How To Help National Parks: 5 Ways To Donate, Volunteer And Support The Trump-Defying Agency

The revolution will not be televised. It will be tweeted — at least, if the National Park Service is involved.

Two national parks were fighting back against President Donald Trump this week after the White House briefly silenced their social media accounts in response to the federal agency's sharing of a photo that showed how small the crowd at inauguration was.

The Badlands profile tweeted climate change facts Tuesday night before pulling the messages down, and the Death Valley account addressed Japanese internment Wednesday. Both seemed to be taking shots at Trump, who has said climate change isn't real and whose supporters have drawn comparisons between the president's proposed Muslim registry and the World War II internment camps.

Press secretary Sean Spicer said in a news conference Wednesday that the Badlands messages came from an unauthorized employee. But they drew notice nonetheless, especially given reports that Trump plans to take down climate change information from the Environmental Protection Agency and Congress wants to sell federal land.

Though the drama has been occurring on Twitter, your activism doesn't have to stay there. If you're on the side of the parks, here's how you can show your support:

Give money to the National Park Foundation, a charity that was chartered by Congress in 1967 to formally support the agency. You can donate once or set up monthly gifts here.

Attend an event put on by the National Parks Conservation Association, an independent nonprofit that has criticized Trump's plans for the EPA in several news releases. On Feb. 8, for example, you can head to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to see Alan Spears speak about the importance of an inclusive parks system.

Check out Volunteer.org to help out with a project near you. One of the featured opportunities Wednesday was at the Grand Portage National Monument in Minnesota, which needs living history interpreters to teach Ojibwe culture to visitors.

Contact your representatives to let them know how you feel about Trump's proposals, Congress' plans and the potential confirmation of Ryan Zinke as interior secretary. See a list of bills linked to the parks here, and find your local lawmakers here.

Stay informed by following @AltNatParkSer, a Twitter account that purports to be run by rangers in their free time. It may or may not be real, but they are sharing links to reports on topics like climate change and space that you should probably know.