Former President Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29, 2024 at the age of 100, doubled the amount of land protected by the National Park Service while he was in office. Carter’s conservation efforts are one of his enduring legacies, having signed a total of 39 national park sites into law, including 10 new national parks and preserves in Alaska via the 1978 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.
Carter was even given the title of honorary park ranger by the National Park Service in 2016 to recognize his tremendous work.
“Our country has lost a conservation legend, one of the greatest presidents national park advocates have ever known,” writes the National Park Conservation Association. “His dedication to public service and protection of our natural environment was matched by few of his predecessors or peers.”
“It is good to realize that if love and peace can prevail on Earth, and if we can teach our children to honor nature’s gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever,” wrote former President Carter in his memoir, “An Outdoor Journal.”
