What value do you place on information?

A high-end coffee at Starbucks goes for $4.50 or more, and one Impossible Burger will run you $10. One of each a week would run you more than $750 a year.

Now, how much are editorially independent news, features, and podcasts about national parks and protected areas every day of the year worth to you?

We all get inundated with donation requests. And most folks think they should be able to read all the news they want on the internet for free. Right? Doesn’t matter if that news is about a national park, or the national debt. It’s out there for the taking and why should anybody have to pay?

It probably irks you when you come up against a subscription wall that keeps you from all that “free” news. But, what the heck. You can’t read it in one place, you’ll probably be able to read it elsewhere for free. Or will you?

As you know, staying abreast of news concerning the National Park System is vital these days, and National Parks Traveler works daily to provide that news. That’s why the National Parks Conservation Association has pledged a $5,000 donation to help the Traveler accomplish that task.

Join the goat. Support National Parks Traveler with a donation.

We need your help to build on that support. 

Traveler, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization, focuses solely on editorially independent coverage of national parks and protected areas. That means Traveler's news coverage of the parks isn’t buried under other national and international news and sports coverage and the weather. It also means the reporting is free from any interference by others wanting to squelch a particular message. 

Our coverage is not fluff. Traveler has produced feature stories that have ranged from the threat oil trains pose to national parks across the country to the aftermath of wildfires that swept across Santa Monica Mountains NRA and how Hurricane Dorian sliced up Cape Lookout National Seashore’s barrier islands.

Our weekly podcasts are wide-ranging. We've discussed how Washington’s politics impact the parks, wolves in Yellowstone, and the proposed Spaceport Camden and the threats it poses to Cumberland Island National Seashore.

And, of course, we generate stories on how you can enjoy the parks.

All that is more valuable than an Impossible Burger, no? We hope you agree, because Traveler needs support from readers, listeners, private organizations, and corporations.

Don't think of it as paying for access to news; think of it as supporting a collective endeavor to provide a wide-ranging, authoritative site exploring the myriad facets of national parks and protected areas.

* If you work for a park advocacy organization, we need your support to spread the news of your organization's work, news that could lead to more donations to your organization.

* If you work for the National Park Service, Traveler keeps you informed of agency matters you might not otherwise hear about. More than once we've been told by an NPS employee that they learned more about the agency from the Traveler than from internal channels.

* If you're a member of the general public, we need your support so we can keep you informed on issues in parks that could affect your travels, on adventures you might be interested in, and on matters that could affect your pocketbook.

* If your company dwells in the outdoors, your self-interest can be found in a media outlet that is anchored in the outdoors and attracts a following of outdoors and national park enthusiasts. 

Your donations are more important than ever before because media today is under siege, both from politicians and from Facebook and Google, which are siphoning away the lion’s share -- 80 percent was the most recent number we saw -- of online advertising revenues from media. 

Traveler has just one full-time staffer;  we do commission a few freelance articles a year, but the rest of the content comes from volunteers because they, like you, care deeply about the National Park System.

Trust me, we don't like coming to you several times a year to ask for your support, but there are costs to produce the news, ranging from travel expenses to website maintenance to hiring outside freelancers to editing and story layout and pursuing grants from foundations and corporations.

Despite our meager means, National Parks Traveler provides a reliable, award-winning platform (We were just honored by the Western National Parks Association with its Stewart Udall Award, and in the past the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks and the George Wright Society have both praised our work) for keeping national parks and protected areas in the news. But we can do so much more with your support!

We ran a reader survey the other week, and while 99 percent said Traveler was either extremely (65 percent of 405 respondents) or somewhat (34 percent) valuable in terms of keeping them informed about the parks, 80 percent surprisingly said they couldn’t support the Traveler with a donation at this time.

Please, build on NPCA's commitment today with a donation. Let's double it. And get your friends to help us reach that goal, too. Sign up for monthly recurring donations, say equal to an Impossible Burger. Unlike that burger, we'll be there for you every day of the year, and promise not to get ketchup on your shirt.