Debora Castro Earth Day Contest What have national parks meant to America? April 22, 2016 The Land of National Parks and the Home of the Proud Since its creation in 1916, the National Park Service (NPS) has had to keep a balance between its two goals, which are to preserve wilderness and historic sites and to provide the public with access to these wonders in a monitored environment. These two goals tend to create a conflict for the NPS because as soon as one goal is given more priority than the other, the administration of national parks is harshly criticized by the public. The accusation that by allowing people to experience the wilderness, the NPS is corrupting the natural environment is very common, as well, as the criticism towards the lack of government funding to preserve nature and history. However, regardless of arguable criticism and a certain need for improvement, after one hundred years, the National Park Service has much to celebrate. National parks have meant a source of American pride, not only because of the wonders contained within American borders, but also because Americans have been able to protect and preserve nature s inheritance to them while creating opportunities for local and foreign visitors to appreciate nature and experience the great American historic sites. The United States covers a large and diverse portion of the planet and has inherited some of the world s greatest wonders. From California s Sierra Nevada mountains and the Yosemite falls, to Arizona s Grand Canyon, Colorado s Rocky Mountains, Arkansas Hot Springs, and all the way to Maine s Mount Desert Island, the United States is rich with iconic sites. According to the NPS website, it currently counts with more than four hundred locations, covering more than
84 million acres in every state. However, it was not until the late nineteenth century that the United States recognized the need to protect and preserve the several areas of cultural, scientific, scenic, and historic importance found in the country. President Grant signed a law that established Yellowstone as the world's first national park in 1872 (Orr and Humphreys 85). This represented a key step in the process of national recognition and preservation of these sites. However, the park lacked proper ecological management, which ultimately resulted in the establishment of The Organic Act of 1916. This act was passed by the U.S. Congress with the purpose to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations (qtd. in Orr and Humphreys 86). From then on, Americans gained a new understanding of the importance to protect and preserve their own natural and historic treasures. The National Park Service, established in 1916, has successfully responded to the imperative need to protect the United States biodiversity from industrial development, changing climate, and human corruption. In order to understand how to protect the nation s biodiversity better, the NPS has focused on teaming up with professional scientists, university students, school groups, volunteers, and park partners to research the environment of each park. According to the NPS website, these efforts have identified species new to science, located species that have not been seen in parks in hundreds of years, and documented species that are able to survive in extreme conditions. The research that is done by the NPS allows them to better prepare for climate change, contributing with human effort to adjust the conditions, when necessary, to preserve biodiversity as much as possible for humans and all living organisms. Before the concept of national parks existed, the lands that are currently recognized as national parks could
be owned by anyone, which would have allowed these iconic sites to be vandalized and misused or to become industrialized as an effort to exploit their natural resources, therefore, corrupting the rich biodiversity of these places. Because these wonders are protected by the NPS, they can be preserved and admired forever. Even though the preservation of the biodiversity protected by national parks is a key goal for the NPS, national parks must also provide people with the opportunity to enjoy these iconic places. The NPS tends to receive harsh criticism for allowing humans to interact with the rest of the biodiversity that is meant to be preserved; however, national parks belong to the people of the United States, and hence, they have the right to experience these common treasures. Therefore, the U.S. congress has dictated a set of laws and statutes in order to ensure the NPS has sufficient [flexibility] to accommodate shifting understandings of [national parks] while also [making the law] sufficiently definite to prevent some of the more outrageous ideas for enjoying or conserving the parks (Nagle 65-66). Certainly, as any other system, the NPS may have some flaws on its effort to maintain the balance between preservation and enjoyment. However, overall, the United States NPS is an excellent example of providing enough education for the visitors and monitoring by established authorities to ensure that national parks are preserving the environment and providing enjoyment for the people. Through national parks, Americans have had the opportunity to appreciate nature and relive history or create their own. The more than four hundred locations that are currently recognized as national parks have been set aside because they are considered special places of beauty, character, or uniqueness. Whether visitors come from the natural state or the concrete jungle, the magnificent aesthetics of these sites can cause anyone to be astonished. As they ponder on the wonderful landscapes and the closeness to the wilderness, their souls are
