Our
National Parks and Monuments represent a triumph of all Americans over the
private interests of a few.
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| Grand Canyon National Park |
In an interesting window into how politics worked then (and now,
arguably), Congress agreed to preserve this land only after being assured that
it was entirely “worthless.”
Of course, that was an utter lie. But for once in our nation’s
history, lying in politics did some good.
The real value of this park wasn’t known then, you see. Nobody
knew that it set a precedent for the establishment of an entire National Park
system that would encompass a network of public lands across the country.
Nobody knew yet that the animals on this land would become rare
outside it — and might’ve been lost for good if they weren’t allowed to roam
free here.
For that matter, nobody would know for a long time to come that
predators are important to ecosystems. Even after the establishment of many
National Parks and the protection of wildlife therein, park personnel actively
killed predators within the parks’ borders.
And yet, yesterday I saw a wolf and a grizzly, both wild apex predators. Not in a zoo. And I saw them at close range. It was the experience of a lifetime.
Other National Parks haven’t had such an easy path to
preservation.
Creating a National Park requires an act of Congress. The Grand
Canyon, the Great Smoky Mountains, the Grand Tetons, and many, many other
beloved parks, even once identified as places to preserve for the enjoyment of
all Americans, didn’t immediately receive such protection.
Far too often, individuals see our nation’s great places as
opportunities for private profit.
Loggers attempted to cut down every possible tree in the Great
Smoky Mountains before they were shut out when it became a National Park.
Entire populations of birds in Florida were killed to provide feathers for
women’s hats before their habitat was protected.
And a U.S. senator opposed
turning the Grand Canyon into a National Park because he wanted to personally
profit from the natural wonder.
When Congress won’t act to protect our country’s most beautiful
and valuable places, the president can do it with just the stroke of a pen.
Yet right now, Donald Trump is on track to throw away part of
our national heritage. He’s ordered a review of all National Monuments created
since 1996, and may well remove some to make way for mining corporations and
other extractive industries to operate there.
The monuments on Trump’s hit list include
the San Gabriel mountains in Southern California, where hikers from Los
Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego all converge for exercise and recreation
in a breathtakingly beautiful place, and Carrizo Plain, also in California,
which experienced a super bloom that drew wildflower enthusiasts from all over
this past spring.
A great many beloved National Parks were National Monuments
first: the Grand Canyon, Chaco Canyon, Olympic, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, the
Grand Tetons, and more.
The story of our National Parks and Monuments is a triumph of
the interests of all Americans over the private interests of the few.
If you love our country’s wild places and want your
grandchildren to have the opportunity to visit them, you can visit Regulations.gov to tell the government
you want our National Monuments preserved.
OtherWords
columnist Jill Richardson is the author of Recipe for America: Why Our
Food System Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It. Distributed by OtherWords.org.