Our protected public lands remind us: Nature is for everyone

(Sierra Club) – “There are so many people in Detroit, there’s so many people in Chicago, there’s so many people in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. and Cleveland and L.A. that don’t realize that whatever is ailing them potentially could be cured by a visit to a place like this.”Those are the words of Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson. Johnson is a renowned advocate for diversity in our national parks. As a community engagement specialist for the Park, he sees it as his duty to connect people with nature and our national parks – especially people who, in their communities, maybe do not historically feel a connection to them.& Related Stories Recently, Johnson welcomed a group of high school students from his hometown of Detroit – and from the same high school he attended, Cass Tech – on their first visit to Yosemite. They were with a trip organized by Detroit Outdoors and the Sierra Club. He told them:“You own this. This is your property. Yosemite is your property and your family’s property. Yellowstone is your property and your family’s property. The Grand Canyon is your property and your family’s property. Any time you visit a national park, any ranger...