Democracy at its best.. The National Park System

In light of the recent news that admission to the national parks may soon be increasing, I have been considering my personal thoughts on the matter. The concept of the national park was a new one until the foundation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Prior to the establishment of Yellowstone, the ability to retreat into natural ares was often enjoyed only by those who could afford membership in a sporting club or those who owned private property with such amenities. The value of these rejuvenating experiences was known, but was not yet able to be enjoyed by all.

The United States has always been known to be a land of amazing and varying landscapes. It is the decision to set these landscapes and natural areas aside that has often been and is currently the cause of much disagreement. Whether the value of the land comes from useful natural resources or is limited to the fees that could be charged visitors wishing to see and experience it, the decision to hold it in trust for the benefit of all who wish to enter will always be divisive.

To be honest, when I first heard of the admission price increases, I did not gasp or become angry. Certainly I had a mild level of concern, but part of me, honestly probably most of me, considered it a necessary evil. Most people do not realize the tremendous strain that is placed on these beloved areas by the numerous visitors that overwhelm them each year. Aside from the more obvious examples of parking lots, infrastructure, and waste, there are the harder to visualize concerns such erosion from traffic (both foot and vehicle) and the effects on wildlife that the incessant presence of humans has.

I am not a scientist. I love to learn about all things scientific, but have no formal training. Yet, I am still able to understand that when humans invade natural areas, we inherently bring with us change (even if often unintended). There are two possible ways to receive this information. One can be saddened by truth that it carries, or the information can be used to strengthen the information and resolve to have the smallest possible impact on our sacred places.

Often the pessimist, I initially had little faith in the ability of the common entrant to the parks to comprehend or care about his or her effects on the parks. Thus, the concept of less people being able to enter the parks, even if due to price constraints, was not all together bad to me. That was until I did something that I do probably about three times a year; I watched “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” by Ken Burns.

I wish I had an answer for how to solve the ecological impacts of park visitation. I do not. I am however certain that financial limitation, when added to the already existent geographic limitations that are present for most Americans, will do more harm than good to the parks in the long run. I have always said that I could change a single person’s views on public land if I could only show them the treasures that exist to be enjoyed in nature, but I cannot do it if the person cannot afford to see them.

There are less and less natural places every day. That is just the sad truth. There are however more and more people being born every day that will have the burden and responsibility of continuing the work of conservationists before them. How can we expect them to do so and to want to do so if they have been excluded from the opportunity to experience nature? I would hate to think that the next John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Ansel Adams, or Theodore Roosevelt was not able to enter the park because we were unwilling to find funding elsewhere or because we took the easy path to limiting ecological impacts.

These views may not be shared by all, but I will always be an advocate of getting people outside.

— TH

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