National Park Service Essay, Research Paper
Topic: The National Park Service will continue to play an important role in
twenty-first century society. Abstract: Those with a sense of destiny cried not
exploitation, but preservation of America?s land. This belief created the
first National Park and later the National Park Service to protect it and the
lands that were to be added. The National Park Service will continue to protect
the land and provide for the common good so visitors can enjoy the freedom of
nature and see the unspoiled earth, as man first knew it. One country, one land
bursting with life beholds the unspoiled beauty in America?s National Parks.
Those citizens with a sense of destiny cried not exploitation, but preservation
of the land. In 1872, Congress set aside two million acres of land to
established the first national park, Yellowstone (Questar). Congress had vision
to preserve the natural wonder of the land for the enjoyment of all Americans.
It was called ?the best idea America ever had.? Believing in this vision,
Woodrow Wilson signed legislation to form the National Park Service in 1916 to
protect the lands set aside by Congress. As the National Park System began to
grow from 7.5 million acres of land to 80.1 million acres, measures had to be
taken in order to establish rules and limitations within the parks. The National
Park System contains some of the most important and largest natural
preservations in the country: millions of acres of old untouched forests,
wildlife reservations, lakes, and other natural beauties are preserved and
protected as national treasures (Lovett 10). Allowing people access to the parks
could harm the land in which Congress strives to protect. The question is how
can the spirit of the land be preserved without taming it and is it possible to
for the parks to be enjoyed and protected at the same time? The National Park
Service serves the common good of the parks by ensuring that the community
members have access to the park resources, and by ensuring that park resources
are protected for the benefit of the future generations (12). This is not an
easy task to achieve. It is the responsibility of the National Park Service to
make certain that the parks can be enjoyed and preserved; but on the other hand
it is the responsibility of visitors to respect the land as if it was their own.
The responsibility of the park service requires such duties as maintaining safe
and pleasant visitor accommodations and providing visitors with information
(maps and guides) to educate them about the park so they can fully experience
the beauty and importance of a natural environment. The park service cares
whether if the visitors have a nice vacation while in the parks (Sellars 14).
That is why they make efforts to educate people about the parks, encourage
visitation, serve the interests of both the visitors of today and of the future,
and to make in the informed decisions about the land. By continuing to protect
the parks against the wear and tear of use so that the original values of each
park remain intact for each visitor the National Park service will continue to
play an important role in the twenty-first century. The national park system
serves the individual needs of our country and our land. These needs provide
tourism and vacationing, the opportunity to interact with nature, enjoyment of
cultural and historical monuments, and physical exercise (Lovett16). The
contributions of the park system are valued as common goods to the country. As
long as the park service continues to provide their efforts to keep the parks
looking beautiful and consistent with nature, America will always have a place
of refuge in common. In cooperation with the legislation passed by government,
the National Park Service will continue to play an important role in American
society by protecting our mountains from being striped, trees cut, and water
tainted (Cong 27). Without the aid of Congress and the Park Service, America?s
beautiful land could be thrashed and misused, in which case people of the future
would not be able to enjoy the majestic grandeurs of America. The influence of
the National Park Service in America has spread to other countries. Without a
doubt, the actions and of the National Park Service will continue to play an
important role in the twenty-first century. The protection and preservation of
America?s land both inside and outside the National Parks are as important now
as it was when America did not even exist, and more importantly they will
continue play a crucial role in the future.
Works Cited America’s adventurous and majestic parks. [videorecording] /
[presented by] Questar Video Imprint Portland, OR: Encounter Productions;
distributed by Questar Video, Chicago, IL, 1995, 1 cassette, 85 min, col, VHS.
Cong. Rec. 21 Nov. 1991: Y4.IN8/14:102-46. United States. Cong. Subcommittee on
National Parks and Public Lands of the Committee on Interior and Insular
Affairs. National Park Service 75th Anniversary Symposium recommendations.
Washington: GPO, 1992. Lovett, Francis N. National Parks: Rights and the Common
Good. Oxford: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1998. Sellars, Richard
West. Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History. New Haven: Yale
University Press, 1997.