Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Through this commitment, over the past few years we have:

• Updated the project funding priorities to feature a new category, Embracing Inclusion, that enables donors to:
  • Contribute directly to programs that promote park access by underrepresented and historically marginalized communities, employment, and tribal engagement in the parks
  • Track and measure progress on projects with DEI content
• Funded projects and programs in Washington’s national parks that serve communities that are underrepresented in the outdoors generally and the national parks specifically, including:
  • Multiple years of a Latina trail crew at Mount Rainier, in partnership with Washington Trails Association and Latino Outdoors (pictured above, courtesy of Rachel Wendling)
  • School bus transportation subsidies and other projects that bring young people to Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks, largely from underrepresented and low-income communities, and many for the first time
  • Efforts at Mount Rainier National Park for targeted outreach to engage youth and families from diverse backgrounds through the Junior Ranger Program
  • An education program for native youth on native plants and sustainable food through North Cascades National Park
  • See the full list of funded projects in recent years that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the parks

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• Increased access to the parks by launching a series of Virtual Field Trips which create accessible park experiences for communities who may not be able to experience the parks otherwise, whether due to physical ability or other barriers
  • Made the Virtual Field Trips more accessible to those who may be deaf or hard of hearing, and the ESL community, by adding closed captioning
  • Expanded these virtual experiences to new, diverse audiences; to date, we have hosted our first, highly successful Spanish-language Virtual Field Trip and hope to offer more in the future

• Established partnerships with organizations that serve traditionally underrepresented communities to make meaningful connections to better serve these communities
  • We’ve introduced Spanish-speaking immigrant families from Casa Latina and families from Mary’s Place, an organization in King County that helps women and families move out of homelessness into more stable situations, to the national parks

• Committed to lifting up stories from people of all backgrounds to show the many ways that people experience the national parks and to welcome communities that traditionally are underrepresented in the parks
  • We seek out guest writers to share their stories in the interest of showcasing diverse cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences
  • We publish regular blog posts celebrating monthly national heritage events, highlighting park and NPS activities and resources associated with them

• Begun the work of increasing representation of diverse communities among our own staff, leadership, and Board of Directors
  • We believe that we as an organization are better representatives of Washington’s parks and better stewards of our donors’ dollars when we have voices from diverse backgrounds at the table, both at the staff and leadership level, and we are proud to have a team made up of people of diverse social and ethnic backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities

• Furthered our commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion outdoors by:
  • Taking the CEO Diversity Pledge through Diversify Outdoors
  • Working with DEI consultants to advance our board/staff internal understanding, define our focus, and set a plan for continuing DEI work
  • Regularly sharing curated DEI news and thought-provoking content with the Board and staff to promote awareness and engagement, and leading facilitated discussions for the Board and Staff to re-calibrate and recommit to our DEI work
  • Continuing to create public content that amplifies diverse voices in the parks (e.g., park personnel, visitors, volunteers, etc.)

1. 1. • Continuing to bring a broad range of backgrounds and life experiences to Washington’s National Park Fund through new members on the Board of Directors, leadership, and staff
   2. • Growing and exploring new potential areas of collaboration with the parks and organizations serving underrepresented and marginalized communities
   3. • Highlighting DEI-oriented projects and programs in the parks and providing clear pathways to fund them
   4. • Expanding access to the parks through our existing Virtual Field Trips program
   5. • Actively promoting opportunities and participating in local community events, such as fairs and cultural heritage celebrations, sharing strong DEI and park connections