Preservation in the US National Parks by Michelle Sullivan Govani A
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Former to Future: Preservation in the U.S. National Parks by Michelle Sullivan Govani A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved October 2019 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Ben A. Minteer, Chair Megha Budruk Daniel Sarewitz Jason Theuer ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY December 2019 ABSTRACT For more than 100 years, the Unite States National Park Service (NPS) has been guided by a mandate to preserve parks and their resources for the enjoyment of present and future generations. But all parks are subject to conditions that may frustrate preservation efforts. Climate change is melting the glaciers. Rising seas are sweeping away protected shorelines. Development projects, accompanied by air, water, light, and noise pollution, edge closer to parks and fragment habitats. The number of visitors and vested interests are swelling and diversifying. Resources for preservation, such as funds and staff, seem to be continuously shrinking, at least relative to demand. Still, the NPS remains committed to the preservation of our natural and cultural heritage. Yet the practice of that promise is evolving, slowly and iteratively, but detectably. Through explorations of legal and scholarly literature, as well as interviews across the government, non-profit, and academic sectors, I’ve tracked the evolution of preservation in parks. How is preservation shifting to address socio-ecological change? How has preservation evolved before? How should the NPS preserve parks moving forward? The practice of preservation has come to rely on science, including partnerships with academic researchers, as well as inventory and monitoring programs. That shift has in part been guided by goals that have also become more informed by science, like ecological integrity. While some interviewees see science as a solution to the NPS’s challenges, others wonder how applying science can get “gnarly,” due to uncertainty, lack of clear policies, and the diversity of parks and resources. “Gnarly” questions stem in part from the complexity of the NPS as a socio-ecological system, as well as from i disputed, normative concepts that underpin the broader philosophy of preservation, including naturalness. What’s natural in the context of pervasive anthropogenic change? Further, I describe how parks hold deep, sometimes conflicting, cultural and symbolic significance for their local and historical communities and for our nation. Understanding and considering those values is part of the gnarly task park managers face in their mission to preserve parks. I explain why this type of conceptual and values-based uncertainty cannot be reduced through science. ii DEDICATION For Kush, who did everything else while I did this. I persevere because of you. I love you. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe my survival, sanity, and whatever is good about this work to my friends, family, colleagues, and mentors. There are many more than I have room to name in my allotted space… First, a practical matter: thanks to the Center for Biology & Society, SoLS RTI, GPSA, the NSF, and the National Park Service for their financial and practical support. My committee chair and mentor, Ben Minteer, has been centered, candid, optimistic, and supportive of my unconventional approach (to graduate school and to this dissertation product). When my ever-expanding interests and involvements became unwieldy, he taught me to protect my time. But he also gave me space to discover my path and never discouraged my other pursuits. Thank you for letting me be me, but also for challenging me to stay committed to my thinking and my writing. Megha Budruk has been a patient teacher of her craft and an inspiring thought-partner on the complex intersections of parks, nature, and culture. Jason (Jay) Theuer has been an honest and balancing voice from beyond the academy. Daniel Sarewitz will cringe at anything I write because he doesn’t like attention, but he deserves endless thanks for his willingness to engage and empathize with my confusion as I tried on new ways of thinking about science, nature, politics, and my place in it all. I’m more comfortable with confusion and happily on the path I am now, because of him. Thank you to the faculty, the staff, and my peers in the Biology & Society and Ecoservices Labs for their feedback and friendship throughout the years. Karin Ellison, Ann Kinzig, Charles Perrings, Ben Hurlbut, Sharon Hall, Jim Collins, Jessica Ranney, and Jane Maienschein all provided guidance at various points along the way, in addition to being relentlessly supportive. Chris Rojas was my first office-mate and trusted fellow- iv traveler on this graduate school journey. Ashley Camhi is the reason I survived economics class, among other challenges. Marci Baranski and Tong Wu were role models and friends who made Tempe feel like home almost instantly. Christian Ross and Sarah Geren graciously came along with me on an adventure called student government, and we made a kick-ass team on Capitol Hill. Tyler Hughes might be the most perceptive listener alive—and the most reliable friend I could ask for. Rachel Torry, Shabana Sidhu, Brittany Egger, Julia Gaulter, Alison and Alex Siller, Petrit Gashi and Ariel Stone, Danielle Van Vleet, Christina Ngo, Elizabeth Garbee, George Brusch, Kate Weiss, and Anthony Basile each proved they can still be friends with someone (me) who works all the time. I swear I’ll be better at texting back now. Thanks to my GPSA family for teaching me that leadership is about empowering others. And speaking of GPSA, there’s not one cool thing I did in the last five years that didn’t involve Nich Weller, who I’m lucky to count as a friend and a collaborator (for life!). And to my UI teammates, I can’t think of a workplace full of more caring, encouraging people. Thank you. Mom, Dad, Katie, Torrey, Luna, and even Lola, I love you all and sincerely apologize for my moodiness and the perpetual mess of papers on the dining room table. Rita, Mahendra, Shail, Lizette, Sonia, and Santiago, thanks for making me feel supported, even from far away. Kush, I love that we encourage each other’s ambitions but remind one another that family comes first. You are the most patient. I’m the lucky one. Finally, to the individuals who shared their stories with me for this project: thank you for your generosity and sincerity. I’m grateful for the significant and challenging work that you do as stewards of our national heritage, the U.S. National Parks. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 Parks in Crisis ................................................................................................... 3 Discovering the Project ..................................................................................... 6 Meaning and Memories .................................................................................. 14 An Overview ................................................................................................... 16 First, History ................................................................................................... 21 2. HISTORY, PART 1 ................................................................................................ 25 Re-Education ................................................................................................... 25 A Century of Stability and Change ................................................................. 27 Ensuring Nature Finds Its Way ....................................................................... 29 What’s Preservation? ...................................................................................... 31 Preservation Before Parks, Parks Before Preservation ................................... 34 The Lost Valley ............................................................................................... 43 The Long and Winding (Rail-)Road to a U.S. National Park Service ............ 51 Mather and his Men ........................................................................................ 67 Drury-Wirth Era .............................................................................................. 73 Transforming Preservation .............................................................................. 79 What’s a National Park? ................................................................................. 82 vi CHAPTER Page 3. HISTORY, PART 2 ................................................................................................ 86 Transitioning Toward Science? ...................................................................... 88 The Ecological Revolution? ............................................................................ 90 Finally, Action .............................................................................................. 100 A Closer Look at the Leopold Report’s Legacy ........................................... 103 The Historical Context of “Ecological Mistakes” in Park Management ...... 108 The Rightful Place of Science ....................................................................... 114 Learning to Question the “Rightful Place of Science” ................................. 126 Preservation as Policy (or Law) ...................................................................