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NPS Legacy (USDOS).Pdf JOURNALURNALUSA national Parks, national legacy U.S. DEPARTMENT 0F STATE / BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAMS The Bureau of International Information Programs of the U.S. Department of State publishes a monthly electronic journal under the eJournal USA logo. These journals U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE / JUNE 2008 / examine major issues facing the United States and the VOLUME 13 / NUMBER 7 international community, as well as U.S. society, values, http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournals.html thought, and institutions. One new journal is published monthly in English and is followed by versions in French, Portuguese, Russian, and International Information Programs: Spanish. Selected editions also appear in Arabic, Chinese, and Persian. Each journal is catalogued by volume and number. Coordinator Jeremy F. Curtin Executive Editor Jonathan Margolis The opinions expressed in the journals do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. government. The U.S. Department of State assumes no responsibility for the content and continued accessibility of Internet sites Creative Director George Clack to which the journals link; such responsibility resides Editor-in-Chief Richard W. Huckaby solely with the publishers of those sites. Journal articles, Managing Editor Charlene Porter photographs, and illustrations may be reproduced and Production Manager Susan L. Doner translated outside the United States unless they carry Assistant Production Manager Chloe D. Ellis explicit copyright restrictions, in which case permission Web Producer Janine Perry must be sought from the copyright holders noted in the journal. The Bureau of International Information Programs Copy Editor Kathleen Hug maintains current and back issues in several electronic Photo Editor Ann Monroe Jacobs formats, as well as a list of upcoming journals, at http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournals.html. Cover Design Min Yao Comments are welcome at your local U.S. Embassy or at Reference Specialist Martin Manning the editorial offices: Editor, eJournal USA IIP/PUBJ U.S. Department of State Front Cover: The Colorado River carved out Arizona’s Grand Canyon over the last 5 to 6 million years. The canyon itself is almost 450 kilometers 301 4th St. S.W. long, the national park surrounding it encompasses almost 5,000 square Washington, DC 20547 kilometers, and the distance from rim to river is more than 1,800 meters. United States of America NPS Photo by Mike Quinn E-mail: [email protected] About This Issue hrough their system of national parks, the people of Tthe United States own and protect mountains, deserts, forests, wetlands, tundra, and tropical reefs. All Americans citizens are, in a sense, stewards of sites where the Founding Fathers envisioned a new nation and where ancient peoples built cities. Americans are protectors of the tallest living things on Earth and of hundreds of rare species that enliven a subtropical wilderness. © AP Images/Adventure Cycling Association, Dennis Coello Association, Cycling AP Images/Adventure © The U.S. National Park Service A cyclist rides through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. The name derives from an (NPS) presides over a sprawling American Indian word for the crooked river that winds through unusual glacier-carved terrain system of parks, seashores, trails, of steep valleys and high narrow hills. monuments, and battlefields that encompasses 3.6 percent of the nation’s entire landmass. The land and its life forms are set apart, preserved, and spared from the asphalt, sprawl, and neon that creep across the modern world. National parkland — more than 34 million hectares — is to remain unimpaired for future generations, according to the law that established the Park Service in 1916. At the same time, the gates of the parks are open to all, and in more than 277 million visits last year, Americans and many foreign travelers entered one of the almost 400 national parks in search of recreation, relaxation, and more. Americans families visit the parks to see and share the wonders of their land, to learn about the forces and the people who have shaped it through the centuries. The experience becomes part of their own family history, a shared memory about a day when together they learned more about their country and how it came to be. Many Americans will leave their visit with the belief once described by former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: “There is nothing so American as our national parks. The scenery and wildlife are native. The fundamental idea behind the parks is native. It is, in brief, that the country belongs to