National Park Service director to lecture on parks, public health

He manages nearly 400 national parks, monuments, recreation areas and other National Park components for the National Park Service.

Friday, Jonathan Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, will bring knowledge from his experiences to IU in a public lecture on the relationship between the outdoors and public health.

In the annual Carlson Lecture, “National Parks and the Outdoors’ Role in Public Health” will draw from Jarvis’ interactions with park visitors and share with the IU audience his thoughts on the role national parks and recreation play in the life and health of the American people.

“There is a growing body of evidence within the parks community, and even starting in the medical community, that the outdoors are good for you in a variety of ways,” Jarvis said in a press release.

“Whether you are talking about obesity or heart disease or cancer or depression, we are really looking to connect the role that we play in national parks and in the parks community with the health community.”

Before starting the directorship in 2009, Jarvis served as protection ranger  and
director of the Pacific West region comprised of 58 parks.

In his current role, Jarvis has helped push a new program, Healthy Parks, Healthy People U.S., which focuses on reintegrating human and environmental health into the mission of public parks and public lands.

— Matthew Glowicki