Public Lands on Fire (This Time in a Good Way)

A throwback to when the only thing erupting was actual molten rock

A few years ago, we stood at the edge of an active volcano—steam rising, ground cracked open, the air smelling faintly of brimstone. At the time, it felt like standing on the edge of the world.

Looking back now, it feels almost... stable. Compared to what’s happening to public lands today, that volcanic hellscape had a kind of clarity. No euphemisms. No “public-private partnerships.” Just raw, unapologetic power. The land didn’t pretend to be safe or accessible. It simply was. And it let you know who was in charge.

We were in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, home to two of the biggest, boldest volcanoes on Earth: Mauna Loa and Kīlauea. The latter had just wrapped up a major eruption. Entire neighborhoods had been erased. Roads disappeared. New coastline formed. And yet, the park was open. Still public. Still wild.

We hiked across lava fields that didn’t exist a decade earlier. Walked through rainforests rising straight out of the rock. Watched steam hiss from vents along the trail like t…