Dolly Parton on ‘Mistreating Mother Nature’: ‘We’re so Freely Messing Up’
Dolly Parton famously stays out of politics. But there are some things she can’t help but be vocal about. In a recent interview, the “Jolene” singer shared her thoughts regarding our treatment of “Mother Nature.” Here’s how Parton gives back to the Earth, and how she thinks we should all do better.
How Dolly Parton contributes to bald eagle conservation
“She is very active in causes that speak to her heart,” Jessica Hall, executive director of the American Eagle Foundation, which runs a bald eagle sanctuary at Dollywood, told National Geographic.
One environmental cause that’s spoken loudly to Parton through the years is the conservation of eagles.
The American Eagle Foundation at Dollywood rescues and rehabilitates injured and orphaned bald eagles, vultures, and owls, as well as other various types of birds. If a bird is unable to be released back into the wild, it remains at Dollywood, where it becomes an educational tool to the millions of people who visit the park on a yearly basis.
“To date we’ve released over 180 bald eagles into the wild in the Smoky Mountains,” said Hall. “It’s incredible: We’ve tracked our bald eagles in Ohio and Florida. We feel strongly that we have played a small but important role in the repopulation of the bald eagle species in the South.”
Hall went on to note that Dollywood has been “instrumental in our success.” And there are plans for expansion. In 2023, the foundation is slated to open a new public facility in Sevierville that will be the largest bald eagle education and rehabilitation center in the nation.
‘We’re just mistreating Mother Nature’
But it’s not just bald eagles the “Down From Dover” singer is passionate about. In general, she feels “we should pay more attention” to how we treat the Earth.
“We’re just mistreating Mother Nature—that’s like being ugly to your mama,” said Parton. “We need to take better care of the things that God gave us freely. And that we’re so freely messing up.”
Dolly Parton has always felt a special connection to nature
Dolly Parton grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.
“We got the most radiant flowers, the biggest assortment of trees,” she told National Geographic. “The Smokies have a heart of their own. It’s the way the water flows, the way it sounds, and the way it feels when you get in it. I don’t know if it’s just because it’s my home—but I really don’t think so. I think it’s just one of those special places that God put here for us to enjoy.”
Her appreciation for nature started at a young age. Living in a one-bedroom shack with her parents and 11 brothers and sisters, young Parton spent a lot of time outside. It wasn’t long before experiencing nature became a spiritual experience for the “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” singer.
“Growing up in the mountains, like we did, we were a part of the birds and the bees and the trees and the flowers,” she wrote in her book, Songteller. “…When I see nature’s colors, that’s when I am closest to [God]. I think that I am at my best when I write songs that are connected to God, as I see Him.”
