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(L)[ JK1KK COVER "Elk-Browsed Aspens" by David Halpern is an intimate portrait of (DURIER beautiful land, nurtured and protected, al NEWSMAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE lowed to exist in its natural state—part of the Volume 35, Number 4 April 1990 legacy of a national system of parks. The archi val photo on the back page suggests another part of that legacy—the inviting sprawl of rural farmland, one of the many visions of open space. STAFF FEATURES Mary Maruca — Editor Ricardo Lewis — An & Production THE LIVING LANDSCAPE — 6 GUEST EDITORS THE BEER CAN PRINCIPLE — 12 SAVING THE PINE BARRENS — 15 Chris Soller Deborah Richards Delores Mescher Laura Szwak WHAT'S FUN ABOUT PARKS — 17 Steve Beesley Christine Carlson INSPIRED BY A SWAMP— 18 I LIVE ON A GREENWAY — 20 ADVISORS ACTING IN TIME — 22 George J. Berklacy — Associate Publisher LOCAL+REGIONAL+STATE+NATIONAL PARKS = Theresa Wood — Executive Director, E&AA Naomi Hunt — E&AA Editor A NATIONAL SYSTEM OF PARKS — 24 Duncan Morrow — Contributing Editor SPEAKING OUT: EARTH DAY 1990 — 27 Editorial Offices — 202/343-4996 National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior DEPARTMENTS COMMENTARY — 2 PARK BRIEFS — 28 NPS PEOPLE — 30 E&AA — 33 The Director's Report OPEN SPACE Much of the "personality," if you will, of same as a midwestern farmer's or an urban resi America has been shaped by the quest for dent's. There's a great deal of individuality land—the desire to tame it, shape it and own about what people want and need in the way of it. Historically, many came to this country, open space. Because of this, we must make a hoping that they could partake of its promise concerted effort not only to retain open space, of freedom and opportunity—opportunity of but also to retain it in ways that meet the recre ten measured by the availability of land. Early ational needs of our diverse population. settlers viewed open space in this new, undis So, recognizing that the question ofwhat covered territory as offering limitless opportu open space to preserve is a difficult one, the nities—it allowed for new beginnings and for question of when we preserve it isn't any easier. room to grow. Americans continued their We don't have the luxury of time. The preserva search for space, as the eastern seaboard be tion of open space is an issue we must face to came more populated, by going west, then ul day, not tomorrow. Obviously, we could put timately north to Alaska. And we didn't stop off action; we could wait. Then, twenty years there. Through the vision of the Wright broth from now, we could spend more time and more ers and those that followed them, we moved money trying to recreate open space, say, into the sky. We also went under the seas. And finally, with the change a parking lot into a grassy ballfield. We could do that, but, help of NASA, we entered space. how do you place expansive greenways in an overly urbanized Today, we live in a country struggling with the need to make the area? How do you reshape a city to provide open space? Not very best use of the space it has left. Most of us still want the American easily. In my view, recreating parklands is a backwards way to han Dream—owning our own place, room to grow. But we are faced dle the issue of open space, and, in many cases, we won't be able to with a dilemma. We want to occupy or at least do something with effectively recreate it any way. the land—somehow take advantage of it—and we also want to set it Starting in the 19th century, areas like Hot Springs, Yellow aside, to protect and enjoy it simply as open space. With an ever in stone, and Yosemite were set aside. We didn't wait then; we had the creasing population and with increasing demands for residential, ag foresight to begin to preserve this country's special places. Had ricultural and industrial development, we are fast approaching a crit these decisions not been made, some of America's greatest natural ical turning point. We need to make decisions, now, however, and cultural resources most certainly would have been lost. Thanks keeping in mind that our actions will affect those who come after us. to the foresight of others, we now have a national park system in I think everyone would agree that we want and need open space. place. Our challenge is to expand the national system of parks—to Look around this country, and it becomes evident pretty quickly just set aside land providing diverse recreational opportunities and relief how dear open space is to us. Witness the skyrocketing costs of land from congestion—greenways, regional parks, trails, ballfields, play near major urban areas such as Santa Monica Mountains. Witness grounds, and meadows. the value people place on living next to or near parks—which is, in We need to do more and do it now. I intend to see that the Na effect, a kind of "catch 22": the more people want to live and work tional Park Service plays an even more supportive role in helping near open space, the less open space we have. states, localities, and even private individuals preserve this country's But how much open space we need, where it should be located, open space in a way that provides for all the recreational needs of and the form it takes are all topics not so easily agreed upon. Also, all Americans. for obvious reasons, we all view open space quite differently. What is a welcome patch of open space to a downtown Boston resident is not generally what a rural midwestern farmer might get excited about. Personally, I find open space an important part of my life. When I want to get away to relax, I do some camping, hiking, fish ing, and even golfing. But my needs for open space may not be the James M. Ridenour April 1990 COURIER 1 COMMENTARY FROM THE EDITOR larger battle, refusing to see beloved refuges MR. DUCK WOULD HAVE for green and growing life replaced by less BEEN MORE SUCCINCT sensitive human construction. Theirs is a bat When my four-year-old comes to me. ask tle that ultimately may involve any number of Dixie ing for a story, it is my own childhood favor citizen action groups, yet, when successful. ites I pull out—stories of wise and foolish ani accomplishes for all of us what we could not No doubt about it: Daffy just would have mals drawn into dangerous contact with each manage on our own. Still others, often at the (almost) plainly said. "You're des-spicable!" other and with humankind in a landscape federal level, provide support of a managerial Well, maybe my Mom and Dad, who flew scarcely intruded upon by human hands. In and financial nature, helping local and region over to Fort Jefferson NHS with me in mid- the past, when these same stories first were al efforts to move ahead. What evolves is a March, don't think so. but those whose (green) read to me, 1 believed unshakably that rabbits webwork of autonomous programs strength blood pressures ascended over my idea con wearing neat little blue jackets with large but ened by their contact with each other. cerning Arizona's Ft. Bowie (January Couri tons could live in neighborly proximity to This connection is what Director Ride- er) certainly do. For what wrath I wrought fanners whose peculiarities they understood nour means when he speaks, as he frequently keep reading. well enough. There seemed reason then to be does, of a national system of parks— connec Dear Editor: It's difficult to know where lieve. I was a child and anything was possi tion among programs that leads to renewed to begin in attempting to respond to RD ble. Yet now. from the craggy heights of connections with the green world. Indeed ("Razzle Dazzle") Tourangeau's cute article adulthood, having been poked and prodded by where urbanization has created fragmentation, about Ft. Bowie. I wish my wife's perfect realism too many times, I see far less neigh these programs and these people step in— two-word comment weren't so obscene. borly accommodation than I once imagined as working for open space, for greenways. for a child. Indeed. I sometimes wonder how the the preservation of areas that answer, at all At best the article seems to mirror the stories I then enjoyed would be written to levels of human need, our national yearning to "more is better" attitude of the long dead day—how they could possibly be told with feel a part of something larger than ourselves. 1950s. I'd hoped that the NPS had evolved conviction to a four-year-old who may live out far beyond those silly days, but perhaps not. This issue, along with the May issue, of his own adult life in a world without ele Some tired generalities still seem to lurk in the Courier focuses on what this national sys phants, even perhaps—considering their mys overcrowded city minds: I) the West is tem of parks is meant to do. The articles re terious downturn in numbers—without some empty and desolate, 2) all parks need lots and mind us of our personal responsibility to do thing so basic to childhood as the presence lots of visitors. 3) we must have dog and what we can "right where we are," as Cynthia of frogs.

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