00:13:14,022
And

364
00:13:15,444 --> 00:13:16,959
I think the best part about it is

365
00:13:16,959 --> 00:13:19,272
that once the trip ends you think, well,

366
00:13:19,432 --> 00:13:20,229
is that gonna be it.

367
00:13:21,107 --> 00:13:23,579
But as you follow them on Instagram, you

368
00:13:23,579 --> 00:13:25,668
see that all of a sudden the person

369
00:13:25,668 --> 00:13:28,219
from Berlin is, you know, visiting the guy

370
00:13:28,219 --> 00:13:29,336
from San Francisco.

371
00:13:29,814 --> 00:13:32,365
And, you know, they're actually meeting up later

372
00:13:32,365 --> 00:13:35,092
on and, you know, exchanging the contacts for

373
00:13:35,092 --> 00:13:37,087
work or helping each other, you know, get

374
00:13:37,087 --> 00:13:37,826
interviews and

375
00:13:38,922 --> 00:13:39,959
it's actually very beautiful.

376
00:13:41,969 --> 00:13:43,348
So what is it about

377
00:13:43,727 --> 00:13:46,923
national parks then and and public land? What

378
00:13:46,923 --> 00:13:49,320
why does this become the connector?

379
00:13:49,974 --> 00:13:51,572
For for this new

380
00:13:52,212 --> 00:13:54,849
2 lgbtq community that has... That has formed

381
00:13:54,849 --> 00:13:57,406
around an Instagram account of all things. Right.

382
00:13:57,646 --> 00:13:57,885
Well,

383
00:13:59,340 --> 00:14:01,980
I think that there's a lot of other

384
00:14:01,980 --> 00:14:04,720
factors happening in culture today

385
00:14:05,100 --> 00:14:05,980
that, you know,

386
00:14:06,953 --> 00:14:09,508
lead to this. And those things in culture

387
00:14:09,508 --> 00:14:10,167
are happening

388
00:14:11,264 --> 00:14:14,058
you know, throughout our throughout society, not just

389
00:14:14,058 --> 00:14:15,335
the Lgbt lgbtq community,

390
00:14:15,990 --> 00:14:17,990
So if you look at the data,

391
00:14:19,029 --> 00:14:20,789
you know, more and more Americans,

392
00:14:21,589 --> 00:14:24,070
especially millennials and Gen z are drinking less.

393
00:14:24,564 --> 00:14:25,064
And

394
00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:27,751
there's less alcohol consumption. Right?

395
00:14:28,627 --> 00:14:30,699
So combine that with the fact that,

396
00:14:32,292 --> 00:14:33,647
over the last 10 years,

397
00:14:35,578 --> 00:14:38,853
Lgbtq spaces have been diminishing. So there's not

398
00:14:38,853 --> 00:14:41,824
as many, you know, places where people can

399
00:14:41,824 --> 00:14:43,499
go and, like, have a space for being

400
00:14:44,137 --> 00:14:44,296
Lgbtq.

401
00:14:45,572 --> 00:14:47,806
And additionally, people are getting healthier. They want

402
00:14:47,806 --> 00:14:48,763
to be, you know,

403
00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:51,257
they want to be more active

404
00:14:51,810 --> 00:14:53,730
And then after the pandemic, people have just

405
00:14:53,730 --> 00:14:55,570
embraced the outdoors. I mean, we know the

406
00:14:55,570 --> 00:14:57,009
spike in getting outside.

407
00:14:58,050 --> 00:14:58,550
So

408
00:14:58,864 --> 00:15:00,696
if you combine all those things together, it's

409
00:15:00,696 --> 00:15:02,768
not it's no different from the Lgbtq community.

410
00:15:03,405 --> 00:15:06,009
And what's also interesting is that

411
00:15:06,608 --> 00:15:10,516
public lands are ubiquitous there everywhere. So you

412
00:15:10,516 --> 00:15:12,590
have national parks, but you also have fish

413
00:15:12,590 --> 00:15:13,228
and wildlife life,

414
00:15:14,105 --> 00:15:15,621
you know, reserves and so forth.

415
00:15:16,272 --> 00:15:16,772
And

416
00:15:17,542 --> 00:15:20,160
what is actually happening is that you're seeing

417
00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:22,065
people saying, well, you know, yes, I enjoy

418
00:15:22,065 --> 00:15:23,017
going to a gay bar.

419
00:15:23,589 --> 00:15:25,902
But is there anything else? Is there anything

420
00:15:25,902 --> 00:15:26,779
else that we can do?

421
00:15:27,816 --> 00:15:29,331
You know, how do... How else can we

422
00:15:29,331 --> 00:15:29,970
build community?

423
00:15:30,528 --> 00:15:31,028
And

424
00:15:31,565 --> 00:15:33,261
you don't you don't

425
00:15:33,892 --> 00:15:35,245
nature just exists,

426
00:15:35,882 --> 00:15:36,382
and

427
00:15:36,997 --> 00:15:37,497
therefore,

428
00:15:38,191 --> 00:15:40,421
so can we because we are a part

429
00:15:40,421 --> 00:15:40,898
of nature.

430
00:15:41,869 --> 00:15:42,927
And so to go

431
00:15:43,304 --> 00:15:44,840
into efficient wildlife

432
00:15:45,775 --> 00:15:46,174
you know,

433
00:15:47,210 --> 00:15:50,182
reserve or a national park. And

434
00:15:50,493 --> 00:15:52,880
just be with people who understand, you know,

435
00:15:53,039 --> 00:15:53,596
who you are,

436
00:15:54,471 --> 00:15:56,300
and because these lands are ubiquitous,

437
00:15:57,826 --> 00:16:00,395
I think that it just serves as a,

438
00:16:00,690 --> 00:16:02,679
you know, a place for people to meet

439
00:16:02,679 --> 00:16:03,633
regardless of where they are.

440
00:16:04,604 --> 00:16:05,104
And

441
00:16:05,722 --> 00:16:08,117
it had... It it it lowers guards and

442
00:16:08,117 --> 00:16:10,272
allows people to bond, and I think that's

443
00:16:10,272 --> 00:16:12,028
what's really taken off. And

444
00:16:12,907 --> 00:16:13,226
you know,

445
00:16:14,278 --> 00:16:16,983
it it is you know, what you also

446
00:16:16,983 --> 00:16:18,575
see is what you see on the account.

447
00:16:19,451 --> 00:16:20,644
On the back end, though,

448
00:16:21,599 --> 00:16:23,032
we get a lot of messages saying,

449
00:16:23,683 --> 00:16:24,954
I don't know if I belong in a

450
00:16:24,954 --> 00:16:25,430
international park.

451
00:16:26,383 --> 00:16:27,971
You know, I don't know where to sleep

452
00:16:27,971 --> 00:16:30,274
or where to eat because I don't pass

453
00:16:30,274 --> 00:16:30,750
as straight,

454
00:16:31,385 --> 00:16:32,497
and I'm afraid.

455
00:16:33,228 --> 00:16:34,899
And all of a sudden, you know, you

456
00:16:34,899 --> 00:16:37,525
have a group that's going, and you want

457
00:16:37,525 --> 00:16:38,958
to explore something different.

458
00:16:39,913 --> 00:16:40,413
And

459
00:16:40,963 --> 00:16:42,399
because the group is going you go, and

460
00:16:42,399 --> 00:16:44,074
all of a sudden, you know, you feel

461
00:16:44,074 --> 00:16:45,829
like a bond to them. And you're like,

462
00:16:46,068 --> 00:16:48,461
oh, wow, Like, I can do this. I

463
00:16:48,461 --> 00:16:50,157
feel safer here. And

464
00:16:50,789 --> 00:16:52,544
think all those things combined have,

465
00:16:53,421 --> 00:16:56,452
made going into nature with groups of Lgbtq

466
00:16:56,452 --> 00:16:59,243
people very special and allows them to connect.

467
00:16:59,403 --> 00:17:00,201
And so... Mh.

468
00:17:00,774 --> 00:17:02,532
That's why. I guess, I hope that answers

469
00:17:02,532 --> 00:17:03,011
that question.

470
00:17:04,130 --> 00:17:05,728
Yeah. III think

471
00:17:06,128 --> 00:17:07,427
a follow to there

472
00:17:07,886 --> 00:17:08,386
that

473
00:17:09,177 --> 00:17:10,233
to the extent that

474
00:17:10,687 --> 00:17:14,048
representation and visibility and creating this openness

475
00:17:14,739 --> 00:17:15,137
matters,

476
00:17:16,423 --> 00:17:18,810
I I want your thoughts on representation in

477
00:17:18,810 --> 00:17:19,310
park

478
00:17:19,844 --> 00:17:20,742
leadership and

479
00:17:21,117 --> 00:17:22,946
visibility of queer communities.

