Inside Kevin Costner’s New Docuseries: What You Need to Know
Kevin Costner Highlights Environmental Message in New Docuseries “Yellowstone to Yosemite”
Kevin Costner is opening up about the deeper purpose behind his new Fox Nation docuseries, Yellowstone to Yosemite. The series follows Costner as he retraces the legendary 1903 journey of President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir through Yosemite National Park — a pivotal trip that helped spark America’s conservation movement.
“Part of what I wanted to convey,” Costner explains, “is that back then, even if you declared a place protected — like Yellowstone — there wasn’t a system in place to enforce it. Those early parks were still being overrun. The nature of man is to take what he can, even if there’s a fence or a sign.”
Through the series, Costner aims to spotlight not only the historical significance of this journey but also the role Native American heritage and stewardship played in preserving the land. “Yosemite is worth talking about because, at that time, places like it weren’t protected. America wasn’t thinking environmentally. We were thinking more, more, more. America was like the Garden of Eden,” he says.
A Passion for the Planet
In the interview, Costner also shared his growing concern for today’s environmental challenges.
“What’s disturbing is that there are probably more environmentally aware people now than ever, yet we’re still on the brink,” he said. “We never thought an ocean could be exhausted — but now, for the first time in 15,000 years, they’re not fishing for salmon off the coast of California. What’s going on? We’re fighting each other, debating things that are right in front of our eyes.”
Teaching the Next Generation
The actor and director also reflected on how he connects his children with nature in a hands-on way.
“I take my boys hunting, fishing, diving — whenever I can. I don’t get out as much as I’d like, but I take every opportunity,” Costner shared. “I’m actually heading to Cuba at midnight to dive for eight days on a historical shipwreck I’ve been researching. I want to tell the story of what might have happened there.”
Camping, he says, teaches essential lessons. “When you camp, the first thing you realize is that you have to do things for yourself. The second is that the environment starts to tell you what to do — if it’s cold, you put on a jacket. If it’s hot, you take it off. If you want a fire, you have to build it.”
