To help NC’s national parks, Sen. Burr should support Rep. Haaland as interior secretary

President Joe Biden ran on the promise of building back better for our country. He committed to reinstating much-needed regulatory protections that the previous administration rolled back, taking on climate change, and prioritizing environmental justice. Accomplishments like these are no easy feat, but this administration can achieve them – with the right people on the team. And so far, Biden has pulled together a powerful, diverse group of leaders in his Cabinet.

Biden’s Cabinet reflects the diversity of our country; his list of appointments includes the first openly gay cabinet official – Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg - as well as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the first woman in her role.

Now, our country has a chance to make history once more. Confirming Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico, Biden’s nominee for the secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI), would make her the first Native American cabinet secretary in U.S. history. Her confirmation would offer hope to many underrepresented voices in the mainstream outdoor movement, and be regarded as a beacon of progress in our country. There is no one better to lead the agency charged with protecting and managing our nation’s natural and cultural resources, including more than 400 national parks, than a descendant of the original guardians of these lands.

The interior secretary is responsible for more than 500 million acres of federal lands and more than 1.5 billion acres of offshore waters. DOI needs strong and bold leadership to ensure that all members of our communities have access to our public lands, and that our natural and cultural resources are protected. Future generations deserve the ability to visit our public lands and learn the lessons they teach, the same way that we do today.

In his many years in Congress, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., has at times bucked his party in his strong support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a program that protects new and existing American public lands. This commitment led Burr to join colleagues across the aisle in voting for the historic Great American Outdoors Act, which permanently and fully funded LWCF and addressed the massive maintenance backlog facing our national parks.

As a supporter of commonsense conservation programs and iconic North Carolina national parks like the Great Smoky Mountains, Burr has much in common with Haaland. I urge Burr to confirm her nomination In the spirit of bipartisanship and the unity of our public lands,.

For many years, Great Smoky Mountains National Park in western North Carolina has been the most visited national park in the country. But as visitation skyrockets, the Smokies and other parks have faced astronomical costs the Park Service cannot address with their shoestring budget. As a result, the park system’s maintenance backlog continues to grow, leading to crumbling roads, trails, restrooms, visitor centers and other infrastructure across the country.

Without bold leadership, I am afraid that we will love our public lands to death.

From the Smokies to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, our North Carolina national parks deserve better. The Biden administration has pledged to build them back better. And Haaland is just the person we need at the helm of DOI to fulfill this promise. Haaland understands that addressing infrastructure needs at parks like the Smokies will not only help protect our parks for future generations, but also generate infrastructure-related jobs and bring relief to local communities suffering through hard times.

As secretary Haaland would stand up for what is right for our public lands in the face of political and industry pressures. She is committed to working with tribes, local communities, conservation groups and the American people – across the aisle, and that includes Senator Burr.

For North Carolina’s national parks, Senator Burr, we need you to stand and be counted. We need you to vote to quickly approve Haaland’s nomination as Interior Secretary.

Diquan Edmonds lives in Durham. He is a member of the National Parks Conservation Association’s Next Generation Advisory Council.