480
00:17:23,599 --> 00:17:24,099
Among

481
00:17:24,559 --> 00:17:25,539
among park rangers

482
00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:27,700
among National park services

483
00:17:28,079 --> 00:17:28,240
leadership,

484
00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,279
and how can the park service continue to

485
00:17:31,279 --> 00:17:32,259
make our parks

486
00:17:32,572 --> 00:17:33,366
more welcoming.

487
00:17:34,239 --> 00:17:35,905
Okay. Poof, if there's a lot there.

488
00:17:37,333 --> 00:17:37,571
Alright.

489
00:17:38,365 --> 00:17:38,865
So

490
00:17:39,809 --> 00:17:41,803
The first thing is is let's just start

491
00:17:41,803 --> 00:17:42,303
with

492
00:17:43,398 --> 00:17:45,493
you know, some stats that

493
00:17:45,871 --> 00:17:47,328
I think will be helpful in guiding

494
00:17:47,785 --> 00:17:48,902
maybe even more questions.

495
00:17:49,714 --> 00:17:51,301
But first of all, today,

496
00:17:51,857 --> 00:17:55,033
20 percent of Gen z is identifying

497
00:17:55,747 --> 00:17:55,906
Lgbtq.

498
00:17:57,335 --> 00:17:58,168
But and

499
00:17:58,781 --> 00:18:01,961
20 percent of the workforce is Gen z.

500
00:18:02,835 --> 00:18:05,799
So that means 20 percent of the Us

501
00:18:05,856 --> 00:18:06,356
dollar

502
00:18:07,063 --> 00:18:08,018
Right? Is Gen z.

503
00:18:08,813 --> 00:18:11,778
And 20 percent of that Us dollar is

504
00:18:12,073 --> 00:18:12,232
identifying

505
00:18:12,948 --> 00:18:13,107
Lgbtq.

506
00:18:13,823 --> 00:18:15,904
And let me tell you something. That is

507
00:18:15,904 --> 00:18:17,175
only going to be growing.

508
00:18:18,128 --> 00:18:18,287
Okay?

509
00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:19,898
And so

510
00:18:20,748 --> 00:18:22,098
it is and,

511
00:18:23,384 --> 00:18:25,697
the national Park service, although they seem a

512
00:18:25,697 --> 00:18:27,053
spike in utilization,

513
00:18:27,931 --> 00:18:31,860
77 percent of their attendees currently are

514
00:18:32,477 --> 00:18:32,636
Caucasian.

515
00:18:33,527 --> 00:18:35,591
K. They're they're white. But we know that

516
00:18:35,591 --> 00:18:36,861
by the year 20 30,

517
00:18:38,449 --> 00:18:39,877
and I think that's right. To the 20

518
00:18:39,877 --> 00:18:40,830
30 or 20 35.

519
00:18:42,592 --> 00:18:44,262
Most of Americans will no longer...

520
00:18:44,818 --> 00:18:46,886
The majority will no longer be white.

521
00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:48,420
So

522
00:18:48,953 --> 00:18:51,998
the national Park service should probably be thinking

523
00:18:52,229 --> 00:18:54,066
and not even National Parts. The Department of

524
00:18:54,225 --> 00:18:55,502
Interior Should really be thinking,

525
00:18:56,461 --> 00:18:58,616
how are we going to capture the hearts

526
00:18:58,616 --> 00:18:59,994
and minds of

527
00:19:00,373 --> 00:19:01,650
the next generation?

528
00:19:02,541 --> 00:19:05,089
And it's because those hearts and minds actually

529
00:19:05,089 --> 00:19:07,318
do provide revenue as they come through the

530
00:19:07,318 --> 00:19:09,627
parks, and, you know, you wanna be able

531
00:19:09,627 --> 00:19:10,127
to

532
00:19:10,677 --> 00:19:12,213
sustain and grow your

533
00:19:12,748 --> 00:19:13,067
patron niche.

534
00:19:14,182 --> 00:19:14,682
And

535
00:19:15,377 --> 00:19:15,877
so

536
00:19:16,253 --> 00:19:18,324
I think first of all, that's an important

537
00:19:18,324 --> 00:19:19,302
thing to consider

538
00:19:19,933 --> 00:19:20,433
And,

539
00:19:21,289 --> 00:19:24,181
you know, I think right there gives park

540
00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:27,271
leadership an incentive to think how are we

541
00:19:27,271 --> 00:19:29,025
more inclusive than less inclusive?

542
00:19:30,557 --> 00:19:31,674
Then going from there,

543
00:19:33,031 --> 00:19:35,346
I've just told you that 20 percent of

544
00:19:35,346 --> 00:19:38,791
the working population is identifying, you know, Gen

545
00:19:38,791 --> 00:19:40,065
is Gen z and 20 of Them are

546
00:19:40,065 --> 00:19:43,168
at Lgbtq. The Department of Interior and the

547
00:19:43,327 --> 00:19:45,237
National Park Service actually are 1 of the

548
00:19:45,237 --> 00:19:47,082
largest branches of government. I think they had

549
00:19:47,082 --> 00:19:49,332
like a hundred thousand employees or something. It's

550
00:19:49,389 --> 00:19:50,344
it's very large.

551
00:19:52,174 --> 00:19:52,492
I mean,

552
00:19:53,223 --> 00:19:56,721
we do realize that their employees are identifying

553
00:19:57,755 --> 00:19:58,550
Lgbtq. Right?

554
00:19:59,266 --> 00:19:59,504
So,

555
00:20:01,269 --> 00:20:03,607
And on the back end, we are seeing

556
00:20:03,666 --> 00:20:06,783
messages roll in. And what's fascinating is that

557
00:20:06,783 --> 00:20:09,340
depending on the region that you are in.

558
00:20:09,993 --> 00:20:12,564
You are either more comfortable or less comfortable

559
00:20:13,098 --> 00:20:15,646
identifying with your identity within the Department of

560
00:20:15,646 --> 00:20:17,716
interior as employees. Right?

561
00:20:18,528 --> 00:20:19,347
And so

562
00:20:20,683 --> 00:20:23,078
if the Department of Interior is thinking about,

563
00:20:23,237 --> 00:20:23,557
you know,

564
00:20:24,834 --> 00:20:27,642
employee retention and attraction. Right? They should be

565
00:20:27,642 --> 00:20:29,819
thinking about how to make it

566
00:20:30,596 --> 00:20:33,949
a non issue, right, to be your authentic

567
00:20:33,949 --> 00:20:35,625
self within the Department of interior.

568
00:20:36,199 --> 00:20:37,714
And 1 of the ways to do that

569
00:20:37,714 --> 00:20:40,905
is also to elevate people and have representation.

570
00:20:41,862 --> 00:20:42,681
And so

571
00:20:43,058 --> 00:20:46,263
now look, like, there are people very know,

572
00:20:46,423 --> 00:20:49,051
senior in the National Park service who are,

573
00:20:49,211 --> 00:20:50,247
you know, who are gay.

574
00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:52,340
But

575
00:20:53,035 --> 00:20:54,970
you you know, it's really, like, regionally, they

576
00:20:54,970 --> 00:20:56,490
should be thinking of diversity as well.

577
00:20:57,609 --> 00:20:58,109
And

578
00:20:59,609 --> 00:21:00,009
you know,

579
00:21:00,743 --> 00:21:01,700
in terms of,

580
00:21:02,655 --> 00:21:04,010
you know, leadership goes,

581
00:21:05,125 --> 00:21:05,625
there's,

582
00:21:08,167 --> 00:21:11,588
there is the park service itself and, you

583
00:21:11,588 --> 00:21:11,747
know,

584
00:21:12,861 --> 00:21:14,825
making it very clear that

585
00:21:15,741 --> 00:21:17,197
you know, people are

586
00:21:17,574 --> 00:21:20,363
welcomed that people can be their authentic self

587
00:21:20,363 --> 00:21:22,276
and get promoted. That's important.

588
00:21:23,403 --> 00:21:25,094
But then you also have

589
00:21:25,547 --> 00:21:26,047
the

590
00:21:26,816 --> 00:21:27,316
nonprofit

591
00:21:27,690 --> 00:21:28,959
that fund the parks.

