Our Commitment

Washington’s National Park Fund (WNPF) is committed to equity and inclusion of all people, a commitment we share with the National Park Service (NPS) and Washington’s three largest national parks. Alongside our friends at NPS, we aim to ensure that people of all backgrounds feel welcome, comfortable, and able to access our parks as truly, they are for all.

By actively funding projects that give access and opportunities to traditionally underrepresented communities, and by building an organization whose donors and partners represent diverse cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences, we become more fruitful stewards and champions of Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. These values are paramount to WNPF and help to guide our day-to-day actions.

 

How We Got Here

Over the years, Washington’s National Park Fund has supported a number of programs and projects in Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks that support and bring in more diverse populations.

In 2018, recognizing that we could have a larger role to play in increasing access to our parks, WNPF convened a standing team to specifically address and advance efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In June 2020, our Board of Directors issued a statement in support of Black lives. We committed ourselves to re-examining the role we can play in equity and access. In the interest of transparency and with a desire to remain accountable, we published our learnings and the steps we would take to better support access and opportunities for traditionally underrepresented communities in the parks in August 2020.

What We've Accomplished

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

  • Increased access to our 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

  • Funded projects and programs in our parks that serve communities that are underrepresented in the outdoors generally and our national parks specifically, including:
    • Three years of a Latina trail crew at Mount Rainier, in partnership with the WTA and Latino Outdoors (pictured above, courtesy of Rachel Wendling)
    • School bus transportation subsidies and other projects that bring youth to Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks, largely from underrepresented and low-income communities — 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 our parks
  • Established partnerships with organizations that serve traditionally underrepresented communities in an attempt to make meaningful connections to better serve these communities
    • As just one example, in 2019 we introduced Spanish-speaking immigrant families to Mount Rainier National Park
  • Committed to lifting up stories from people of all backgrounds to show the many ways that people experience our 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
  • 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 our 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
    • Hiring The Avarna Group to train our staff and Board of Directors on incorporating principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that we do
    • Working with a DEI consultant in 2021 to further our board/staff internal understanding and define our focus and set a plan for further DEI work
Mount Rainier ranger poses with a Casa Latina participant

Casa Latina’s 2019 visit to Mount Rainier National Park. Jointly organized by Seattle’s Casa Latina, Mount Rainier, and WNPF, Casa Latina day workers and their families were able to experience the park, many for the first time. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Gonzalez.

 

Food sustainability project in North Cascades National Park

Community Resilience through Food Sustainability and Native Plant Education provides native plant education and food sustainability, bringing together North Cascades National Park and local organizations including the Lummi Nation School, Sauk-Suiattle Tribe, Darrington School District, and the Glacier Peak Institute. Photo courtesy of NPS.

 

Screen capture of Spanish language junior ranger video on Youtube

Washington’s National Park Fund partnered with Mount Rainier National park to produce a video about Mount Rainier’s efforts to reach diverse audiences through their Junior Ranger Program, specifically by providing the program in Spanish. Watch the video.

The Road Ahead

We recognize that progress comes through action, and while we are proud of the steps we have taken, we know there is much still to do. We will continue to push for actionable, mission-driven change that makes the parks accessible for all.

Specific areas we are focusing on in the near term include (1) continuing to bring a broad range of backgrounds and life experiences to the Fund through new members on the Board of Directors and in 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, and (5) actively promoting opportunities and participating in local community events (e.g., fairs, community events, and cultural heritage celebrations) sharing strong DEI and park connections.

We believe that for progress to be meaningful, it must be measurable and transparent; we will continue to report on our progress.

 

Footer photo (below): Ranger in Mount Rainier National Park (photo by NPS)