Earth to Sky’s story begins with Anita Davis and a small, historic program informally known as the Space Rangers.

While working on detail at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as a National Park Service ranger, Anita saw the potential to help interpreters use NASA resources in their work with the public.

Interpreters help people connect with the stories of the places they love, and NASA science could bring greater depth to those stories.

Years later, while working as a NASA contractor, Anita met Ruth Paglierani of the University of California, Berkeley. Their shared interest in bringing NASA science to interpreters helped spark the idea that would become Earth to Sky.

Over several years, small meetings grew into larger conferences, and the idea behind Earth to Sky began to take shape.

In 2004, Anita Davis and Ruth Paglierani worked with National Park Service leadership and interpreters to hold the first official Earth to Sky course.

The course trained interpreters and informal educators on the breadth of NASA science.

While recruiting coaches for the course, Anita and Ruth met National Park Service ranger and climate communicator John Morris. Together, Anita, Ruth, and John became the driving force behind the development of Earth to Sky.

As climate change gained national attention, Earth to Sky’s founders recognized that NASA’s scientific expertise could help interpreters address the subject with greater confidence and accuracy.

Earth to Sky courses began to focus on developing excellent climate communicators. John Morris helped champion this work through a series of important contributions, including the first National Park Service climate change brochure.

The brochure initially faced resistance because the National Park Service had not yet taken a public position on climate change. With information certified by NASA scientists, it was eventually approved, and 500,000 copies were distributed to national parks across the country. The brochure helped open the door for interpreters to begin discussing climate change with visitors.

By 2019, the Earth to Sky training methodology had been thoroughly tested and was ready to stretch in new directions. Working with Ruth, John, and new team members Jennetta Giddens and Geneviève de Messières, along with partners from NPS’s Climate Change Response Program, Anita led the development of Earth to Sky’s very first Academy.

The participants of this first Academy walked away as Earth to Sky regional leaders, with new tools, a host of new connections, and an enduring sense of hope and community. The regional model has since become a staple of Earth to Sky’s efforts, inspiring participants to step into leadership roles and design climate communication trainings rich with NASA resources.