by Harley McAllister
As we write this, we have recently completed a couple of major changes in our lives. We moved back to the US about a month ago, and our family has grown by one with the completion of our adoption of Isaac - a 2 year old Dominican boy who will need heart surgery soon.
As we think about this transition, together with this adoption, we see things with some new perspective. Not only have we given this little boy a name and family, but as Americans we have also given him a rich heritage of all the rights and privileges that come with being a citizen of this country. In particular we are thinking of the privilege we enjoy of our public lands. The US was the first country to come up with the concept of National Parks, National Forests, National Monuments, and the like. And as citizens, we are all owners of these lands - we all have an equal right to access and enjoy these lands.
We have a new appreciation for this heritage, this birthright, this inheritance. And we owe a great deal to the leaders and conservationists who pioneered these ideas and got the laws passed to make this happen. Men like Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Thoreau, and countless others. It is now in our hands to ensure that these public lands continue to be protected and maintained so that they can continue to delight our children and future generations.
Accordingly, we are now embarking on a journey with the start of this website. It begins with sharing this rich heritage with our children, and continues with our efforts to encourage and enable other families to share this great gift, this great treasure, this great heritage with their children. In a couple of days we plan to put up some photos of our first trip upon return to the U.S. - Yellowstone National Park. So come along with us and enjoy!
As we think about this transition, together with this adoption, we see things with some new perspective. Not only have we given this little boy a name and family, but as Americans we have also given him a rich heritage of all the rights and privileges that come with being a citizen of this country. In particular we are thinking of the privilege we enjoy of our public lands. The US was the first country to come up with the concept of National Parks, National Forests, National Monuments, and the like. And as citizens, we are all owners of these lands - we all have an equal right to access and enjoy these lands.
We have a new appreciation for this heritage, this birthright, this inheritance. And we owe a great deal to the leaders and conservationists who pioneered these ideas and got the laws passed to make this happen. Men like Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Thoreau, and countless others. It is now in our hands to ensure that these public lands continue to be protected and maintained so that they can continue to delight our children and future generations.
Accordingly, we are now embarking on a journey with the start of this website. It begins with sharing this rich heritage with our children, and continues with our efforts to encourage and enable other families to share this great gift, this great treasure, this great heritage with their children. In a couple of days we plan to put up some photos of our first trip upon return to the U.S. - Yellowstone National Park. So come along with us and enjoy!
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