Nicholas School opens institute to protect national parks

A new institute at Duke aims to support America’s national parks and protected areas.

The Nicholas School of the Environment will host the Park Institute of America, a collaboration between Duke and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, a nonprofit organization of former National Park Service employees. The institute will work to promote national parks and perform necessary studies about their management, said Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke professor of conservation ecology.

“The main goal is to provide technical help, advice and assistance for the National Park Service from engaged, passionate people who believe national parks are an extraordinary treasure,” Pimm said.

The institute will sponsor research and work to raise awareness about the challenges that national parks face, he said. It will also provide the park service with assistance in a technical capacity, focusing on management techniques.

Maureen Finnerty, chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, explained in an email that the institute will also strive to communicate the value of parks and protected areas.

“Hopefully the institute will also serve as a ‘hub’ helping to connect like-minded organizations doing similar important work,” she wrote.

Finnerty noted that the idea for the institute came approximately 10 years ago when several founding members of the coalition decided the parks needed stronger advocates to ensure their protection and preservation.

The National Park Service’s 100th anniversary this August makes it an opportune time to advocate for better resources, studies and problem-solving techniques, Pimm added.

Although the institute will be based at Duke, it will be an independent, nonprofit organization that will be operated by private funding from an aggressive fundraising strategy, Finnerty explained.

Pimm noted that national parks today face many issues, including a lack of funding—a problem that the institute hopes to address.

“They are a greatly undervalued national asset,” he said. “We ought to make a greater investment in them.”

The institute also plans to promote the value of environmental education, particularly among youth in America. It will fund student internships and promote educational programming.

Duke was chosen to host the institute because of the passion that professors on campus have for the environment, Pimm said.

However, the institute will not focus solely on environmental issues. Scholars in the history and cultural studies departments will also be involved, Pimm noted.

“People across the Duke family are going to be excited about the collaboration,” he said.