592
00:21:29,515 --> 00:21:30,015
And

593
00:21:30,804 --> 00:21:33,845
You know, every park has... I think government

594
00:21:33,845 --> 00:21:34,345
designated

595
00:21:34,724 --> 00:21:38,014
profits that actually help provide funding for the

596
00:21:38,014 --> 00:21:39,761
parts of themselves. So for... Note known broadly

597
00:21:39,761 --> 00:21:42,144
as the Friends groups. Correct. Right? So, like,

598
00:21:42,700 --> 00:21:45,979
for Zion, it's Zion forever for Yosemite Yosemite

599
00:21:46,670 --> 00:21:47,824
funding And

600
00:21:48,203 --> 00:21:50,281
all of these organizations have board members.

601
00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:51,420
And

602
00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:53,338
you know, Nasdaq

603
00:21:54,117 --> 00:21:54,617
recently

604
00:21:55,395 --> 00:21:56,170
has a

605
00:21:57,168 --> 00:22:00,384
you know, has has recently released board diversity

606
00:22:01,242 --> 00:22:01,722
requirements.

607
00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:06,855
And if publicly traded companies on the Nasdaq

608
00:22:07,389 --> 00:22:07,866
have,

609
00:22:08,582 --> 00:22:10,729
put out rules for board diversity,

610
00:22:11,524 --> 00:22:12,024
and

611
00:22:12,399 --> 00:22:12,899
it's

612
00:22:13,528 --> 00:22:16,233
time that the National Park service and the

613
00:22:16,233 --> 00:22:19,574
government requires board diversity in these french groups.

614
00:22:20,450 --> 00:22:21,882
A lot of these board seats are un

615
00:22:21,882 --> 00:22:23,510
filled they are

616
00:22:24,123 --> 00:22:25,872
you know, they're looking for people to join.

617
00:22:26,746 --> 00:22:27,246
But

618
00:22:28,177 --> 00:22:31,618
it has actually been surprising to see the

619
00:22:32,568 --> 00:22:33,787
push back on

620
00:22:34,645 --> 00:22:37,282
diversifying the board, and it should not just

621
00:22:37,282 --> 00:22:37,521
be

622
00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:40,335
Lgbtq people, should be women. It should be

623
00:22:40,335 --> 00:22:42,255
people of color. It should be, you know,

624
00:22:42,494 --> 00:22:44,595
people who represent the American

625
00:22:44,894 --> 00:22:47,535
population who are attending these attending these parks.

626
00:22:48,255 --> 00:22:50,990
It And once you have that diversity,

627
00:22:51,870 --> 00:22:52,990
you know, in the board level,

628
00:22:53,710 --> 00:22:55,410
and people who are

629
00:22:56,670 --> 00:22:58,284
Lgbtq sitting at the seat, Right?

630
00:22:59,321 --> 00:23:01,078
You will see change. There is no doubt.

631
00:23:01,397 --> 00:23:03,313
Right? And let's actually look at some of

632
00:23:03,313 --> 00:23:04,351
the parks that have

633
00:23:04,990 --> 00:23:05,549
Lgbtq leadership.

634
00:23:06,746 --> 00:23:07,385
For example,

635
00:23:08,038 --> 00:23:10,990
Yosemite, for example, Golden gate recreational area. Right?

636
00:23:12,585 --> 00:23:14,579
You see the attendees are very diverse. You

637
00:23:14,579 --> 00:23:17,211
see that the attendees are G lgbtq. And

638
00:23:17,211 --> 00:23:17,664
so

639
00:23:18,497 --> 00:23:20,107
I think it's important to

640
00:23:21,113 --> 00:23:22,565
for the national Park service

641
00:23:23,333 --> 00:23:23,991
to realize

642
00:23:24,522 --> 00:23:25,260
is that

643
00:23:25,967 --> 00:23:27,901
more and more people are identifying this way

644
00:23:27,959 --> 00:23:30,451
for retention of employees

645
00:23:30,907 --> 00:23:31,407
and

646
00:23:32,102 --> 00:23:32,740
comfort level,

647
00:23:33,855 --> 00:23:35,231
you know, of just

648
00:23:35,544 --> 00:23:38,022
the nature of their work environment,

649
00:23:38,901 --> 00:23:40,579
they need to be thinking about this and

650
00:23:40,579 --> 00:23:43,776
putting people into positions and elevating so that

651
00:23:43,776 --> 00:23:45,867
it's very clear that you can be who

652
00:23:45,867 --> 00:23:47,085
you are, and,

653
00:23:47,621 --> 00:23:49,216
you know, have a career with a national

654
00:23:49,216 --> 00:23:49,614
work service.

655
00:23:50,651 --> 00:23:51,629
Then on

656
00:23:52,006 --> 00:23:54,494
the friends group side, Right? There should be

657
00:23:54,494 --> 00:23:56,891
poor diversity. And once you have that, you'll

658
00:23:56,891 --> 00:23:58,809
see changes coming down the pipeline,

659
00:23:59,289 --> 00:24:01,126
that say, hey, you're welcomed.

660
00:24:03,376 --> 00:24:05,279
And I think with the changing demographics of

661
00:24:05,279 --> 00:24:08,530
the country, just economically that is uber important,

662
00:24:09,799 --> 00:24:10,775
especially because

663
00:24:11,084 --> 00:24:13,232
you want to win the hearts and minds

664
00:24:13,232 --> 00:24:13,891
of people

665
00:24:14,267 --> 00:24:14,767
and

666
00:24:15,381 --> 00:24:18,245
make them lifelong patrons of the park service.

667
00:24:19,376 --> 00:24:21,711
So you mentioned board members

668
00:24:22,248 --> 00:24:24,662
on these friends groups. How do you think

669
00:24:24,721 --> 00:24:27,432
these groups should go about finding qualified candidates

670
00:24:27,432 --> 00:24:28,150
for these positions?

671
00:24:29,041 --> 00:24:29,918
That's a great question.

672
00:24:31,351 --> 00:24:33,741
Well, you know, the first thing any organization

673
00:24:33,741 --> 00:24:35,732
should be doing is, you know, really identifying

674
00:24:35,732 --> 00:24:37,507
their needs. Right? Like, what

675
00:24:37,820 --> 00:24:39,900
what skill sets are going to be making

676
00:24:39,900 --> 00:24:41,100
your organization stronger.

677
00:24:42,140 --> 00:24:44,539
And, you know, then looking for board members

678
00:24:44,539 --> 00:24:46,220
that fit those skill sets.

679
00:24:47,273 --> 00:24:49,188
You know, But when it comes to identifying,

680
00:24:49,347 --> 00:24:49,666
you know,

681
00:24:50,384 --> 00:24:51,102
diverse candidates,

682
00:24:51,900 --> 00:24:53,655
it's actually putting the word out there.

683
00:24:54,309 --> 00:24:56,707
Also working with organizations that can help identify

684
00:24:56,707 --> 00:24:58,385
those candidates. So, for example,

685
00:24:59,184 --> 00:25:01,602
if, you know, friends groups are looking to,

686
00:25:01,901 --> 00:25:02,220
you know,

687
00:25:03,194 --> 00:25:05,035
fill their board seats with people who are

688
00:25:05,595 --> 00:25:05,835
Lgbtq.

689
00:25:06,634 --> 00:25:08,075
Gays and national Parks can help with that.

690
00:25:08,234 --> 00:25:09,194
You know, we have

691
00:25:09,515 --> 00:25:12,482
members of the community who are former politicians,

692
00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:14,624
people who served in the Obama administration,

693
00:25:15,338 --> 00:25:18,195
you know, executives at at, you know, global

694
00:25:18,195 --> 00:25:18,512
brands,

695
00:25:19,083 --> 00:25:21,390
and, you know, people in our community, both

696
00:25:21,390 --> 00:25:23,003
local and national

697
00:25:23,377 --> 00:25:23,877
that

698
00:25:24,332 --> 00:25:27,138
would, you know, add value to those boards

699
00:25:28,009 --> 00:25:29,450
you know, depending on the skill sets that

700
00:25:29,450 --> 00:25:31,529
the board needs. But I think that it's

701
00:25:31,529 --> 00:25:31,769
a,

702
00:25:32,569 --> 00:25:33,710
you know, it's a board

703
00:25:34,250 --> 00:25:36,653
decision to say, hey, you know, it's time

704
00:25:36,653 --> 00:25:37,391
that we

705
00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:41,807
diversify and, you know, look like a board

706
00:25:41,807 --> 00:25:42,918
that looks like our...

