Who Cares About Earth Day? Yesterday marked 55 years of the United States’ observation of Earth Day, birthed from Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson’s rallies to raise awareness about urgent environmental issues. April 19th also kicks off National Park Week, honoring the National Park Service and its contributions to communities. Their celebratory crossover reminds me to appreciate the great outdoors and makes me want to visit vast green spaces like the national parks. Unlike local parks, the national parks collaborate with partners to extend the benefits of unimpaired natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout the country. But who gets to tap into the benefits of spending an afternoon in a national park?
National Accessibility
Historically, national parks served as recreational spaces for families seeking an escape from the rapidly diversifying cities while displacing low-income groups such as German and Irish immigrants. Additionally, Jim Crow laws prevented Black families in the South from enjoying many state and local parks because of their mandates of racial segregation. It’s evident in the history of the national parks that their creators didn’t intend them for public use, with their origins described as exclusive, clean, green spaces controlled initially by those with access to generational wealth. However, it is crucial to recognize that the populations excluded from these spaces could benefit immensely from access to them.
According to the National Park Service, visiting national parks offers the following benefits:
- increases your physical activity
- increases your exposure to nature
- provides opportunities to socialize
- inspires curiosity and lifelong learning, and
- promotes empathy
Single Moms and Parks
Despite changes in laws and customs, historically excluded populations may not perceive these spaces as welcoming, which prevents them from enjoying the associated benefits. Although national parks don’t explicitly exclude single low-income mothers from attending, WISER’s research on this population has me wondering how they could benefit from better access.
A recent WISER data portrait indicates that 63 percent of all single mothers are low-income. 19 of the 63 national parks offer free entry all year round, and the National Parks System has six fee-free days a year for their parks with fees, which makes the national parks a resource they could tap into. Figure 1 displays the share of single moms (shades of pink) and the number of national parks (bubbles) in each state. To calculate the share of single low-income mothers by race and ethnicity, I divided the number of single low-income mothers in each state by the total number of single low-income mothers in the U.S. for each racial and ethnic group.
Figure 1. Share of Single Low-Income Mothers and Presence of National Parks
Source: Annual Social and Economic Supplements (ASEC) data from 2024 and a list of National Parks
According to the aggregate data, in rank order, the states with the highest shares of single low-income mothers are Texas, California, Florida, New York, and North Carolina (see Table 1). When we disaggregate data for single, low-income mothers by race and ethnicity, we find that Georgia has the highest share of Black single, low-income mothers and zero national parks. California has the largest share of Asian single low-income mothers and nine national parks. For many of these mothers, the cost of a national park visit can be equivalent to a ride on public transportation and the price of a homemade lunch, but they won’t be accessible for anyone without proper funding.
Table 1. States with the Highest Shares of Single Low-Income Mothers by Race & Ethnicity 
What Could Be Next for National Parks?
The recent reduction in the National Parks Service workforce by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which resulted in the layoffs of about 1,000 employees, may create challenges in maintaining public access and safety, putting at risk an affordable resource for all families, especially families led by single, low-income mothers.
I have two policy recommendations to increase access to national parks for all Americans. First, we could offer travel stipends to low-income families to help cover their travel expenses. Second, since we don’t have data on the proximity of national parks to low-income moms, it’s necessary to collect data, like zip codes from all visitors, to gain insights into visitor demographics and the distances traveled to reach the parks. We could use the savings generated by DOGE’s efforts to fund the stipends and the data collection. Next Earth Day, let’s work to increase the number of low-income families who have access to our national parks.
