Butterflies for Dolly Parton

Unfortunately, the world lost Dolly Parton in August. Dolly was not only known for her incredible music career but also for her public statements and activism. She was often quoted referring to environmental conservation not as a political debate but as essential.

Growing up in the Southern Appalachian mountain range, she understood that nature is not separate from us. Her upbringing in rural, country forests grounded her even as she achieved fame, leading her to incorporate Dollywood (her Dolly-themed amusement park) into the Tennessee land rather than bulldozing for development. We can work with the land and ecosystem, to highlight what makes a region special, rather than destroying its existing beauty in the name of convenience. 

Through her contributions and activism, Dolly established the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary to rehabilitate and release over 400 eagles since 1991. When disasters struck, Dolly would often fund organizations to feed, clothe, and house displaced people. Across Tennessee, whether it was parks, bike paths, waterway clean-ups, Dolly supported it. She also incorporated Monarch butterfly habitats into Dollywood due to her love of butterfly conservation. After her passing, a Google search of her name produces a flutter of butterflies across the screen with the words "We will always love you" before the full view of the search results. This shows how synonymous Dolly and conservation have become.

We know Dolly Parton's musical legacy, and that will continue to play on in our lives. But let's not let her conservation legacy end here. We can learn lessons from the work she's done and organizations she's platformed to keep alive the spirit of shared experience and mutual health.

When we turn to nature as something we GO to, we MISS OUT on the majority of what nature is. Nature is not only National or State parks, it is our front yards, our food, our pets and pests, it is US. If we keep this mentality, we can utilize our empathy to maintain and rebuild healthy environments.

I encourage you to identify natural life currently in your responsibility. Then, reflect on how you can better integrate your life around it and what consequences you might currently be imposing. Watch for butterflies, and think of Dolly.