707
00:25:44,047 --> 00:25:46,357
You know, patron edge. And I think that's

708
00:25:46,357 --> 00:25:48,429
the first decision. But if there are friend

709
00:25:48,429 --> 00:25:50,342
groups out there, they're looking to diversify their

710
00:25:50,342 --> 00:25:52,528
boards, and want to

711
00:25:53,143 --> 00:25:56,167
fill the seats with Lgbtq individuals, we would

712
00:25:56,167 --> 00:25:57,065
love to

713
00:25:57,600 --> 00:25:58,236
help them do that.

714
00:25:59,049 --> 00:26:02,106
Awesome, and we'll drop contact information for your

715
00:26:02,565 --> 00:26:03,684
organization in our show notes.

716
00:26:05,522 --> 00:26:07,361
A quick follow for the first time ever,

717
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:08,000
America,

718
00:26:08,494 --> 00:26:11,615
right now has an indigenous interior secretary in

719
00:26:11,695 --> 00:26:14,174
Deb Holland, and an indigenous head of the

720
00:26:14,335 --> 00:26:16,255
National Park Service in Chuck Sam.

721
00:26:17,069 --> 00:26:19,466
Have you gotten to to speak with either

722
00:26:19,466 --> 00:26:19,966
them

723
00:26:20,585 --> 00:26:23,302
about this and and those those goals overall,

724
00:26:23,541 --> 00:26:24,820
especially when it comes to the friends groups?

725
00:26:26,431 --> 00:26:29,145
I not. And, I mean, if they are

726
00:26:29,145 --> 00:26:31,061
listening to this, and they're open to a

727
00:26:31,061 --> 00:26:32,497
discussion, I would welcome it with Grace and

728
00:26:32,577 --> 00:26:33,056
Gratitude.

729
00:26:34,028 --> 00:26:34,345
However,

730
00:26:35,457 --> 00:26:37,046
leaders have so much on their plate.

731
00:26:37,761 --> 00:26:40,326
Okay? And every person walking up to them

732
00:26:40,382 --> 00:26:43,083
thinks that their issue is the greatest and

733
00:26:43,083 --> 00:26:44,450
grandest. Right? Mh.

734
00:26:45,406 --> 00:26:47,874
And I do think that this issue of

735
00:26:47,874 --> 00:26:49,568
board diversity and

736
00:26:50,262 --> 00:26:51,615
you know, sending messages.

737
00:26:51,949 --> 00:26:54,196
To the general public that all are welcomed

738
00:26:54,332 --> 00:26:54,832
is

739
00:26:55,206 --> 00:26:55,365
crucial.

740
00:26:56,398 --> 00:26:58,010
But I will say that I am

741
00:26:59,432 --> 00:27:01,500
I'm am very impressed with everything that they

742
00:27:01,500 --> 00:27:02,932
are trying to do. They have a lot

743
00:27:02,932 --> 00:27:04,704
on their plate. And so

744
00:27:05,318 --> 00:27:06,829
you know, I haven't had a chance to

745
00:27:06,829 --> 00:27:09,253
talk to them. But I think that

746
00:27:10,105 --> 00:27:12,412
the things that they have done in the

747
00:27:12,412 --> 00:27:13,526
time that they've been in office,

748
00:27:14,734 --> 00:27:15,611
you know, thank you.

749
00:27:16,728 --> 00:27:18,642
But I do hope that, you know, this

750
00:27:18,642 --> 00:27:21,751
is something that they pay attention to. And

751
00:27:22,230 --> 00:27:23,426
you know, if you'd would like to reach

752
00:27:23,426 --> 00:27:25,756
out, to us, we would welcome a conversation

753
00:27:25,756 --> 00:27:27,432
with you. And I hope you are listening.

754
00:27:29,348 --> 00:27:32,222
So that's obviously, there's the top down model

755
00:27:32,222 --> 00:27:33,990
talk to the people in charge get your

756
00:27:33,990 --> 00:27:36,367
issue on their radar. There's also the sort

757
00:27:36,367 --> 00:27:39,879
of bottom up grassroots bottle, and you guys

758
00:27:39,934 --> 00:27:40,909
actually threw

759
00:27:41,457 --> 00:27:43,608
you helped put on Zion National Parks first

760
00:27:43,608 --> 00:27:45,918
pride festival last year. Could you say a

761
00:27:45,918 --> 00:27:48,068
little bit about that? How how that came

762
00:27:48,068 --> 00:27:50,711
to fruition and and maybe how it's the

763
00:27:50,711 --> 00:27:52,143
effect it's had in that community?

764
00:27:52,859 --> 00:27:55,905
Yeah. Sure. So I was actually invited to

765
00:27:56,042 --> 00:27:58,031
be the opening ken speaker for the public

766
00:27:58,031 --> 00:27:58,986
lands alliance conference?

767
00:27:59,798 --> 00:28:01,416
And there, I met

768
00:28:02,672 --> 00:28:04,507
Zion forever new Ceo,

769
00:28:06,263 --> 00:28:06,742
Natalie.

770
00:28:08,273 --> 00:28:08,773
And

771
00:28:09,548 --> 00:28:12,813
she is the first female Ceo of Zion

772
00:28:12,813 --> 00:28:14,645
forever, and I think over a hundred... In

773
00:28:14,645 --> 00:28:15,919
in a hundred years. So she's the first

774
00:28:15,919 --> 00:28:16,317
1 ever.

775
00:28:17,448 --> 00:28:18,427
The female Ceo

776
00:28:18,804 --> 00:28:21,697
brought a very different perspective. Right? And

777
00:28:23,191 --> 00:28:25,424
Saw me speak at the public lands Alliance

778
00:28:25,424 --> 00:28:26,621
and came up to me and said,

779
00:28:27,354 --> 00:28:29,751
I want you. I want you to come

780
00:28:29,751 --> 00:28:32,548
and do this. Right? And then advocated for

781
00:28:32,548 --> 00:28:34,865
it. And so you had a diverse mindset.

782
00:28:35,199 --> 00:28:37,990
Coming in. Right? And saying, this is something

783
00:28:37,990 --> 00:28:38,947
that we need to do.

784
00:28:39,665 --> 00:28:41,180
And through her,

785
00:28:41,658 --> 00:28:43,891
right, she got to the National Park service

786
00:28:43,891 --> 00:28:44,505
on board

787
00:28:45,184 --> 00:28:46,964
and, you know, we ended up launching

788
00:28:47,265 --> 00:28:48,785
the on forever first pride.

789
00:28:49,825 --> 00:28:50,325
And

790
00:28:50,704 --> 00:28:51,664
I was asked to come in,

791
00:28:52,794 --> 00:28:54,067
me and a couple of the guys who

792
00:28:54,067 --> 00:28:56,612
run the account went, you know, went, and

793
00:28:56,612 --> 00:28:57,351
we held

794
00:28:57,726 --> 00:28:58,624
talks for

795
00:28:59,648 --> 00:29:02,368
the general public in conjunction with the university

796
00:29:02,503 --> 00:29:04,906
there. We then also did a

797
00:29:05,516 --> 00:29:05,833
you know,

798
00:29:07,197 --> 00:29:08,252
a talk for

799
00:29:08,864 --> 00:29:09,976
those who attended pride.

800
00:29:10,769 --> 00:29:12,913
And then, you know, also, like, helped with

801
00:29:12,913 --> 00:29:14,421
some of this help with some of the

802
00:29:14,421 --> 00:29:15,215
activities that were there,

803
00:29:16,184 --> 00:29:18,095
the thing was is that, at that time,

804
00:29:20,006 --> 00:29:20,506
the

805
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:22,736
the state had

806
00:29:23,669 --> 00:29:24,306
band drag.

807
00:29:24,959 --> 00:29:26,974
And, you know, federal

808
00:29:27,990 --> 00:29:30,303
state laws don't apply on federal public lands.

809
00:29:30,781 --> 00:29:33,334
And so when Zion said, hey, look, like

810
00:29:33,334 --> 00:29:34,370
we're gonna hold pride,

811
00:29:35,663 --> 00:29:38,379
you know, people came as their best selves,

812
00:29:38,779 --> 00:29:40,616
and some people came dressed and drag.

813
00:29:41,415 --> 00:29:41,915
And

814
00:29:42,943 --> 00:29:45,167
you know, it was it was fascinating. The

815
00:29:45,167 --> 00:29:46,859
stories they told about how

816
00:29:47,471 --> 00:29:49,720
there was just 1 drag queen in particular

817
00:29:49,855 --> 00:29:52,016
that I think, has left footprints on my

818
00:29:52,016 --> 00:29:53,368
heart and I will never forget it.

