Protect the Parks: A Journey to Reclaim What Belongs to All of Us
- Danika Fornear
- May 29
- 4 min read
In just days, three women—organizers, mothers, healers, and fighters—will hit the road in a cross-country journey designed not for leisure, but for resistance. The Protect Our Parks Project is a mobile movement—an 18-day act of grassroots defiance that will stretch from the Deep South to the Pacific Northwest to the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
The mission is simple: to defend the wild places that belong to all of us—and to expose the growing threats of political extremism, privatization, and climate collapse that seek to erase them.
But this isn’t just about the land. It’s about who we are when we protect it.
Meet the Women Behind the Wheel
Together, they form the rhythm, fire, and guidance of the Protect Our Parks project—each playing a vital role as they roll across the country in a grassroots-powered act of resistance.
Dr. Cindy Banyai is the compass—steady, strategic, and always pointing toward justice. She charts the course, connects the dots, and keeps the movement moving forward with clarity and direction. A mother of three and a relentless advocate for accountability and transparency, Cindy brings decades of experience in public service, civic planning, and government reform.
Danielle Hagmann is the campfire—warm, grounding, and quietly revolutionary. She creates the kind of presence people gather around—where care meets conviction, and connection sparks action. A lifelong advocate, movement-builder, and mother shaped by both resilience and resistance, Danielle brings deep wisdom, lived experience, and an unwavering commitment to protect what we love. She reminds us that justice is an act of devotion—and that defending the Earth begins with relationship.
Danika Joy Fornear is the lantern—carrying the light that reveals what’s been buried, ignored, or forgotten. A former firefighter, journalist, environmental educator, and alligator wrestler, she translates the journey into story, image, and action. A widowed mother of two raising her family on a rural Florida farm, Danika brings both grit and grace to the road, shining light on the truth so others can follow.
Together, these women aren’t just visiting parks—they’re protecting them. One mile, one story, one sacred space at a time.
The Journey
The road begins in Atlanta, where the project kicks off at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park—a powerful starting point for a journey rooted in civil rights and environmental justice. From there, they travel to Memphis, honoring the legacy of Dr. King at the Lorraine Motel and the National Civil Rights Museum.
Next, they head west to Topeka, Kansas, home of the Brown v. Board of Education Historic Site, where they reflect on the ongoing fight for equity in America’s schools, streets, and public spaces.
Crossing into Colorado, they’ll explore the Rocky Mountain region near Denver, where climate change, overdevelopment, and corporate land grabs threaten some of the most majestic terrain in the country.
They’ll spend time in Payson Lake, Utah, immersed in the alpine serenity of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, before heading to Idaho, where volcanic fields at Craters of the Moon and riverside stops along North Fork offer a chance to witness the raw beauty—and fragility—of America’s public lands. There, they’ll visit parts of the Boise National Forest, where logging and wildfires have become daily threats.
In Portland, Oregon, the team will connect with activists and conservationists protecting the Columbia River Gorge, before traveling up to Seattle, home of Olympic National Park—a rare ecosystem where alpine peaks, lush rainforests, and coastal tidepools collide.
Their journey then winds through Nez Perce territory in Idaho, visiting Walker Cabin and the surrounding ghost town—bearing witness to the history of displacement, resistance, and survival woven into these lands.
Afterward, they head to Yellowstone National Park, where geysers roar and bison roam across a region that once served as a model for conservation—but now faces new threats from tourism, political interference, and extractive interests. They’ll camp near Beaver Creek, hike into Grand Teton National Park, and share reflections at Colter Bay, surrounded by jagged peaks and sacred ground.
Next comes South Dakota, where they’ll visit Wind Cave National Park—a site of geological wonder and Lakota significance—before crossing the Great Plains toward Chicago, where they’ll visit the Pullman National Historical Park, the birthplace of America’s labor movement.
The final leg of their journey takes them through the heart of the country to Washington, D.C., where they’ll visit the National Mall, the Smithsonian, and the National Zoo—reminders that education, civic memory, and environmental stewardship must remain accessible to all.
On June 20, they’ll return to Florida—not to rest, but to rise.
Why Now? Why Parks?
This journey was born from the urgent need to defend what’s ours: public lands, public memory, and public power. Florida’s state parks are under siege from corporate development and right-wing deregulation. Nationally, Republican lawmakers are pushing to gut land protections, greenlight oil drilling, and hand federal lands to private interests.
In a time when disinformation spreads faster than wildfires, and silence often feels safer than resistance, these women are choosing the road. Choosing the work. Choosing each other.
Because protecting parks isn’t just about nature—it’s about protecting the people and futures that depend on.