The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
PRESERVING WILDERNESS
When settlers spread across the continent to tame the land, Americans realized the importance of saving some of the wild landscape for future generations. The Organic Act, establishing the National Park Service, was signed into law 100 years ago today. Mo
WONDER IN THE WILDERNESS
Yosemite was one of the first places to become renowned for its stunning landscape, trees and wildlife. Thanks largely to the writings of naturalist John Muir, public opinion began to shift toward protecting special places like Yosemite from development. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, reserving land for public enjoyment. While the land was owned by the state of California, this act established the precedent for preservation.
INFLUENTIAL EXPLORERS Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt was a lifelong conservationist. His administration created five parks and placed dozens of monuments and wildlife sanctuaries under protection, including 100 million acres of forest. He signed the Antiquities Act of 1906, giving the president the authority to protect historic landmarks and prehistoric structures.
Ferdinand Hayden
Hayden was a geologist appointed to survey the territories of the West. He led expeditions to many sites that eventually became parks, including Yellowstone in 1871.
John Muir
Muir is called the Father of the Parks. He first came to Yosemite Valley working as a sheepherder and witnessed the destruction of the environment. He wrote about his love of nature and founded the Sierra Club to “do something for wildness.” In 1901, he published “Our National Parks,” but he died in 1914 before he could see his idea realized.
Thomas Moran and William Jackson
Artists Moran, a painter, and Jackson, a photographer, traveled with the Hayden expedition to Yellowstone. Their art inspired Congress to protect the land.
ESTABLISHING THE PARK SERVICE
Ferdinand Hayden’s work documenting the natural wonders of the Yellowstone area convinced Congress the land was worthy of protection. However, the boundaries of the park crossed state lines. Rather than preserving the land as state parks, Congress passed The Yellowstone Act in 1872, creating the first official national park.
Nathaniel Langford was appointed the park’s superintendent, but he was not paid and had no resources with which to manage the park. Langford was forced to step down, and the new superintendent, Philetus Norris, finally got funding to build roads and structures.
More parks were designated around the country, and rail lines opened up these areas to visitors.
Many people took advantage of the poorly defended park lands to hunt wildlife and log trees. The U.S. Army stepped in to manage the parks in 1886. It enforced rules and patrolled the park for poachers.
Support for the parks from railroad developers and conservation groups grew. Stephan Mather was a wealthy industrialist who lobbied the government to create a park system. As a member of the Sierra Club, he believed parks should be protected from for-profit development and needed dedicated management. With pressure mounting, Congress established the National Park Service in 1916. Mather was named the first director, and Horace Albright was his assistant. Mather and Albright established much of the management structure and the goals of the Park Service as we know it today.
THE PARK SERVICE TODAY
The National Park Service today has grown to over 20,000 employees operating in all states and protecting 412 sites including parks, historic sites and wildlife preserves. 307 MILLION recreational visits in 2015 84 MILLION acres of land 12,300 MILES of trails 43,000 MILES of shoreline 85,000 MILES of rivers and streams $3 BILLION annual budget
“Promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas ... which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life 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.”
- National Park Service Organic Act of 1916