Robert E. Manning et al. (eds.) - A Thinking Person’s Guide to America’s National Parks

A Thinking Persons Guide to

A MERICAS N ATIONAL P ARKS

EDITED BY

ROBERT MANNING

ROLF DIAMANT

NORA MITCHELL

DAVID HARMON

G EORGE B RAZILLER P UBLISHERS / N EW Y ORK

Support for this book has been generously provided by the Steven and Beverly Rubenstein family and the University of Vermont.

Published in 2016 by George Braziller, Inc., New York

All texts copyright 2016 by Robert Manning, Rolf Diamant, Nora Mitchell, and David Harmon

See photo credits on pages 280282 and on back cover flap for copyrights of interior and cover photographs.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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George Braziller, Inc.
277 Broadway, Suite 708
New York, NY 10007

The Library of Congress has catalogued the printed edition as follows:

Names: Manning, Robert E., 1946 | Diamant, Rolf. | Mitchell, Nora (Nora J.) | Harmon, David, 1958

Title: A thinking persons guide to Americas national parks: 23 essays on Americas national parks / edited by Robert Manning, Rolf Diamant, Nora Mitchell, and David Harmon; foreword by Denis Galvin.

Description: First edition. | New York: George Braziller Publishers, 2016. | Contributors of essays: Brenda Barrett, Leah Bremer, Jessica Brown, Megan Camp, Joseph Corn, Jennifer Cirillo, Michael Creasey, Rolf Diamant, David Graber, David Harmon, Thomas Hudspeth, Melia Lane-Kamehele, Edward Linenthal, Robert Manning, John Maounis, Rebecca Stanfield McCown, Robert McIntosh, Ben Minteer, Brent Mitchell, Nora Mitchell, Dwight Pitcaithley, John Reynolds, Taylor Ricketts, Michael Soukup, Vanessa Torres, Karen Trevio, and William TweedTitle page verso. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015038434 | ISBN 9780807600191

Subjects: LCSH: National parks and reservesUnited StatesHistory. | National parks and reservesConservation and restorationUnited States. | Nature conservationUnited States. | Landscape protectionUnited States. | National parks and reservesStudy and teachingUnited States.

Classification: LCC E160 .T473 2016 | DDC 333.78/30973dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015038434

Designed by Rita Lascaro and David Harmon
Printed in Malaysia
First Edition

Contents

Denis Galvin

This book offers new perspectives on appreciating and sustaining Americas remarkable system of national parks.

Robert Manning, Rolf Diamant, Nora Mitchell, and David Harmon

Americas national park system tells the story of our nations natural and cultural history and is closer than ever to being as diverse as America itself.

David Harmon

Every national park can capture our imagination, creating within us a distinctive sense of place that becomes part of how we understand the world.

Rolf Diamant

Much of the history of American conservation is told in many national parks and national historic landmarks across the country.

Robert Manning

From the beginning, national parks have offered diverse recreation opportunities while trying to balance the inherent tension between recreation and preservation.

Thomas Hudspeth, Megan Camp, and Jennifer Cirillo

National parks are playing an expanding role in learning for people of all ages, offering memorable and often transformative experiences with authentic places and stories.

David Graber

The national park system preserves much of the nations rich biodiversity and offers notable examples of environmental restoration and recovery.

William Tweed

The question of dealing with changeboth natural and human causedmay be one of the most fundamental challenges the national park system will face in the 21st century.

Michael Soukup

National parks are reservoirs of knowledge about our world and support an increasingly important program of research and citizen science.

Ben Minteer and Robert Manning

More than half the acreage of the national park system is designated wilderness, but how should wilderness be defined, used, and managed in light of contemporary issues such as climate change?

Melia Lane-Kamahele

National parks are reaching out to incorporate indigenous voices and perspectives and seeking opportunities for genuine collaboration.

Edward Linenthal

Powerful, sometimes controversial memories associated with many national parks invite us to explore untold stories and new perspectives.

Dwight Pitcaithley and Rolf Diamant

The national park system has grown more adept at interpreting the history of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Americas long struggle for civil rights.

Joseph Corn

Americas technological and industrial past can be experienced in many national parks across the country.

Nora Mitchell

Many national park landscapes are shaped by interactions between people and their environment over time, creating multiple layers of historical, cultural, and ecological values.

John Maounis

The national park system represents the largest network of museums in America and is the steward of over 150 million artifacts that reflect our shared natural and cultural history.

Rolf Diamant and Michael Creasey

A third of our national parks are located in metropolitan areas, connecting the national park system to new and more diverse constituencies and partners.

Robert McIntosh

A suite of National Park Service programs assists urban areas and rural communities preserve their historic sites, protect open space, and develop recreation opportunities.

Brenda Barrett and Nora Mitchell

Many national parks are working closely with their neighboring communities and nonprofit organizations to conserve large landscapes.

Brent Mitchell and Jessica Brown

Americas national parks have benefited from international exchange, importing as well as exporting good ideas and learning from the experience of other countries.

229 Leah Bremer, Taylor Ricketts, Robert Manning, and Karen Trevio

The range of natural and cultural resources protected in the national parks is expanding to include a suite of vital ecosystem services.

John Reynolds and Rolf Diamant

National parks demonstrate a wide range of sustainable practices that visitors can use at home and in their communities.

Rebecca Stanfield McCown and Vanessa Torres

New national parks and programs are engaging youth and diverse communities and forging long-term connections with the national park system.

Robert Manning, Rolf Diamant, Nora Mitchell, and David Harmon

Reflections on this books collection of essays offer insights into the role of the national park system in American society and how to participate in stewardship of our national park system for all, forever.

A T HINKING P ERSONS G UIDE TO
A MERICAS N ATIONAL P ARKS

Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park (Maine)

DENIS GALVIN

Denis Galvin

T he national parks are the American experience expressed in place. In contrast to the Smithsonian, where artifacts of that experience are gathered to a central location, the national parks preserve our story against the landscape of its origins.