THE NATIONAL PARKS: MORE THAN JUST OUTDOOR RECREATION
 |
The mention of our national parks system often conjures up images of popular travel destinations like Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, or the Great Smoky Mountains. National parks are regarded as areas of great natural beauty that offer opportunities for hiking, camping, boating, and other outdoor recreational activities. In actuality, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act in August of 1916, it was not the primary purpose of the National Park Service to provide recreational opportunities. The original intent was "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife 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."
The Diversity of our Parks System
Today, of the 390 units of the National Park System, only 58 are designated as "national parks." The classification system used by the National Park Service includes 18 other designations, including descriptive listings such as lakeshores, seashores, and battlefields, and others titles that can't be neatly categorized because of the diversity of resources within them.
Many of the important events in our nation's history are interpreted in the national parks system, including the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, the Supreme Court Decision (Brown vs. Board of Education) aimed at ending segregation in public schools, and the Johnstown Flood, one of the worst disasters in American history. Many of our national historic sites tell the stories and preserve the legacies of important individuals who helped to shape our nation's past and present, including notable African-Americans, Hispanics, and women. Parks celebrate inventors like the Wright Brothers and Thomas Edison, writers like Eugene O'Neill and Edgar Allan Poe, and also recognize the contributions of many of our past presidents. National historic sites, battlefields, battlefield parks, and military parks tell the stories of important conflicts during our nation's history, including the Revolutionary War, the Civil War. and more recently World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
 |
And Then There's Recreation...
The National Park System today comprises 388 areas covering more than 83 million acres in 49 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands. Even with the rich historical interpretation provided by National Park Service, statistics still show that the most visited parks are usually those that include great scenery and/or provide opportunities for outdoor recreation. These include the national parks and national recreation areas, including such popular parks as the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yosemite National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Yellowstone National Park, and the Grand Canyon National Park.
Whether your interest is
history, geography, biology, zoology, archeology, or simply enjoying the
great outdoors, the national park system definitely has something to captivate
your interest. Teachers and students can take advantage of a variety of excellent
educational
resources available at our parks system, including opportunities to learn through the
Parks
as Classrooms Program and Teaching
with Historic Places. Also, volunteering
and seasonal or full-time jobs
can provide valuable training and experience, and afford the chance to explore some of the most
beautiful protected lands and wilderness areas that the country has to offer.
