When looking at people’s use of parks, we looked at a range of questions- what are concrete ways that parks help people? How does connecting with the outdoors help people socially and mentally as well as physically? How can people be positive and negative forces in parks’ ecology?

Hikers in Yosemite National Park (Photo credit to the National Parks Service)

What we found is that though part of park management includes protecting parks from the harm that heavy usage brings,  parks can lower stress, improve mental well-being and work to connect people to the land around them. However, it is also clear that there are many current challenges to parks- environmental damage, politicized funding and inequality within the park system. WIth the environmental benefits taht natural areas bring- storing carbon, preventing erosion, providing habitat, as well as the social benefits, parks- both large, national parks and small, urban ones are  resources we need to protect.