And again, with feeling! A friend mentioned this annual art festival in Zion, which this year drew hundreds of attendees and raised more than $100,000 to recoup revenue losses during the closure. Also included: a bit of fun history about how art led to the creation of the park in the early 1900s.

I turned my computer on and this was the first thing I saw and I almost spit-take my coffee.

I'm looking forward to this new chapter, and I welcome any feedback on what you're most interested in seeing. And a word for my editors: I'll still be freelancing half the time, so don't write me off just yet!

Over the coming months, I'll be loading up my van and hitting the road to cover what it means to live near, work in, and visit our public lands, as well as what we stand to lose when we fail to be good stewards.

These places aren't just my home, they're also a core part of my sense of self and the spaces I turn to again and again to feel whole. I'm so glad to be joining a publication that understands the importance of reporting on these places *from* these places.

I’m glad someone got the reference 😅

Thank you! We bandied a few ideas back and forth, so I’m glad to hear it landed.