National Park Week Is Here, and the Founder of the Parks Project Knows How to Celebrate It

If you’re into the outdoors, chances are you’ve seen the dopamine-inducing psychedelic prints from Parks Project on the trails. The purpose-driven lifestyle brand is headed by Keith Eshelman, a passionate outdoorsman aiming to make habitat restoration and conservation both accessible and cool. Eshelman was formerly one of TOMS’ earliest employees and used that experience to get Parks Project into retailers like REI and Urban Outfitters, ultimately contributing $2.7 million to more than 50 park conservatories since its founding 10 years ago. Here, he shares insights on this month’s National Park Week, which runs from April 19 to 27, and on how the fires are a reminder of essential work that needs to be done.

Jessica Lim

How do you hope to inspire a sense of awe through Parks Project?

I have been fortunate to get exposure to a lot of parks at a young age and really want others to have this opportunity, too. Everyone should have access and be encouraged to explore so they can find a deep connection with our natural lands. That doesn’t have to be a long trip to a national park; it can also be in our backyard parklands, too.

Why are the trail systems that were impacted by the wildfires so integral to our local landscape?

At the end of the day, our trail systems are portals into the wilderness. They provide a glimpse at an ecosystem that doesn’t exist in many of our nearby cityscapes. Now, with many of my local trails closed until further notice, it means the places that provide sanctuary, exploration, recreation, and transportation for my day-to-day life are devastated. Of course, I’ll try to fill these gaps in other ways, but part of my livelihood is a connection to these mountains and natural places, so that creates another layer of loss that runs much deeper for me around this big fire event. It reminds me to be grateful for the time I get to spend in all the parklands because things can change in an instant like it did with the Palisades fire.

Apu Gomes/Getty Images

Your house was damaged by smoke and you’re currently unable to move back. Are there  any lessons we can take away from this event as we rebuild?

Extreme weather has become a new norm, and I think we have to look at our relationship with the planet and respective ecosystems with a new lens that focuses less on how we use places and extract resources but rather on how we can create integrated sustainability as a species with everything around us. It’s obvious that we have to do a lot of repairs to make healthy ecosystems that can sustain wildfire, as it is a natural cycle and is often very healthy for ecosystems to burn. Some species even rely on fire to survive and propagate—we don’t need to be scared of it! But when you have intense windstorms after long dry spells in an area that hasn’t burned for a long time, it creates the perfect storm, and this is what we are left to deal with.

What are some fun and unexpected ways that folks can get involved with National Park Week?

Get out and explore a park! Parks need us, and we need parks. That’s a beautiful harmony that exists in our symbiotic relationship. This week includes Earth Day, so grab one of our cleanup kits and a few friends and go “Leave It Better!”