819
00:29:55,435 --> 00:29:57,741
She said that, you know, as a child,

820
00:29:58,059 --> 00:29:58,559
unfortunately,

821
00:29:59,252 --> 00:30:01,572
you know, she was sex traffic. And she

822
00:30:01,572 --> 00:30:03,161
needed to escape that. And,

823
00:30:04,909 --> 00:30:06,657
Drag was away for her to make money.

824
00:30:06,975 --> 00:30:07,714
And so

825
00:30:08,660 --> 00:30:10,729
she adopt a drag. Right? She started doing

826
00:30:10,729 --> 00:30:13,276
it. She was paid, and she was able

827
00:30:13,276 --> 00:30:15,425
to then, like, escape and etcetera, set up

828
00:30:15,425 --> 00:30:16,141
her own life.

829
00:30:17,908 --> 00:30:20,542
But that's just being financially free coming into

830
00:30:20,542 --> 00:30:22,936
the parks, sitting in Zion, sitting next to

831
00:30:22,936 --> 00:30:25,511
the rivers, sitting, you know, in sol,

832
00:30:25,984 --> 00:30:28,214
as she helped her, like, you know, find

833
00:30:28,214 --> 00:30:29,330
peace with what had happened.

834
00:30:30,286 --> 00:30:33,088
And she told this story. Right? And you

835
00:30:33,088 --> 00:30:34,442
know, she said that, you know, she now

836
00:30:34,442 --> 00:30:37,489
works for the Utah government, and she

837
00:30:38,182 --> 00:30:38,501
you know,

838
00:30:39,456 --> 00:30:41,605
is happily married and, you know, has a

839
00:30:41,605 --> 00:30:42,694
husband. And

840
00:30:43,450 --> 00:30:44,744
you know, when

841
00:30:45,834 --> 00:30:48,139
she is not in her drag. Right? I

842
00:30:48,139 --> 00:30:50,285
mean, he is living a very healthy life.

843
00:30:50,523 --> 00:30:51,557
Right? And,

844
00:30:52,129 --> 00:30:52,629
and,

845
00:30:53,564 --> 00:30:55,558
you know, 1 of the other things that

846
00:30:55,558 --> 00:30:57,015
they said was

847
00:30:58,109 --> 00:30:59,566
you know, to have Zion

848
00:31:00,103 --> 00:31:00,741
National Park,

849
00:31:02,427 --> 00:31:05,689
hold pride in a time where people were

850
00:31:05,689 --> 00:31:06,586
feeling very,

851
00:31:07,598 --> 00:31:07,916
you know,

852
00:31:08,568 --> 00:31:09,685
pigeon holder in the corner,

853
00:31:10,483 --> 00:31:13,513
Zion being the largest economic driver of the

854
00:31:13,513 --> 00:31:15,848
region. Right? That it was

855
00:31:16,465 --> 00:31:17,980
incredibly powerful and moving.

856
00:31:18,712 --> 00:31:20,883
And this brings up the idea that

857
00:31:21,418 --> 00:31:24,203
while national parks can, you know, or federal

858
00:31:24,203 --> 00:31:25,738
public lands are actually

859
00:31:26,527 --> 00:31:27,824
san for,

860
00:31:28,758 --> 00:31:29,076
you know,

861
00:31:31,147 --> 00:31:34,971
animals and ecosystems and, you know, different plants

862
00:31:34,971 --> 00:31:36,899
and things that we are trying to protect.

863
00:31:37,616 --> 00:31:39,370
The truth is is that they are also

864
00:31:39,370 --> 00:31:41,044
san for humans. Right?

865
00:31:41,761 --> 00:31:43,650
They bring peace. They allow you to be

866
00:31:44,088 --> 00:31:44,328
yourself,

867
00:31:45,205 --> 00:31:45,705
and,

868
00:31:46,083 --> 00:31:48,259
you know, for the park to do that

869
00:31:48,796 --> 00:31:51,051
was such an impact on these people

870
00:31:51,841 --> 00:31:52,873
that, you know,

871
00:31:54,144 --> 00:31:55,494
I get a lot of hugs when I

872
00:31:55,494 --> 00:31:57,241
practice. Right? That is the nature of being

873
00:31:57,241 --> 00:31:57,718
a doctor.

874
00:31:58,512 --> 00:32:00,592
I don't get hugs. You know, randomly in

875
00:32:00,592 --> 00:32:02,894
the street. Right? Because that is not my

876
00:32:02,894 --> 00:32:02,973
role.

877
00:32:04,323 --> 00:32:05,776
I cannot tell you

878
00:32:06,546 --> 00:32:10,856
the, you amount of gratitude and the hugs

879
00:32:10,856 --> 00:32:13,243
that we were getting. You know, thank you

880
00:32:13,243 --> 00:32:16,147
so much for, you know, making us feel,

881
00:32:16,365 --> 00:32:18,678
you know, worthy of having a day in

882
00:32:18,758 --> 00:32:21,310
Zion and so forth. And so, a, I

883
00:32:21,310 --> 00:32:24,660
wanna thank Zion, b, I wanna think Natalie,

884
00:32:25,153 --> 00:32:27,327
Right? For having the

885
00:32:28,501 --> 00:32:30,573
vision to do something different. Right? And to

886
00:32:30,573 --> 00:32:32,566
set a new precedent for a,

887
00:32:33,379 --> 00:32:33,859
very,

888
00:32:35,059 --> 00:32:35,379
you know,

889
00:32:37,379 --> 00:32:39,379
a very set in it in in their

890
00:32:39,379 --> 00:32:39,619
way,

891
00:32:40,980 --> 00:32:41,460
community,

892
00:32:42,019 --> 00:32:42,519
but

893
00:32:42,834 --> 00:32:44,288
you know, someone on that board

894
00:32:44,742 --> 00:32:46,490
pushed for her to be Ceo.

895
00:32:47,206 --> 00:32:47,706
And

896
00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:49,773
I think those little changes

897
00:32:50,147 --> 00:32:51,658
have large impacts,

898
00:32:52,468 --> 00:32:54,140
And I think if anyone is listening to

899
00:32:54,140 --> 00:32:55,653
this who is a member of a board,

900
00:32:56,449 --> 00:32:58,599
you know, just think about that butterfly effect

901
00:32:58,599 --> 00:33:00,192
and how it impacts downstream.

902
00:33:01,954 --> 00:33:04,836
So speaking of drag queens using their platform

903
00:33:04,892 --> 00:33:06,503
or or platform shoes

904
00:33:06,876 --> 00:33:08,147
or for good.

905
00:33:08,878 --> 00:33:09,835
I wanna ask about a,

906
00:33:10,632 --> 00:33:11,690
that happened earlier

907
00:33:12,067 --> 00:33:14,560
this month when the the park service briefly

908
00:33:15,097 --> 00:33:17,010
released guidance saying that rangers...

909
00:33:17,423 --> 00:33:20,682
Couldn't walk in pride parades in uniform. There

910
00:33:20,682 --> 00:33:23,941
was rightfully a whole lot of outrage led

911
00:33:23,941 --> 00:33:25,951
by the Drag queen Pat

912
00:33:26,896 --> 00:33:29,515
who has... Is she's definitely having a moment

913
00:33:29,515 --> 00:33:30,468
right now. And,

914
00:33:31,499 --> 00:33:32,396
the park service

915
00:33:32,849 --> 00:33:33,880
and interior secretary,

916
00:33:34,611 --> 00:33:38,032
secretary Holland, quickly reversed course on that. Well,

917
00:33:38,350 --> 00:33:39,702
what was your take when you saw that

918
00:33:39,702 --> 00:33:39,941
happen?

919
00:33:41,387 --> 00:33:44,007
So I think the first thing to ask,

920
00:33:44,166 --> 00:33:45,992
which I do not know I'm not privy

921
00:33:45,992 --> 00:33:49,351
to is why that decision was made. And

922
00:33:49,407 --> 00:33:49,963
as General,

923
00:33:50,773 --> 00:33:51,727
members of the public.

924
00:33:52,443 --> 00:33:55,012
We may never know, like, the exact mindset

925
00:33:55,148 --> 00:33:57,854
behind it. And you... There were definitely some

926
00:33:57,854 --> 00:34:00,816
lawyers involved. Right. And there were... Like, there...

927
00:34:00,976 --> 00:34:03,370
There's... There are decisions there that we do

928
00:34:03,370 --> 00:34:03,769
not know.

