The Ivy is delighted to welcome brothers Destry and Jonathan B. Jarvis for a discussion of their co-written book, National Parks Forever: Fifty Years of Fighting and a Case for Independence! In this book, two leaders of the National Park Service provide a front-row seat to the disastrous impact of partisan politics over the past fifty years—and offer a bold vision for the parks’ future.

Drawing on their experience, Jarvis and Jarvis make a bold and compelling proposal: that it is time for NPS to be removed from the Department of the Interior and made an independent agency, similar to the Smithsonian Institution, giving NPS leaders the ability to manage park resources and plan our parks’ protection, priorities, and future.

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Destry Jarvis has spent the past 50 years working professionally in the parks, recreation, historic  preservation, tourism, and youth service fields, in senior positions for both non-profit  associations, for-profit corporations, the US National Park Service, and as a for-profit consultant  as CEO of his own firm since 2002.  Mr. Jarvis’ professional positions have included Executive Director, National Recreation & Park  Association; Vice President, National Association of Service and Conservation Corps; Assistant  Director, U.S. National Park Service; Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department  of the Interior; Executive Vice President, Student Conservation Association; and Vice President,  National Parks Conservation Association.  Mr. Jarvis has served as a Board member of numerous nonprofit organizations, including the  Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, the Natural  Resources Council of America, NatureBridge, Fort Monroe Foundation, Fort Monroe Authority,  Global Parks, City Parks Alliance, American Hiking Society, and American Heritage Alliance. He is  currently Vice President of US/ICOMOS, DBA World Heritage USA.

Jonathan (Jon) B. Jarvis served for 40 years with the National Park Service as ranger, biologist and superintendent in national parks across the country. He was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate as the 18th Director of the National Park Service (NPS), serving for the entire Obama administration from 2009 to 2017. During his tenure, he led the agency through its Centennial, adding 22 new parks including those that recognize the contributions of women and people of color, achieved its largest budget in history, addressed climate change and raised over $400 million in philanthropic support. Retiring from the NPS in 2017, he became the Inaugural Executive Director of the Institute for Parks, People and Biodiversity at the University of California, Berkeley and now serves as Chairman of the Board. He serves as the Chairman of the Editorial Board for the Parks Stewardship Forum, an online publication for conservation practitioners and as a steering committee member of the California Biodiversity Network. His previous book, co-authored with Clemson Professor Dr. Gary Machlis, is “The Future of Conservation in America: A Chart for Rough Water”, from the University of Chicago Press. His current book, also from the University of Chicago Press, is National Parks Forever: Fifty Years of Fighting and a Case for Independence” Co-authored with his brother Destry Jarvis, a long time conservation advocate, the Jarvis brothers detail the politics behind the national parks and call for the National Park Service to be established as an independent agency, akin to the Smithsonian Institution. Jarvis is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including the National Recreation and Park Association’s Legend Award, Sierra Club’s Edgar Wayburn Award and Trailblazer Award, International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Fred Packard Award and the American Alpine Club’s David R. Brower Conservation Award.  

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