Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1515188
South, where "park" might have meant a small pocket area off limits to them. They lived in prox- imity to some of the largest wild animals on Earth including grizzlies and black bears, and were no less vulnerable in upholding the law to hostile white settlers who wanted to poach wildlife and cut down trees in the protected area. Their inestimable contributions to Yosemite National Park along with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were brought to light in the 1990s by America's most famous ranger, Shelton Johnson. At the time he was one of only a few Black rangers in the National Park Service. Ranger Johnson said that when his eyes fell upon the old black and white picture in the archives showing Black Rangers protecting the parks nearly 100 years before, "It was like stum- bling into your own family while traveling in a foreign country." A range of accommodations from tent camp- ing to the moderately priced Yosemite Lodge and the luxury Ahwahnee Hotel makes it possible for almost everyone at every budget to enjoy this national park. An $80 annual pass covers a car with four passengers to enter this park and all 424 other units (many have no entry fees) for a full year. An $80 Senior Pass for those over 62 is good for every park for the rest of your life. At a time when malicious efforts are underway to erase the history of African Americans in the development of our country, this is the year to visit the national parks where our history is indelibly imprinted on the land. Yosemite is an ideal place to begin. (Few Americans know the National Park System better than Audrey Peterman, and fewer still, BIPOC Americans. Since 1995 the Apex Distinguished Service Award Winner has been publicizing the national parks as places of wonder, vacation destina- tions and event spaces.) www.AudreyPeterman.com Author: From My Jamaican Gully to the World and Back, 2022. Audrey Peterman is an environmental activist, thought leader and author. Book her at Diverse Environmental Leaders Speakers Bureau delnsb.com. Ranger Shelton Johnson with Audrey Peterman B M & T ••• January/February 2024 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 17