929
00:34:04,567 --> 00:34:06,642
And so the first thing I wanna know

930
00:34:06,642 --> 00:34:07,041
is, like,

931
00:34:08,015 --> 00:34:10,255
why before I make any, like, you know,

932
00:34:10,894 --> 00:34:12,195
any comments that

933
00:34:13,534 --> 00:34:16,015
are from anger or from, you know,

934
00:34:16,989 --> 00:34:19,465
just not knowing. I I also have to

935
00:34:19,465 --> 00:34:20,764
balance the fact that

936
00:34:21,702 --> 00:34:23,400
secretary Holland and

937
00:34:23,714 --> 00:34:26,775
you know, the people in the biden administration

938
00:34:26,914 --> 00:34:27,414
have

939
00:34:28,514 --> 00:34:30,674
actually worked really hard to the best of

940
00:34:30,674 --> 00:34:31,234
their ability,

941
00:34:32,449 --> 00:34:35,161
to, you know, increased diversity and inclusion in

942
00:34:35,161 --> 00:34:36,038
many ways. Right?

943
00:34:37,234 --> 00:34:39,228
And so all of a sudden, this decision

944
00:34:39,228 --> 00:34:42,773
comes down. And it's so far off from

945
00:34:43,465 --> 00:34:45,690
what has... What we have seen as a

946
00:34:45,690 --> 00:34:47,677
norm. And so the question is why and

947
00:34:47,677 --> 00:34:49,289
we do not know. And so

948
00:34:49,599 --> 00:34:51,665
you know, don't throw the baby out with

949
00:34:51,665 --> 00:34:52,301
a bath water.

950
00:34:53,414 --> 00:34:55,401
Look at the whole body of work and

951
00:34:55,401 --> 00:34:56,752
then look at this 1 decision.

952
00:34:57,802 --> 00:34:58,041
So,

953
00:34:59,315 --> 00:35:01,626
that's a big question for me. The second

954
00:35:01,626 --> 00:35:02,900
thing I'm gonna say is,

955
00:35:04,428 --> 00:35:05,485
in terms of pat,

956
00:35:05,938 --> 00:35:06,438
and

957
00:35:07,210 --> 00:35:09,276
you know, who who in their real life

958
00:35:09,276 --> 00:35:10,230
is named to win.

959
00:35:11,343 --> 00:35:14,811
But Pat and a number of people who

960
00:35:15,270 --> 00:35:17,348
wrote in or, you know, protested,

961
00:35:18,147 --> 00:35:20,005
I think it shows that

962
00:35:20,319 --> 00:35:22,876
your voice matters, and people are listening. Right?

963
00:35:23,116 --> 00:35:25,592
And I think it's important that if people

964
00:35:25,592 --> 00:35:25,752
who are

965
00:35:26,551 --> 00:35:27,371
Lgbtq see

966
00:35:28,723 --> 00:35:31,280
you know, that they are being, you know,

967
00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:33,996
something's wrong that your voice in America still

968
00:35:33,996 --> 00:35:35,455
matters. And I think that

969
00:35:36,167 --> 00:35:38,099
that reversal of a decision

970
00:35:38,793 --> 00:35:42,135
just shows that, you know, you can you

971
00:35:42,135 --> 00:35:44,523
can make a difference by, you know,

972
00:35:45,655 --> 00:35:48,135
being heard or being seen or making your

973
00:35:48,135 --> 00:35:48,535
thoughts on.

974
00:35:49,494 --> 00:35:50,695
At the end of the day, though, once

975
00:35:50,695 --> 00:35:50,855
again,

976
00:35:52,295 --> 00:35:53,989
look at their whole body of work and

977
00:35:54,068 --> 00:35:56,221
I'm very grateful. I'm very grateful They turned

978
00:35:56,221 --> 00:35:56,619
it over.

979
00:35:57,735 --> 00:35:58,235
But

980
00:35:59,170 --> 00:36:01,083
was it maybe a poor decision,

981
00:36:02,453 --> 00:36:03,965
Yes. What you know we learned from that.

982
00:36:04,124 --> 00:36:06,114
We move on. Right? Thank you for reversing

983
00:36:06,114 --> 00:36:06,273
it.

984
00:36:06,989 --> 00:36:09,218
But to the Lgbtq community, I say,

985
00:36:10,333 --> 00:36:11,708
before we jump to

986
00:36:12,817 --> 00:36:13,135
you know,

987
00:36:14,172 --> 00:36:15,448
being upset or angry.

988
00:36:16,405 --> 00:36:17,521
There are are there are a lot of

989
00:36:17,521 --> 00:36:20,493
other routes like voicing your opinion, and

990
00:36:21,524 --> 00:36:23,521
not forgetting the people that have helped and

991
00:36:23,521 --> 00:36:25,759
how to, like, bring them onto our side

992
00:36:25,759 --> 00:36:28,155
in a way that builds community. Mh Right.

993
00:36:28,888 --> 00:36:29,364
Bridge building,

994
00:36:30,713 --> 00:36:32,935
speaking of bridge building, You were recently up

995
00:36:32,935 --> 00:36:35,713
in Yosemite with, working on a partnership with

996
00:36:35,713 --> 00:36:37,062
the Yosemite cons consultancy,

997
00:36:37,554 --> 00:36:38,835
Can you tell us more about that?

998
00:36:39,554 --> 00:36:39,875
Yeah.

999
00:36:41,715 --> 00:36:43,315
Okay. I don't know even know where to

1000
00:36:43,315 --> 00:36:44,434
start. So first of all,

1001
00:36:45,567 --> 00:36:47,083
I hope that people who are listening from

1002
00:36:47,322 --> 00:36:49,316
Yosemite consultancy hear this, and I just wanna

1003
00:36:49,316 --> 00:36:50,672
say thank you to them from the bottom

1004
00:36:50,672 --> 00:36:52,687
of, you know, my heart. And

1005
00:36:53,304 --> 00:36:55,311
you have to realize is that on 1

1006
00:36:55,311 --> 00:36:57,696
level, you have the secretary saying, you know,

1007
00:36:58,252 --> 00:36:58,570
no

1008
00:36:59,365 --> 00:37:01,750
Lgbtq, you know, activities or whatever, then you

1009
00:37:01,750 --> 00:37:02,704
have, you know,

1010
00:37:04,547 --> 00:37:06,771
you know, pat, and it's, like, you know,

1011
00:37:07,406 --> 00:37:09,947
the advocacy part of it, and we then

1012
00:37:09,947 --> 00:37:12,743
have this program going. Supposed to you know,

1013
00:37:12,822 --> 00:37:14,493
happen and people have, like, you know, signed

1014
00:37:14,493 --> 00:37:16,186
up to come from all over the country

1015
00:37:16,641 --> 00:37:17,197
in the world.

1016
00:37:18,311 --> 00:37:20,316
And they're like, yeah. No. We're gonna do

1017
00:37:20,316 --> 00:37:23,104
this. Right? And it was a stewardship program.

1018
00:37:23,343 --> 00:37:23,843
And

1019
00:37:25,096 --> 00:37:27,167
they also agreed to help get out of

1020
00:37:27,167 --> 00:37:28,601
scholarship to help people come.

1021
00:37:29,331 --> 00:37:31,552
And, you, we get out 2 scholarships. 1

1022
00:37:31,552 --> 00:37:33,163
of them was to a

1023
00:37:34,249 --> 00:37:35,598
you know, female to male,

1024
00:37:36,565 --> 00:37:38,812
you know, trans individual who identifies

1025
00:37:39,583 --> 00:37:41,171
native American. And,

1026
00:37:42,282 --> 00:37:44,005
you know, all of a sudden you had

1027
00:37:44,204 --> 00:37:45,103
you know, 14

1028
00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:47,793
people of the Lgbtq community from all across

1029
00:37:47,793 --> 00:37:49,547
the country come to Yosemite,

1030
00:37:50,186 --> 00:37:51,143
you know, for, I think it was like,

1031
00:37:51,223 --> 00:37:51,940
4 or 5 days.

