Parker McMullen Bushman, aka KWEEN WERK is a vibrant, joyful Black hiker and environmental educator who is setting out to discuss representation and education in conservation and outdoor recreation. Her spirit and love for the outdoors backs her message that outdoor recreation is for everyone and looks many different ways. We'll let Parker share about her finding her career path, finding her love for nature and more!  KWEEN is actually an acronym that stands for Keep Widening Environmental Engagement Narratives. I started KWEEN WERK because of my own experiences facing the drastic lack of representation in the Environmental Education and Outdoors Recreation...

Meet Sirena Rana, Founder of Trails Inspire! Serena just published her book about the Arizona Trail (AZT) titled, "Best Day Hikes on the Arizona National Scenic Trail", which highlights 30 of the most scenic and accessible parts of the AZT.⁠⁠⁠⁠We asked Sirena to share more about her journey to long trails, her book, and celebrating Arizona:  Like many in this state, I was not born here but I adore my adopted home. One of the best things about Arizona is the incredible variety of environments available for outdoor recreation. Want towering Saguaro cacti and exposed rock formations? Sky Island mountain ranges that rise thousands of...

2020 has been a challenging year in many ways and we’ve seen it as a community as well, not being able to come together for cleanups or explore the outdoors in groups. However, there ARE things we can do as individuals or in small groups to make a bigger impact as a whole. This holiday season, consider these options on how to be more sustainable and make a difference:  Pick up trash when you’re outdoors! Whether that is in a parking lot, in your neighborhood, a local park, on the trails or by the water. If trash is in the...

Lookin' for something to watch this weekend? We've got you! I tapped the minds of all of us here at KNW to create a nature-related movie and documentary roundup! 🌲 There's a little bit of everything from animation, to docuseries, to just some good 'ol bird viewing. Check them out below: ⁠ Tiger King (Netflix) - if you've been living under a rock and haven't watched Tiger King yet (😉).. get to it! Wild doesn't even begin to describe it. ⁠ Free Solo (Hulu) - Professional rock climber, Alex Honnold, attempts to conquer the first free solo climb of El Capitan...

Podcast roundup! 🌲 We put together a list of some podcasts we've been throwing on as we work from home, clean the house, or get some fresh air around our neighborhood. Check them out below: Dirtbag Diaries presents stories of dreamers, wanderers, and athletes in the outdoors⁠. She Explores features the stories of women who love the outdoors through interviews, in-the-field recordings, and listener submission. On topics from solo hiking, conservation, entrepreneurship and more and how they intersect with the outdoors.⁠ Outside/In from New Hampshire Public Radio explores the relationship between humans and nature - Outside/In dives into complex topics with stories and in-depth reporting.  HumaNature explores where...

Way back before Keep Nature Wild was even a twinkle in the eyes of founders Cameron and Sean, they were organizing group hikes as Arizona Hikers Guide. The hikes were the perfect opportunity to connect with people, encourage leave no trace principles, and pick up trash. The more hikes they lead, the more people showed up and the more trash they picked up. Cameron and Sean realized pretty quickly that these get-togethers were answering a need for community.  Keep Nature Wild was founded on picking up trash and creating community. Shirts were sold to help fund cleanup efforts. It turned...

During this government shutdown, we believe it is our responsibility to stand for what we stand on and care for our National Parks. It's time to mobilize our community and put our principles into action.  Knowing which National Park is experiencing the most hardship is difficult right now. It's going to take YOU to keep us updated and let the community know what help is needed. Here's what we need from you.  Are you near a National Park? Go check in, take photos and send an update. Please be respectful of the rules, regulations, and closures and ONLY go where permitted....

ATTENTION, SHOPPERS: Plastic and paper bags are out. Reusable bags are the new go-to, and here’s why. 1. Most recycling facilities refuse to take plastic bags. Turns out that it actually costs more to recycle a plastic bag than it’s actually worth… So most facilities won’t recycle them. In fact, the Waste Management reports that only 1% of plastic bags are recycled. The rest go straight into our landfills and oceans. 2. Rough estimate, but the people in the US use about 100 billion plastic bags each year. To put that in perspective, that many bags could circle the Earth 1,330 times....

Name: Ashley Cummins  Location: Reno, NV  Term: Fall '18 Favorite Wild Place: San Juan Islands Ashley Cummins is in her second term as a Wild Keeper. She first heard about Keep Nature Wild on Instagram and fell in love with the mission. She had never applied to be an ambassador before this, but felt like this what the type of ambassador program she could get behind.    As a recent transplant to Reno, NV, Ashley has been enjoying the many trails around Tahoe and the surrounding area. When asked what her favorite trail in the area was, she had a hard...

Name: Lauren Becks Location: Medina, Ohio Term: Fall '18 Favorite Wild Place: The Smoky Mountains Lauren Becks lives in farm country, just outside of Medina, Ohio. It’s her first term as a Wild Keeper and she couldn’t be more excited about the community she joined. “It was so cool when I joined! I lost my mind when I got into the group chat and saw all these amazing people,” she says of joining the group chat for all the Wild Keepers.    She first learned about the Wild Keeper program from a close friend. Lauren noticed that her friend was...