Those who are rich enough, reserve for themselves the choicest natural scenes. Unless government acts, all places favorable in scenery to the recreation of the mind and body, will be closed against the mass of the people.”

– Frederick Law Olmstead, 1865

Walt Dabney spent 43 years as a parks professional – first with the National Park Service and then as director of Texas State Parks – but his passion for public lands didn’t end when he retired in 2010.

If anything, his efforts to educate people about federal public lands and their importance to Americans’ quality of life have only increased.

“The foundation, I think, of public lands is it’s not a place that is of interest only to one segment of the political spectrum,” Dabney, 79, said in an interview. “Regardless of what your politica

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