1032
00:37:52,898 --> 00:37:54,608
And we helped

1033
00:37:55,059 --> 00:37:56,273
you know, remove

1034
00:37:57,120 --> 00:37:59,418
invasive species, like, invasive plant species,

1035
00:37:59,894 --> 00:38:01,266
but, you know, we also

1036
00:38:01,655 --> 00:38:04,315
ate together and hike together and

1037
00:38:05,575 --> 00:38:07,175
shared stories around the campfire fire,

1038
00:38:08,055 --> 00:38:09,894
and it was remarkable just to see, like,

1039
00:38:10,708 --> 00:38:11,186
Once again,

1040
00:38:11,902 --> 00:38:12,777
every walk of life,

1041
00:38:13,573 --> 00:38:16,358
you know, lesbian trans gay by,

1042
00:38:17,233 --> 00:38:19,621
you know, every walk of Lgbtq life.

1043
00:38:20,273 --> 00:38:20,911
Every age,

1044
00:38:22,347 --> 00:38:24,740
you know, forming forming relationships. And what you

1045
00:38:24,740 --> 00:38:25,639
learned was

1046
00:38:26,893 --> 00:38:29,206
were more similar than we are different. Right?

1047
00:38:29,940 --> 00:38:30,260
And

1048
00:38:31,460 --> 00:38:34,199
yosemite was, know, yosemite consultancy was

1049
00:38:35,140 --> 00:38:37,392
just amazing in how they, like, you know,

1050
00:38:37,630 --> 00:38:40,255
gave us time to bond, but also help

1051
00:38:40,255 --> 00:38:42,744
the park and, you know, create a program

1052
00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:43,380
where,

1053
00:38:44,089 --> 00:38:45,600
for some of these people, it was their

1054
00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:47,509
first time ever coming to a national park.

1055
00:38:48,146 --> 00:38:50,373
And the experience that they left with was,

1056
00:38:50,532 --> 00:38:50,771
you know,

1057
00:38:51,979 --> 00:38:53,967
Might sound like a, you know, old Mastercard

1058
00:38:53,967 --> 00:38:55,081
commercial, but priceless.

1059
00:38:58,997 --> 00:39:00,753
That's so cool. Is that going to... Do

1060
00:39:00,753 --> 00:39:01,870
you know yet if you're gonna be able

1061
00:39:01,870 --> 00:39:02,509
to do that again?

1062
00:39:03,786 --> 00:39:05,621
I hope so. You know, I think it

1063
00:39:05,621 --> 00:39:06,100
depends on...

1064
00:39:07,308 --> 00:39:09,373
Depends on the park, depends on the availability.

1065
00:39:09,532 --> 00:39:11,358
It depends on, you know, what they are

1066
00:39:11,358 --> 00:39:12,629
allowed and not allowed to do.

1067
00:39:13,900 --> 00:39:14,400
But

1068
00:39:14,868 --> 00:39:17,250
you know, if you read our... If you

1069
00:39:17,250 --> 00:39:19,474
read the Instagram account, you'll see that there

1070
00:39:19,474 --> 00:39:21,380
are people who've already been posting about it

1071
00:39:21,380 --> 00:39:23,206
who are on the trip. And

1072
00:39:24,490 --> 00:39:27,764
their testimonials or once again, you know, just,

1073
00:39:28,136 --> 00:39:28,374
like,

1074
00:39:29,166 --> 00:39:29,904
I need

1075
00:39:32,278 --> 00:39:34,516
I am so fortunate that... And I went

1076
00:39:34,516 --> 00:39:36,694
on that hiking trip in Aca and

1077
00:39:38,192 --> 00:39:39,971
have gotten to do this because

1078
00:39:40,443 --> 00:39:41,500
It has just been

1079
00:39:42,193 --> 00:39:45,453
so heartwarming. And, you know... Yeah. So I

1080
00:39:45,453 --> 00:39:46,964
hope that you yosemite in other parks do

1081
00:39:46,964 --> 00:39:47,362
it too.

1082
00:39:47,998 --> 00:39:50,637
So so what's next for something the started

1083
00:39:50,637 --> 00:39:52,387
as you said as a joke, not all

1084
00:39:52,387 --> 00:39:53,581
that long ago. Clearly,

1085
00:39:54,297 --> 00:39:55,036
you've had

1086
00:39:55,411 --> 00:39:57,263
an outs size influence

1087
00:39:57,814 --> 00:39:59,511
very quickly and created

1088
00:40:00,128 --> 00:40:02,284
quite the community in a very short amount

1089
00:40:02,284 --> 00:40:02,682
of time.

1090
00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:04,997
Where do you take that from here?

1091
00:40:06,607 --> 00:40:08,436
Yeah. You know, I think about that a

1092
00:40:08,436 --> 00:40:09,073
lot myself.

1093
00:40:10,585 --> 00:40:10,903
You know,

1094
00:40:12,017 --> 00:40:13,344
I am a doctor, but

1095
00:40:14,177 --> 00:40:16,873
you know, I've also helped run large organizations,

1096
00:40:17,111 --> 00:40:18,935
you know, health care organizations.

1097
00:40:19,887 --> 00:40:20,387
And

1098
00:40:21,729 --> 00:40:22,768
for any organization,

1099
00:40:23,727 --> 00:40:24,626
really, it's

1100
00:40:25,005 --> 00:40:26,923
no money, no mission. Right? You have to

1101
00:40:26,923 --> 00:40:29,320
find a way to have sustained revenue to

1102
00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:31,487
be able to do good with that revenue.

1103
00:40:32,282 --> 00:40:32,782
So

1104
00:40:33,713 --> 00:40:35,702
the people who have been helping me run

1105
00:40:35,702 --> 00:40:36,894
this run this account,

1106
00:40:37,769 --> 00:40:40,408
there's many, but there are, you know, 3

1107
00:40:40,408 --> 00:40:42,630
or 4 guys who have just poured themselves

1108
00:40:42,630 --> 00:40:43,264
into it as well.

1109
00:40:44,057 --> 00:40:44,216
And,

1110
00:40:45,010 --> 00:40:46,834
we're trying to figure out, you know, ways

1111
00:40:46,834 --> 00:40:47,707
in which we can,

1112
00:40:48,580 --> 00:40:50,530
3 become a sustainable

1113
00:40:51,386 --> 00:40:53,061
organization where we can then give more scholarships.

1114
00:40:53,300 --> 00:40:54,438
Right? You can't always

1115
00:40:55,614 --> 00:40:57,368
hope that people are gonna donate money or

1116
00:40:57,368 --> 00:40:58,977
that, you know, somebody can serve will say,

1117
00:40:59,136 --> 00:41:01,442
yes, we'll help you fund 2 scholarships. Right?

1118
00:41:02,157 --> 00:41:04,304
And so that's what we're looking at. We're

1119
00:41:04,304 --> 00:41:05,178
looking at, you know,

1120
00:41:05,893 --> 00:41:06,505
potentially, he

1121
00:41:07,264 --> 00:41:09,125
you know, hosting trips that people

1122
00:41:09,744 --> 00:41:12,065
come on and, you know, which the revenue

1123
00:41:12,065 --> 00:41:13,904
from that goes to give out scholarships we're

1124
00:41:13,904 --> 00:41:14,599
looking at

1125
00:41:15,593 --> 00:41:18,557
you know, how to either, you know, create

1126
00:41:18,852 --> 00:41:20,839
some merchandise or whatever it is that we

1127
00:41:20,839 --> 00:41:23,485
need to do. But the goal is to

1128
00:41:24,272 --> 00:41:26,820
you know, be able to bring people together.

1129
00:41:27,059 --> 00:41:27,559
And

1130
00:41:28,333 --> 00:41:30,721
right now, if you wanted, you know, there

1131
00:41:30,721 --> 00:41:31,756
are, you know,

1132
00:41:33,047 --> 00:41:34,722
options to go on a gate cruise or

1133
00:41:34,722 --> 00:41:37,194
to actually hire somebody that will take you

1134
00:41:37,194 --> 00:41:40,305
to Alaska for, you know, an Lgbtq trip

1135
00:41:40,305 --> 00:41:41,740
that will cost you 2500 dollars.

1136
00:41:43,593 --> 00:41:44,093
And

1137
00:41:44,472 --> 00:41:47,529
that's fine. But I think the magic of

1138
00:41:47,748 --> 00:41:49,826
the trips that gaze of National Parks is

1139
00:41:49,826 --> 00:41:50,465
put together,

1140
00:41:51,438 --> 00:41:53,897
is that the people who are coming are

1141
00:41:53,897 --> 00:41:55,959
genuinely from all walks of life.

