Climate Change Sun sets over an urban landscape I envision national parks at the center of advocating for awareness of climate change, creating more appreciation and connection for our lands, and encouraging people to take action. —Shreya, NPS In My Backyard youth intern Image credit: NPS Photo Climate change is reshaping the world as we know it. Locally, the effects of climate change make conditions harsher for people and wildlife in the Seattle area. Climate change has its roots in history—including the history of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98. Stories from the past can help us understand how we got to this moment of change, and how we can move forward from here. The story of climate change is not over, and the future is in our hands. The Klondike Gold Rush and its impacts in Seattle show us how much the world has changed before. Now, it’s time to do it again. How did we get here? A power line runs through a field of grasses I believe that history isn’t something locked in time, that happens once and never again. Rather, it’s something that never ends, and it is up to those in the present (us) to mitigate its negative effects. —Brietta, NPS In My Backyard youth intern Image credit: NPS Photo In Seattle, large old-growth trees were cut down to support new buildings. This tree was shipped to Chicago for the 1893 World’s Fair. When the Klondike Gold Rush came to Seattle, other trees would become timber for the growing city. NPS Photo The Klondike Gold Rush is one part of the story of how Seattle became the way it is now. When news spread about gold up in the Yukon Territory of Canada in 1896, more than 70,000 people passed through Seattle, buying goods […]