This letter by NPS Director Chuck Sams on the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park was released on March 1, 2022, by the National Park Service. See the original news release here. Since this is a personal letter, we share it verbatim, without any adaptations, below.
NPS Director Chuck Sams’ Letter On Yellowstone National Park 150th Anniversary
“Today we celebrate the 150th birthday of Yellowstone National Park.
For nearly seven generations now the American people and our guests have been able to experience the beauty and majesty of Old Faithful, Minerva Terrace, Morning Glory Pool, the Grand Prismatic Spring, and the Yellowstone River, and marvel at the bison, wolves, elk, wildflowers and many other breathtaking sites.
We also celebrate something much bigger than the park itself—the beginning of the national park idea, an idea that spread through the country and around the world, inspiring governments to protect natural and cultural treasures “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.”
I’ve been lucky enough to visit several times, and proud to share with my family our special connection to these lands. So much of what most Americans call “wilderness,” American Indians call “Home.”
Indigenous people served as the original stewards of these lands, understanding that the natural resources of land, water, air, flora, and fauna allowed humans not only to survive but to thrive. This connection to the land has driven me in my lifetime commitment to stewardship.
Despite the non-Native perception that much of North America was somehow wild and untamed, Native peoples have cared for these lands since time immemorial, using traditional ecological knowledge gained over thousands of years.
These original stewards managed crops and animals for food, medicines, and tools, and performed controlled burns to prevent widespread fire and nurture plant and animal life.
Today, we work alongside many Tribal groups in Yellowstone and other parks as we work to strengthen and respect Indigenous connections.
As the park idea begins its next 150 years, we welcome new visitors, new perspectives, and new stories. Fulfilling the promise of the park idea means our visitors will also learn and be moved by Selma and Stonewall, even as they are awed by Yellowstone and Yosemite.
It’s all part of the American story, and I’m happy to lead an agency that’s helping to tell it.”
Chuck Sams
Director, National Park Service