Jon and his brother Destry have written a compelling book, National Parks Forever: Fifty Years of Fighting and a Case for Independence.  In the book they argue the case for making the National Park Service an independent agency, similar to the Smithsonian Institution.  In this episode you will hear about their combined 90 years of working to protect national parks and secure the resources necessary to effectively manage the parks.  They will also share how the politicization of the National Parks threaten their future.

Jonathan Jarvis is a conservationist who served in the U.S. National Park Service for 40 years, serving from 2009 to 2017 as Director, appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Jon began as a seasonal interpretive ranger on the National Mall, Washington, DC, for the U.S. Bicentennial. He also served as a protection ranger, resource management specialist, park biologist, and chief of natural and cultural resources, as superintendent of Craters of the Moon National Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and as Pacific West Region Director