the people.” This edition of eJournalUSA presents some glorious views of the national parks themselves and some of the history of how this vast system has expanded in size and mission through the decades. NPS Director Mary A. Bomar and filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan explain the national spirit and ethic that the parks have come to represent for Americans and for the world. Other articles explore how park officials from the United States and other nations have traded ideas, skills, and techniques to better preserve and maintain the lands, the life, and the culture that are the treasures of every nation’s legacy. —The Editors eJOURNAL USA 1 U.S. Department OF State / JULY 2008 / Volume 13 / NUMBER 7 http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournals.html National Parks, National Legacy Parks Can Change a Nation THE NAT IO N AL SPIRIT 28 ALVARO UGALD E , FORM E R DIR E CTOR OF TH E 5 The Spiritual and Cultural Significance CO S TA RICAN PAR K SY S T E M of National Parks The creation of a national park system and its EDWIN BE RN B AUM , DIR E CTOR OF TH E SACR E D efforts to protect Costa Rican biodiversity changed MOUNTAIN S PROGRAM , TH E MOUNTAIN IN S TITUT E Costa Rica’s perception of its natural resources. The U.S. national parks are more than landmarks and geologic wonders. They represent a piece of the 31 Oh, Ranger: Making Something That American soul. Will Last CHRI S BART E R , TRAIL CR E W SU pe RVI S OR , ACADIA 9 The Story of America Itself NATIONAL PAR K IN MAIN E AN INT E RVI E W WITH KE N BURN S AND DAYTON DUNCAN 32 U.S. Parks: The Timeline Two documentary filmmakers are finishing a A summary of notable events affecting national television series showcasing U.S. national parks and parks over more than 130 years. the stories they tell about the land, the people, and democracy. CARE T AKER S FOR T HE FU T URE 35 Special Places Uniting All Americans 13 Jewels in the Crown AN INT E RVI E W WITH MARY A. BOMAR A photographic gallery of U.S. national parks. The director of the National Park Service explains how the parks are emblematic of the American 23 Scenery and Science in story and of the settlement and expansion of the U.S. National Parks nation. RICHARD Wes T SE LLAR S , AUTHOR , PRE S ERVING NATURE IN THE NATIONAL PARK S : A HI S TORY 38 When a Park Is Not a Park The National Park Service struggles to protect the The U.S. National Park Service is the caretaker of spectacular scenery of its sites while preserving the almost 400 sites that are remarkably different in most humble life forms that share the parks with size, scope, and histories. human visitors. eJOURNAL USA 2 40 Park Rangers and Swiss Guides RE S PE ct I N G CUL T URAL HERI T AGE U.S. national parks borrowed a Swiss practice to enhance visitors’ experiences in the parks. 46 Guardians of the Ancients CHARL E N E PORT E R , MANAGING EDITOR , 41 Oh, Ranger: The Rocks Call Out EJOURNAL USA BO B SP O E LHOF , INT E R P R E TIV E PAR K RANG E R , The National Park Service preserves sites inhabited DE ATH VALL E Y NATIONAL PAR K IN CALIFORNIA by prehistoric Americans, and shares its skill with preservationists from other countries. 42 A Climate of Change JE FF RE NNIC ke , TE ACH E R , CON se RV E SCHOOL IN 49 The Heritage of All Humanity WI S CON S IN The World Heritage Convention protects more National parks launch initiatives to reduce than 800 sites worldwide. greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. 51 Oh, Ranger: On the Steps Where Dr. King Stood 44 Repelling the Invasives MARI S A RICHARD S ON , INT E R P R E TIV E PAR K The National Park Service works to control RANG E R , TH E NATIONAL MALL AND ME MORIAL invasive plant species and preserve native plant PAR ks IN WA S HINGTON , D.C. habitat. 52 Additional Resources 45 Oh, Ranger: The Most Beautiful Office Books, articles, and Web sites offering further in the World information about U.S. national parks. SU E O’CONNOR , EQUI P M E NT Ope RATOR , ROC K Y MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PAR K IN COLORADO eJOURNAL USA 3 The Tuolumne River ambles through a meadow of California’s Yosemite National Park. Designated as a scenic river deserving of protection, the Tuolumne flows for more than 85 kilometers through the park. Just north of this meadow, hikers discover a descending trail that leads past an impressive series of waterfalls. © AP Images/Yosemite Concession Services, Keith Walklet eJOURNAL USA 4 THE NAT IO N AL SPIRIT The Spiritual and Cultural Significance of National Parks Edwin Bernbaum © AP Images/Eric Risberg © The trees of the Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County, California, are in one of the last old-growth forests on the planet.
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