nourished. Some people acknowledge the planet or the creator, but all appreciate the splendor of biodiversity and gain a new understanding of it. According to Frye and Nuest, watching other species and interacting with them helps [people] better understand and appreciate [their] place among them and [their] obligations to other living creatures and the same planetary environment that sustain both [their and the lives of other species] (54). Furthermore, since these sites have been carefully preserved, they have undergone very little physical or geological change in centuries. The NPS claimed through its website that by preserving biodiversity, [they] also ensure that future citizens, artists, and explorers of science experience [America s] lands as the founders of the parks did long ago. National parks allow visitors to relive scenes from the past and appreciate the nation s history as expressed in these iconic sites. However, national parks also create individual stories for all visitors. The younger generations of Americans have inherited older generations unforgettable memories created at national parks; hence, when the younger generations visit the parks, they have a chance to relive both their nation s history and their parents and grandparents experiences. The aesthetics of national parks and the history that accompanies them have caused Americans to have a greater conscience to respect and care for nature s inheritance to them. As a result of the great appeal of national parks, the country has been able to take advantage of opportunities for economic development, which has been both praised and criticized. People from all around the world travel to the U.S. only to experience the great American national parks. According to the NPS 2015 Annual Visitation Summary Report, a total of 480,307,933 people visited national parks in the United States during 2015 both for recreational and non-recreational purposes. Ecotourism, an economic model that combines tourism with commerce, contributes to the maintenance of national parks and allows isolated
small towns surrounding national parks to thrive. According to Frye and Nuest, in addition to the views, these wonders of the Earth provide ample opportunities for visitors to hike, bicycle, climb, swim, horseback ride, and paddle (52). Such activities contribute to the visitors experience and have resulted in great customer satisfaction (Roemer and Vasek 46). All of these activities, along with other further services such as lodging and dining, create income for national parks and local businesses, as well, as more employment opportunities for the people, working for both local business and at the national parks. The NPS website claimed that they employed approximately 22,000 permanent, temporary, and seasonal professionals. However, when the idea of commerce comes into play with the preservation of natural and historic sites, the danger to lose balance between the two goals of national parks becomes greater. To prevent this, the NPS strives to seek a balance between how much infrastructure they will allow before the infrastructure to accommodate tourism starts corrupting the unique and special nature of these sites, commonly considered wilderness. Until this day, the public has been served and the wilderness has received better protection than it would have received if the NPS did not exist. Americans can feel proud not only of the natural beauties and the history they own, but also of the smart concept they created. A concept that was thought of in the U.S. and has proven to be highly effective even through its weaknesses, has been admired and imitated all around the world. Through the NPS, nature has been protected, the beauty of these places has been recognized, commerce has thrived, and the world has gained a new perspective on the protection, preservation, and appreciation of biodiversity. National Parks, an idea that originated in the United States a hundred years ago, has provided Americans with pride that is undeniably welldeserved.
Works Cited Frye, Julie Marie, and Vaughn W. Nuest. "'The Mountains Are Calling' & You Must Go." Knowledge Quest 43.5 (2015): 50-57. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. Nagle, John Copeland. "How National Park Law Really Works." University of Colorado Law Review 86.3 (2015): 861-926.OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 19 Apr. 2016. Orr, Shannon, and Rebecca Humphreys. "Mission Rivalry: Use and Preservation Conflicts in National Parks Policy." Public Organization Review 12.1 (2012): 85. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. Roemer, Jennifer M., and Jerry J. Vaske. "National Park Service Visitor Satisfaction: A Comparative Analysis." Journal of Park & Recreation Administration 32.4 (2014): 35-51. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. United States. National Park Service. "Annual Visitation Summary Report for: 2015." NPS: NPS Visitor Use Statistics» Stats». U.S. Department of the Interior. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. <https://irma.nps.gov/stats/ssrsreports/national Reports/Annual Visitation Summary Report (1979 - Last Calendar Year)>. United States. National Park Service. "Frequently Asked Questions (U.S. National Park Service)." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. United States. National Park Service. "Preserving Biodiversity." NPS: Explore Nature» Biologic Resources». U.S. Department of the Interior. 27 May 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.