You are here

Tinkering With Perfection

Share

    There's a thoughtful opinion piece in the Record Searchlight of Redding, California, that does a pretty good job of summing up the ideological battle that's been raging over the management of our national park system for some time now. You know, the one about whether we need more commercialism in the parks to make them entertaining.
    In his opinion, Bob Madgic says we'd be foolhardy to think we could improve on nature.
    Our parks are finest when experienced, by camping, walking, hiking, rock climbing, snowshoeing, biking, cross-country skiing, photographing, rafting, birding, angling, boating, rafting, riding, swimming, backpacking -- all best done without leaving a trace, he writes. Yes, let's strive to make this group of users as large and diverse as possible. For anyone to argue that our national parks need to return to a better past -- i.e., more commercial enterprises -- misses the point entirely.
    Our parks are precious precisely because of their natural authenticity, already too compromised. They cannot be all things to all people, and we should not try to remake them into something other than the magnificent sanctuaries they are.

Comments

Bob Madgic(is this a real name?) also writes: "In Lassen Volcanic National Park a ski area had been built near the south entrance, and cabins, a gas station, a store and cafe near Manzanita Lake, where rental boats littered the shoreline. True to their mission, enlightened officials eliminated most of these intrusions. Today Manzanita Lake is as picturesque and spotless as could be." The proposed business management plan for Lassen calls for building cabins and building/improving roads around Manzanita Lake. The plan also discusses on-site boat rentals and the necessary accompanying "improvements". Seems the NPS is un-learning the ecological lessons it discovered in the 1970s.

Even though it is a state park you could use Stone Mountain Park as the prime example of over development. I grew up there and a little at a time they have paved over and comercialized the park. You can no longer fly a kite, ride your horse, put your private boat in the lakes,walk through what little foreset is left or walk up the mountain on any place other than designated trails with thousands of other people. I quit visiting the park 15 years ago or more. There is no nature left to see.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.