1142
00:41:57,149 --> 00:41:59,315
They, you know, range from

1143
00:41:59,943 --> 00:42:00,443
geography,

1144
00:42:00,900 --> 00:42:01,299
age,

1145
00:42:01,937 --> 00:42:03,315
soc economic background

1146
00:42:03,692 --> 00:42:05,526
and and so forth. And the way that

1147
00:42:05,526 --> 00:42:07,360
we've been able to do that is to

1148
00:42:07,360 --> 00:42:11,140
subsidize or sponsor the trips. And bring people

1149
00:42:11,195 --> 00:42:12,251
who are,

1150
00:42:12,784 --> 00:42:15,086
you know, coming from, you know, different parts

1151
00:42:15,086 --> 00:42:16,856
of the country. And so

1152
00:42:17,403 --> 00:42:19,546
we hope that we're... You know, that we're

1153
00:42:19,546 --> 00:42:20,816
able to continue doing that.

1154
00:42:21,927 --> 00:42:23,039
And, you know,

1155
00:42:24,706 --> 00:42:25,499
sparking joy,

1156
00:42:26,309 --> 00:42:27,686
and getting people

1157
00:42:28,621 --> 00:42:30,137
excited about knowing that,

1158
00:42:31,014 --> 00:42:32,928
hey, live your best life. Right? Like,

1159
00:42:33,726 --> 00:42:35,103
make friends and

1160
00:42:35,893 --> 00:42:37,489
I think at the very most though, or

1161
00:42:37,489 --> 00:42:38,207
at the very least,

1162
00:42:39,483 --> 00:42:40,541
this little joke

1163
00:42:40,918 --> 00:42:41,418
has

1164
00:42:42,035 --> 00:42:43,949
connected people from all around the country in

1165
00:42:43,949 --> 00:42:45,247
the world. And

1166
00:42:46,679 --> 00:42:49,256
we even have we even have a story

1167
00:42:50,035 --> 00:42:50,535
of

1168
00:42:51,474 --> 00:42:53,632
2 guys who met from across the country

1169
00:42:53,632 --> 00:42:55,310
because of the Instagram post.

1170
00:42:55,964 --> 00:42:58,521
And started dating long distance and have now

1171
00:42:58,521 --> 00:43:01,477
moved in, like, literally moved from the... Moved

1172
00:43:01,477 --> 00:43:03,335
from New York to the West Coast

1173
00:43:04,045 --> 00:43:05,949
you know, to be together. And so,

1174
00:43:06,583 --> 00:43:08,250
you know, hopefully, we continue doing that as

1175
00:43:08,250 --> 00:43:08,487
well.

1176
00:43:09,122 --> 00:43:10,074
Well, that's so awesome.

1177
00:43:10,963 --> 00:43:12,479
It's been great talking to you. Is there

1178
00:43:12,479 --> 00:43:14,712
anything else you want our listeners to know

1179
00:43:15,350 --> 00:43:17,105
about your account or your journey?

1180
00:43:18,700 --> 00:43:20,157
I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

1181
00:43:21,429 --> 00:43:23,986
I am so grateful to, you know, yosemite

1182
00:43:23,986 --> 00:43:26,143
many conservatives to the National Park Service a

1183
00:43:26,143 --> 00:43:27,502
public lands alliance 2,

1184
00:43:28,141 --> 00:43:29,121
you know, Zion

1185
00:43:29,994 --> 00:43:30,734
I am

1186
00:43:31,275 --> 00:43:33,755
overwhelmed with gratitude with all these people who

1187
00:43:33,755 --> 00:43:36,315
kept writing in and submitting their stories and

1188
00:43:36,315 --> 00:43:36,815
trusted

1189
00:43:37,114 --> 00:43:38,315
that we would, you know,

1190
00:43:39,050 --> 00:43:40,890
feature them in a way that was respectful.

1191
00:43:41,450 --> 00:43:41,950
And

1192
00:43:43,450 --> 00:43:43,769
you know,

1193
00:43:44,570 --> 00:43:46,090
I'm grateful to you for wanting to do

1194
00:43:46,090 --> 00:43:48,282
this story, And I think that

1195
00:43:48,980 --> 00:43:50,437
you know, if there's anyone listening

1196
00:43:50,894 --> 00:43:52,969
that can be helpful. I would welcome it

1197
00:43:52,969 --> 00:43:54,007
with grace and gratitude.

1198
00:43:55,058 --> 00:43:55,558
But

1199
00:43:55,933 --> 00:43:58,079
if there's anyone listening, you know, who is

1200
00:43:58,874 --> 00:43:59,033
Lgbtq,

1201
00:44:01,100 --> 00:44:03,167
I hope that they read these stories in

1202
00:44:03,167 --> 00:44:04,853
a sparks toy for them. And so,

1203
00:44:05,969 --> 00:44:08,202
yeah, I think that's pretty much why I

1204
00:44:08,202 --> 00:44:11,550
started it, and it has, you know, delivered

1205
00:44:11,550 --> 00:44:12,826
more than I ever thought I would.

1206
00:44:13,956 --> 00:44:16,582
Awesome. Well, we're grateful to you for your

1207
00:44:16,582 --> 00:44:16,820
time.

1208
00:44:17,934 --> 00:44:20,401
Our guest today was doctor Hit Tal, creator

1209
00:44:20,401 --> 00:44:22,390
of the gaze of National Parks Instagram account.

1210
00:44:22,643 --> 00:44:23,917
Thank you again so much.

1211
00:44:24,713 --> 00:44:25,110
Thank you.

1212
00:44:30,694 --> 00:44:32,204
How about a little good news to close

1213
00:44:32,204 --> 00:44:34,667
out the episode? Last week, the Montana Fish

1214
00:44:34,667 --> 00:44:37,845
and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved the state's first

1215
00:44:37,845 --> 00:44:40,427
leases under this states new prairie habitat

1216
00:44:40,881 --> 00:44:41,914
conservation lease program.

1217
00:44:42,471 --> 00:44:44,538
The state will lease more than 50000 acres

1218
00:44:44,538 --> 00:44:47,162
from private landowners owners across 10 properties in

1219
00:44:47,242 --> 00:44:48,116
Eastern Montana.

1220
00:44:48,689 --> 00:44:50,763
The program aims to ultimately protect as much

1221
00:44:50,763 --> 00:44:52,758
as half a million acres of prairie in

1222
00:44:52,758 --> 00:44:54,614
the next 5 years using

1223
00:44:54,992 --> 00:44:55,550
conservation leases.

1224
00:44:56,284 --> 00:44:57,563
Now these are not the same as the

1225
00:44:57,643 --> 00:45:00,440
B conservation leases. These are state conservation leases,

1226
00:45:00,680 --> 00:45:02,838
but it is interesting that they are coming

1227
00:45:02,838 --> 00:45:04,436
about at about the same time as the

1228
00:45:04,516 --> 00:45:05,395
B program.

1229
00:45:06,929 --> 00:45:09,006
Sage graphs are among the species are expected

1230
00:45:09,006 --> 00:45:10,844
to benefit from this leasing program,

1231
00:45:11,404 --> 00:45:13,402
as you guys probably know sage g are

1232
00:45:13,402 --> 00:45:16,373
a perennial issue in Montana, and This is

1233
00:45:16,373 --> 00:45:18,526
1 way they've decided to try to keep

1234
00:45:18,526 --> 00:45:20,600
them off of the endangered species list.

1235
00:45:21,318 --> 00:45:22,753
This is 1 of those things that as

1236
00:45:22,753 --> 00:45:24,588
the saying goes, what's good for the bird

1237
00:45:24,588 --> 00:45:27,308
is good for their herd. So unsurprisingly, you're

1238
00:45:27,308 --> 00:45:29,373
gonna see rancher support for this as well.

1239
00:45:29,532 --> 00:45:32,336
It really seems like, a win win program

1240
00:45:32,392 --> 00:45:33,584
happening right now in Montana.

1241
00:45:43,258 --> 00:45:45,255
Alright. That's it for us today, folks as

1242
00:45:45,255 --> 00:45:47,173
always. Feel free to get in touch if

1243
00:45:47,173 --> 00:45:49,251
you have feedback about the show, leave us

1244
00:45:49,251 --> 00:45:51,739
a review on Apple Podcast. Or wherever you're

1245
00:45:51,739 --> 00:45:53,804
listening to this, you can always reach us

1246
00:45:53,804 --> 00:45:56,187
podcast at western priorities dot org.

1247
00:45:57,140 --> 00:45:59,364
Thanks again to Hit for sharing the story

1248
00:45:59,364 --> 00:46:01,922
behind gaze of national parks today, and thank

1249
00:46:01,922 --> 00:46:03,592
you for listening to the landscape.

1250
00:46:07,490 --> 00:46:07,625
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