FROM THE NPS WEBSITE:
National Park Service's 100 Year Birthday is in 2016. August 25, 2016 is the 100th Birthday of the National Park Service. Starting with Yellowstone in 1872 there are almost 400 units in the National Park Service today.
How Old is the System? The National Park Service was created by an Act of Congress and signed by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916. Yellowstone National Park was established by an Act signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, as the Nation’s first national park.
The Mission of the National Park Service: The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.
MY THOUGHTS:
Our nation's national parks are majestic, beautiful and sacred! I am called back to the writing of David Hurst Thomas and his discussion of the Name Game that was one of the missions of Lewis and Clark as they traversed the nation's northwest passage. Our national parks represent the sacred sites of America's native nations. Traditional names as well as purpose were taken from places throughout the country and replaced with Euro-American heroes and Christian saints or deities. Name it and you can claim it!
This 100th Anniversary offers the NPS an opportunity to interpret the parks in such a way that educates visitors of their original names and purpose. Proper consultation will provide the NPS with the roadmap to accomplish this task.
No comments:
Post a Comment