George Meléndez Wright Made It Right, We Can Too

The statement highlights the legacy of George Meléndez Wright, the first Latino National Park Service employee of El Salvadoran heritage, who modernized wildlife management at Yosemite National Park and established the National Park Service's Wildlife Division. It notes that despite his contributions—including creating the first wildlife management plans and personally funding surveys—there is no commemoration of his work at Yosemite. The text concludes by criticizing the Trump Administration for government shutdowns, federal labor force reductions, and the erasure of climate change interpretation in national parks.

• George Meléndez Wright, the first Latino National Park Service employee of El Salvadoran heritage, joined the service in 1927 and transformed Yosemite National Park's management from an 'amusement park' model to one based on scientific observation and data.
• Wright established the National Park Service's first wildlife management plans, Fauna No. 1 and Fauna No. 2, and personally funded over half of the survey costs and team salaries when the Congressionally authorized budget was insufficient.
• Wright's management plans introduced several novel policies, including ending bear feeding attractions, protecting predatory species, reintroducing exterminated native species, and managing fallen trees and snags as wildlife habitat.
• Despite his role in establishing the Wildlife Division and heading the Natural Resources Board in 1934, there is currently no signage, exhibits, or storytelling infrastructure at Yosemite National Park commemorating Wright's legacy.
• The author asserts that the Trump Administration is attempting to dismantle the function of public lands through government shutdowns, federal labor force reductions, and the erasure of climate change and historical interpretation at national park units.

APA

Juarez, O. (2025). George Meléndez Wright Made It Right, We Can Too. GreenLatinos. https://www.greenlatinos.org/george-melendez-wright-made-it-right-we-can-too/

Chicago

Juarez, Olivia. George Meléndez Wright Made It Right, We Can Too. GreenLatinos, 2025. https://www.greenlatinos.org/george-melendez-wright-made-it-right-we-can-too/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Juarez |first1=Olivia |title=George Meléndez Wright Made It Right, We Can Too |publisher=GreenLatinos |date=2 October 2025 |url=https://www.greenlatinos.org/george-melendez-wright-made-it-right-we-can-too/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{juarez2025george, author = {Juarez, Olivia}, title = {{George Meléndez Wright Made It Right, We Can Too}}, publisher = {GreenLatinos}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://www.greenlatinos.org/george-melendez-wright-made-it-right-we-can-too/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }