A12. Ready for more chit-chat? Wander over to the #ParkChat book club, as we begin one of the lesser-known works of John Muir--Story of My Boyhood and Youth." We meet on Zoom, 3rd Wednesday of each month, 7 pm Central, 5 pm Pacific. Contact @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social for details.

Q10: The most remote campground on the right side of the country is Lake Richie Canoe Campground, but ya gotta really wanna get there. How remote do you like to get when camping? #ParkChat #ISRO

Q9: Of the 20 states without a national park, 16 are east of the Mississippi. What is an eastern NP you visited – or a NPS not-a-park site you visited – that you’d recommend? #ParkChat #AL

Q8: With 433 designated sites to explore, the NPS site with the highest visitation in 2025 lies on the eastern side of the country, with more than 16.5M visitors. What’s a nature excursion you shared with a lot of others? #ParkChat #BLRI

Blue Ridge Parkway (U.S. National Park Service)

A Blue Ridge Parkway experience is unlike any other: a slow-paced and relaxing drive revealing stunning long-range vistas and close-up views of the rugged mountains and pastoral landscapes of the Appa...

nps.gov

Q7: What’s the longest NPS trail east of the Mississippi? Hint: It’s more than 2x as long as the Appalachian Trail. (Yes, technically a little is west of the Mississippi, but only bc it doesn’t cross it.) Share picks from a LONG hike (or long for you) that you took. #ParkChat #NOCO

North Country National Scenic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)

Come to the North Country. Trek the hills and valleys. Stand on the shores of lakes & streams from glaciers 10,000 years before. Clear-flowing water, red/gold of autumn, a fairyland of snow, open prai...

nps.gov

Q4: The oldest battlefield-related NPS site was transferred from the War Department in 1933. Describe a poignant moment you experienced in a Battlefield, Military Park, National Battlefield, or Battlefield Site. #ParkChat #CHCH

Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park (U.S. National Park Service)

nps.gov

Q3: The state with the third most NPS sites is east of the Mississippi. What is a site you have visited there – or want to visit? (Trivia: It also does NOT have a National Park.) #ParkChat #NY

Tonight #ParkChat welcomes @pamportland.org as our special guest host. She’ll be looking at “go East” as our topic. Who is ready? @naturetechfam.bsky.social

Q5: The highest elevation in a National Park – east of the Mississippi – is 6,643 feet. What’s your highest hike or climb? #ParkChat #GRSM

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of it...

nps.gov

Q6: The smallest site in the NPS is only 0.02 acres in Philadelphia. What’s a teeny, tiny park (NPS or otherwise) that you cherish? #ParkChat #THKO

Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)

Visit the house where wounded Polish freedom fighter Thaddeus Kosciuszko lived and hear how this brilliant military engineer designed successful fortifications during the American Revolution. See the ...

nps.gov

Q12 #ParkChat Who has a comment or a question?

Q11 #ParkChat Lets have a Sunday chat that will drive some interest and participation. When I enter the upcoming chat on Sunday, interact with me. Like the tweet, repost it, write a few words, post a pic. These help!

Q8 #ParkChat Are there other social channels or other platforms where you think adding a #ParkChat presence could help build the BSKY community in tandem? Could you commit to volunteer in those spaces? @59nationalparks.bsky.social

Q10 #ParkChat Our chat is a labor of love by both hosts and participants. No money is exchanged, nor would we want there to be. What are some ways you personally can help with visibility of the chat, finding hosts, or otherwise promoting the chat? @59nationalparks.bsky.social

Q9 #ParkChat We now have a private DM on BSKY that holds 50 with 18 spots taken. I’m thrilled about this-it encourages participants. Will you participate in and invite people to join the private #ParkChat group DM? I’d like to see a 50 spots taken.

Q7 #ParkChat Let’s brainstorm. Shout out some ideas that could help us find more willing, consistent hosts and/or weekly participants - no matter how crazy. That’s what brainstorming is about… no critiquing, just idea creation. @59nationalparks.bsky.social

Q6 #ParkChat Speaking of I have recruited @trpl.bsky.social to guest host sometime soon after their grand opening on 7/04. Are there other public land orgs you’d like me to reach out to? Hand ‘em over. I’ll do it if they’re on BSKY.

Q5 #ParkChat On the other channel we had a Hall of Famer we called Bink. (He won’t come to BSKY-Stubborn) We would recruit “name” people-usually authors to host. He would direct the chat too-dang good. Does anyone want to recruit known entities to guest host #ParkChat

Q4 #ParkChat Do you know of any tools we could make use of that might help us “publicly” organize the chat better (Example: a shared Google form, doc, or sheet that anyone can add a host to, an app that can push out info on upcoming chats/meetups to others, etc.)? @59nationalparks.bsky.social

Q3 #ParkChat Our chat trends routinely. It’s a great thing! Or is it? Given the other words that trend with us, parents a likely objecting to their children in the chat as they have in the part. Is there away to bring kids back to #ParkChat?

Q2 #ParkChat If you’ve hosted a chat in the past, what are some tips or thoughts you can provide others who have considered hosting, but may be worried about the idea? How can we make hosting a chat feel more comfortable for newcomers? @59nationalparks.bsky.social

So Q1 #ParkChat Who wants to host the chat between now and 4/14/27? We are looking for folks not currently scheduled please. Thanks so much for the those that are already on the schedule.

Effective immediately we are offering the chat once a month on the second Wednesday of the month. Our next chat is therefore scheduled for July 8th. We want to go back to weekly and if the participation project works we will. #ParkChat

Welcome to a special “Changes at #ParkChat” edition at #ParkChat featuring @naturetechfam.bsky.social and me. The main theme tonight is participation. Buckle up! #ParkChat

A12. Now is a great time to check out our #ParkChat book club. Join us Tuesday, June 16, at 7 pm Central to discuss the first half of Sea of Grass by Hage and Marcotty. We meet on Zoom and we never know where our discussion will lead us. Interested? Contact our moderator @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social

Also, thank you @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social for sharing resources we can use to make our voices heard, including Roadless.org and The Op-Ed Project. #ParkChat

Defend the Roadless Rule - Protect America's Last Wild Forests

Roadless areas safeguard clean water for 124M people, vital wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation. Join us in protecting these irreplaceable public lands.

roadless.org

I’m so grateful how many of our #ParkChat family members are making the effort to make a difference. Thanks everyone.

Colorful Neon Thank You Sign

ALT: Colorful Neon Thank You Sign

static.klipy.com

Thank you so much @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social. Keep up the good work you do on so many fronts for public lands. Thanks for a timely and well-needed chat tonight. #ParkChat

A11 #ParkChat I know this hashtag helps, as many of us regularly use it to post about this topic. I also get emails from REI Coop Action Committee and some conservancies (state and federal level) that help keep me informed.

Great chat, @ocparkbuilder.bsky.social ! Thank you for bringing these difficult topics up! #ParkChat