National Parks movement
The National Parks Movement in the United States emerged in the 1800s, driven by naturalists and writers like John Muir, who advocated for the preservation of America’s unique natural landscapes. The movement began with the establishment of Yosemite as a protected area, which set a precedent for future conservation efforts. In 1872, Yellowstone was designated as the first official national park, leading to a series of similar designations for other significant natural sites. However, early efforts to protect these areas faced challenges, including exploitation of resources and inadequate legal protections for the land and wildlife.
The movement gained momentum when President Cleveland amended laws to enhance park authorities' enforcement capabilities in response to poaching incidents. Conservationists, notably Stephen Mather, promoted national parks as tourist destinations, which helped garner public and political support for their protection. This ultimately led to the establishment of the National Park Service (NPS) in 1916, tasked with managing and safeguarding these precious lands. Over the years, the NPS has expanded significantly, currently overseeing more than 400 parks and monuments across the U.S., and continues to play a critical role in preserving natural resources and ensuring public enjoyment for future generations.
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National Parks movement
The National Parks Movement established natural parks in the United States and protected them for recreation. The National Parks Movement was inspired by early naturalists and writers such as John Muir, who is sometimes called the Father of the National Parks, and presidents who sponsored legislation to protect these beautiful and historic areas. The National Parks Movement eventually led to the creation of the National Parks Service (NPS), a subsidiary of the Department of the Interior, which oversees the country's national parks.
Overview
The National Parks Movement in the United States began with Yosemite in the 1800s. Yosemite is a large tract of land in California with beautiful mountains, valleys, rivers, and rare ancient sequoia trees. It is renowned for its natural beauty and diversity of wildlife. In the 1800s, though, cameras were still rare. Most people had never heard of Yosemite, and few had actually seen it. John Muir, a famous writer and naturalist, wrote about Yosemite and brought descriptions of the beautiful area to the American public.
In response to these writings, President Lincoln pushed Congress to pass legislation protecting Yosemite during the Civil War. He wanted to permanently set aside the land for the people of California. His action set a precedent for the federal government to set aside similar land in the future. However, the method for doing so and any obligations the government had to maintain such land remained unclear.
Eight years later, President Grant declared Yellowstone America's first official national park, passing the Yellowstone National Park Act of 1872. Future presidents continued to set aside land they believed was worthy of preservation. Soon, Sequoia, Mount Rainer, Crater Lake, and Glacier National Parks were all controlled by the federal government. Important historic and cultural sites soon followed. Most sites worthy of preservation fell under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, but several were overseen by other departments, including the Forest Service and the War Department (now the Department of Defense).
Despite these efforts, the activities allowed on these lands were not officially declared, and legal protection for the areas barely existed. Businesses began exploiting the plentiful natural resources the parks provided, such as their rare trees, minerals, and abundance of clear water. Hunters poached rare and endangered species. Since the parks did not have legal protection, the Department of the Interior used small numbers of army troops and civilian volunteers to help enforce regulations, but these soldiers and civilians operated under shaky authority. While they could inform violators that their activities were against park regulations, if the violators persisted, neither the soldiers nor the civilians were allowed to arrest them.
The exploitation of the parks came to national attention when poacher Edgar Howell was caught illegally hunting buffalo in Yellowstone Park. At the time, the last surviving buffalo herd in the United States lived in Yellowstone. After park authorities discovered him skinning several newly hunted buffalo, Howell remarked to a reporter that little could be done to punish him—the worst punishment he could legally receive was to be removed from the park and have his possessions confiscated. When this fact was publicized, President Cleveland amended laws to give park officials more authority. Cleveland also sponsored additional legislation to protect the animals in Yellowstone.
Cleveland's decision was not popular with everyone. Some members of Congress pushed to allow exploitation in national parks, claiming that the abundant resources found in them should be used by businesses. That way, everyone would be able to purchase these resources and enjoy them. Because of this, some of the exploitation was legalized. For example, a major dam was built in Yosemite Park to turn Hetch Hetchy Valley into a water reservoir.
To counter this, conservationists marketed national parks as tourist destinations and believed that this would make the parks profitable. The most famous of these conservationists was Stephen Mather, a millionaire who had previously worked in marketing and felt a personal calling to defend the natural places left in America. Mather ran a publicity campaign using artistic illustrations of the parks, which he sent to important members of Congress and wealthy citizens. Because of this, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Act to Establish the National Park Service 1916 (Organic Act), creating the National Park Service (NPS) as a subsidiary of the Department of the Interior, which already managed many national parks. Wilson gave the NPS exclusive authority to regulate, protect, and manage the parks under its control to ensure they would exist for future generations. In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 1933—a law passed directly by the president that can only be altered by future presidents—transferring authority of fifty-six federally controlled areas to the NPS, vastly increasing its national authority.
In the twenty-first century, the NPS is much larger and more powerful than its humble beginnings. It oversees over four hundred distinct parks and monuments—a few in nearly all US states and territories. The NPS still preserves the parks for future generations and protects them against poachers and others seeking to exploit their natural resources. To do so, it employs more than twenty thousand people who work to protect the parks. Changes to the NPS and the creation of new parks occur through acts of Congress.
Bibliography
"Everything You Need to Know about Yosemite National Park." National Geographic, 2019, travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/yosemite-national-park. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
"History." National Park Service, United States Government, www.nps.gov/aboutus/history.htm.
"The National Parks, America's Best Idea." PBS, www.pbs.org/nationalparks/history. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
"Quick History of the National Park Service." National Park Service, 24 Aug. 2022, www.nps.gov/articles/quick-nps-history.htm. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
"U.S. National Parks – In the Beginning." National Geographic, 2010, travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/early-history. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Walker, Benedict, et al. Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks. 6th ed., Lonely Planet Global Limited, 2021.