Hawaii 9-Year-Old's Nonprofit Aims To Safeguard National Parks

A precocious nine-year-old from Hawaii with a love for nature is on a mission to protect America’s national parks and he wants others in his age group to help him lead the fight.

Robbie Bond launched Kids Speak for Parks last week, a nonprofit, which, in his own words, he established to protect, educate and advocate for national parks that are potentially endangered. Robbie is not alone in this adventure and has the help and support of his parents, his father, who is also named Robbie and his mom, Michelle Bond.

Through the nonprofit, the younger Robbie wants to create an army of fourth graders to protect America's national monuments. Robbie got his "Every Kid In The Park Pass" in the fourth grade, a government program that allows fourth graders and their families to tour America's national parks for free. When he heard of President Trump's executive order that threatens 27 national monuments, he knew he had to do more.

As part of the nonprofit, Robbie wants to bring inner city kids to experience the national parks.

"We're gonna take kids in the city that don't really have any natural parks so they can see all the wonders of nature," Robbie told Patch in a phone interview.

So far, Robbie has traveled to two national park and his favorite is Sequoia in California, because of the "waterfalls and rivers." He visited the park with his parents and two friends Lily May and Julie.

"They put up a tent all by themselves," Robbie's mother, Michelle, said in an interview.

Next, he's on to visit Bears Ears in Utah, one of the national parks that is threatened by Trump's executive order and is perhaps the most controversial in the fight to scale down lands controlled by the federal government.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke made it clear that he believes in small-sizing national monuments.Trump announced the review of 27 monuments in May, saying the designations imposed by previous presidents amounted to a massive federal land grab. Monument designations protect federal land from energy development and other activities.

Last week, Zinke removed Colorado's Canyons of the Ancients National Monument from the list under review. He previously dropped two others, one in Idaho and one in Washington state. A full report is due next month.

After Bears Ears, Robbie is looking forward to visiting Papahānaumokuākea in Hawaii, one of five marine preserves threatened under the executive order. He even met with Nainoa Thompson, navigator and president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, who oversaw the expedition of a canoe that recently returned from a three-year journey around the globe. Crewmembers on the canoe traveled to 19 countries spreading the message to care for the earth.

"When a 9-year old says something like "our national parks and monuments are under attack," you sit up and listen," Thompson said in a statement via email. "Standing up for our natural treasures is honorable for anyone, but for a young person like Robbie to take a stand like this - it shows courage at a time when our Island Earth needs us most. I support Robbie and Kids Speak for Parks - their voices need to be heard."

Robbie wants both kids and adults to share their photos of national parks on his website and on social media as a way of sharing their experiences at national parks. There have already been conversations for the first group to benefit from Robbie's effort to tour national parks and Patagonia has agreed to give gear to the kids. Robbie also plans on advocating for parks through petitions and possibly paid advertising against efforts to tear down national parks.

Robbie's parents couldn't be prouder of their son.

"He's got no agenda, he's just trying to do his part," Robbie's father said.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.