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Jimmy Carter's Public Lands Legacy

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By

Kurt Repanshek

Published Date

December 30, 2024

President Carter was made an honorary park ranger in 2016/NPS

Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday, started out as a small-town peanut farmer and held just one term as president of the United States, but his work during those four years left an enduring public lands legacy, one that saw him sign legislation creating more than three dozen national parks, including the country's largest, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

President Carter’s signature achievements, through executive and legislative means, created a total of 39 National Park System units.

The Democrat established permanent protection of more than 56 million acres in Alaska through the designation of 13 national monuments on December 1, 1978. With that single act, President Carter more than doubled the land area protected under Park Service management. His use of presidential proclamation to protect those lands from immediate threat was followed by continued advocacy for legislated protection of these lands and waters, culminating in the Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) signed December 2, 1980. His bold actions ensured preservation of natural wonders and historic sites, and ensured that the traditions of the native Alaskan people could continue.

Praise for the former president's legacy came in from across the conservation community.

"President Jimmy Carter exemplified what it means to live a life of faith and service to others. His love for and conservation of our shared public lands leaves a tremendous legacy, and I am grateful that the [Interior} Department will continue to honor his work at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park for generations to come," said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. "My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and the global community as we all mourn this selfless public servant."

At Defenders of Wildlife, Nicole Whittington-Evans, senior director of the organization's Wild Alaska program, noted that "[T]hanks to his visionary leadership, President Carter’s legacy is forever embodied in Alaska’s wild landscapes that will remain intact for generations. President Carter set the course of land and wildlife conservation in Alaska and ensured the long-term viability of indigenous cultural and traditional practices for rural Alaska Natives.”  

His legacy also was applauded by Tom Kiernan, president and CEO of American Rivers.

“Jimmy Carter was one of our nation’s great river heroes. He had a personal love of rivers and was an avid angler and paddler. His dedication to river conservation leaves a legacy of healthy, free-flowing rivers that will benefit our nation for generations to come," said Kiernan. “As governor of Georgia, Carter was instrumental in protecting the Flint and Chattahoochee rivers. As president, he played a key role in strengthening the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and securing federal protection for the Chattooga. Carter also ensured a legacy of healthy, free-flowing rivers by vetoing construction of unnecessary, destructive dams across the country.”

Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, reacted to Carter's death by saying, "[O]ur country has lost a conservation legend, one of the greatest presidents national park advocates have ever known. His dedication to public service and protection of our natural environment was matched by few of his predecessors or peers."

Carter's work on behalf of the National Park System was so valued and appreciated that in 2016 he was made an honorary ranger by then-National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis.

“President Carter embodies the spirit and principals of the National Park Service and it is a great honor for me to present him with this award,” said Director Jarvis. “As we look forward to our agency’s next 100 years, we can look back and be inspired by the incredible work of President Carter.”

“This is indeed an honor for me,” said President Carter, who received the honor in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. “Before I became president I was already deeply committed to the outdoors. I am very proud to have been an integral part of the conservation movement.”

President Carter’s remarked upon signing the ANILCA legislation: “We've preserved the unparalleled beauty of areas like the Misty Fiords and Admiralty Island National Monuments in southeast Alaska. And we've ensured that Alaska's Eskimos and Indians and Aleuts can continue their traditional way of life. And we've given the State of Alaska, finally, the opportunity to choose the land which will be theirs through eternity.

"I've been fortunate. I've seen firsthand some of the splendors of Alaska. But many Americans have not. Now, whenever they or their children or their grandchildren choose to visit Alaska, they'll have the opportunity to see much of its splendid beauty undiminished and its majesty untarnished," he added.

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area are among the units President Carter established that protect important resources and recreational opportunities near urban centers, benefitting millions of visitors annually. Urban parks continue today as the most visited units of the National Park System.

Other parks established under his presidency celebrate the United State's fight for equal rights with Martin Luther King Junior National Historic Site, Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Kaloko-Honokahau National Historical Park, and Boston African American National Historic Site. The War in the Pacific National Historical Park expanded the span of the National Park Service across the international dateline to Guam.

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