Acting on the wishes of his predecessor Theodore Roosevelt for the preservation of America’s natural wonders, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act on August 25, 1916. This document stipulated the creation of the National Parks Service (NPS), the overseer of the U.S.’s 400 federally protected sites and landmarks. As part of its centennial celebration, the Service has commissioned “Find Your Park,” a social media outreach campaign that encourages tourists to visit any of the U.S.’ 59 national parks. Despite the NPS’ concerted effort to attract more visitors to the national parks, the message may be lost on some who view the parks as insignificant. This mindset puts the parks system in jeopardy; however, widespread visitation of these natural wonders ensures their preservation for decades to come.
National parks were not created with a specific demographic in mind. Some may balk at the opportunity to visit the parks, citing a lack of inclination toward athletics or poor accessibility. While hiking, climbing and rafting are among some of the most popular activities in the parks system, most parks can be enjoyed from the comfort of one’s vehicle. However, true enjoyment comes from the ability to leave civilization behind, whether it be for a few minutes to days at a time. Hundreds of miles of hiking trails exist throughout the parks system, providing seclusion from the sophistication of modern life.
Our national parks serve a purpose beyond that of solely recreation. The national parks host some of the country’s greatest natural wonders and are home to flora and fauna found only in very few other places on Earth. Montana’s Glacier National Park, home to the only mountain goat population in the United States, contains over 130 named lakes and the famed Jackson and Grinnell Glaciers. Yellowstone’s Old Faithful continues to marvel visitors in the modern era, just as it amazed explorer Nathaniel P. Langford nearly 150 years ago. Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park requires little explanation of its beauteous and awesome network of canyons, which cover an area of 1.2 million acres.
To visit the national parks is admittedly a commitment; their remote nature necessitates travel to some of America’s smallest towns, often hours away from the nearest major city. This should not dissuade one from pursuing the opportunity. Everglades National Park is a relatively short hour and a half south across Alligator Alley – we live in its backyard.
The Organic Act’s purpose of preservation is made overtly clear. The document reads that its enactment enables the NPS: “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.”
As inhabitants of this green Earth, we have been given the right to enjoy the national parks in their virginal state for eternity. To squander that right would be foolish.
