On Thursday, Jan. 29, Dr. Delia Lister, director of Nature Reach and Professor at Pittsburg State University. Dr. Lister shared insights from her doctoral research on climate change communications in the United States’ national parks, highlighting how science storytelling and trust can shape the public understanding of global warming. Lester’s work focuses on bridging the gap between scientific research and public engagement.
While scientists are adept at communicating complex data, some tend to fall short in interpreting it to the general public. Heritage interpreters, such as National Park Service Rangers, play a critical role in translating science into accessible, meaningful stories. According to Lister, National Parks are uniquely positioned for this type of work because they are among the few trusted public institutions in the United States and serve as a classroom for both natural and cultural learning.
Her research, conducted alongside her former Nature Reach peers, centered on iconic but vulnerable parks: Joshua Tree National Park in California and its iconic Joshua trees, and Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, respectively, for its glaciers. Both these sites were selected because their defining features, Joshua trees and glaciers, are directly threatened by climate change, making them powerful case studies for communication and education.
At Joshua Tree, Dr. Lister’s team conducted field observations, interviewed visitors, and studied exhibit interactions and Ranger-led interpretive programs. The park spans two deserts, the Mojave and the Colorado, and attracts more visitors than it can sustainably support. Joshua trees are a keystone species of the Mojave Desert and serve as direct indicators of the ecosystem’s health. Modeling research predicts that by 2050, much of the Joshua tree population may not survive due to rising temperatures, drought, wildfires, and, most of all, invasive grasses fueled by pollution from Los Angeles.
Wildlife is also being affected. The Desert tortoise populations have declined dramatically due to extreme heat, reduced precipitation, vehicle collisions, and the illegal pet trade. Once an iconic species of the desert, it now faces an uncertain future despite its role as a major ecosystem engineer, creating shelter for other species.
Dr. Lister also emphasizes the importance of place-based stories. Joshua Trees, the ancestral homeland of several indigenous tribes, and its preservation are tied to the efforts of Minerva Hamilton White, whose advocacy led to the park’s design as a national monument. Cultural icons such as U2’s “Joshua Tree” album, the legend of musician Gram Parsons, and the annual “GramFest” further illustrate how personal connection plays a key role in how people remember and protect these parks.
The research team also spent two weeks in Glacier Bay National Park observing climate communication in a dramatically different environment; unlike Joshua Tree National Park’s drive-through experience, Glacier Bay is primarily accessed by water. Rangers deliver interpretive programs aboard cruise ships where visitors learn about glacial retreat, wildlife, and climate impacts in real time in Glacier Bay. Lister and her students observe humpback whales, sea otters, stellar sea lions, mountain goats, and other marine life in the tidal waters. Documenting how visitors engage with climate information, the park’s glaciers have retreated rapidly, part of a broader trend in which 95% of Alaska’s glaciers have shrunk between 1985 and 2020, primarily due to human-caused climate change. Marine heat waves have also contributed to significant declines in humpback whale populations. Climate change has also reshaped human history in the region. The Native people living in Glacier Bay were forced from their ancestral homeland during the Little Ice Age. As advancing glaciers overtook their villages, today federal land policies prevent their return underscoring the long-term social impacts of environmental change.
Dr. Lister described climate change as the “perfect problem;” complex, slow-moving, and psychologically distant, while global temperatures have risen approximately 1.35° C. The excess energy trapped in the atmosphere is equivalent to hundreds of thousands of atomic bombs detonating daily, driving extreme weather, health risk and ecosystem collapse. Yet many people perceive climate change as a distant or abstract threat, shaped mostly by political identity, which means information and deliberate doubt campaigns by fossil fuel interests.
Research shows that people trust family and friends more than media or politicians when learning about climate change. Notably, the National Park service ranks as the most trusted government agency for climate information across all political affiliations This trust makes parks critical spaces for meaningful impactful climate education, though Lister noted missed opportunities included limited exhibit spaces, staffing challenges and hesitation around climate messaging. In her conclusion, Dr. Lister emphasized that talking about climate change is one of the most powerful actions that an individual can take in spreading awareness.
Personal stories shared by trusted messengers help to make the issue tangible and relatable by countering fear-based or overly technical approaches. She encourages students and community members to engage through volunteering, supporting environmental organizations, contacting elected officials, and voting both at the ballot and with their wallets.
Ultimately, Dr. Lister’s research highlights the vital role national parks play in shaping public perceptions and understanding of climate change through storytelling, science-based interpretation, and open conversations. Parks have the potential to reach audiences where traditional messaging often falls short, turning shared experiences into everlasting awareness in action.