Comments on: US National Parks visits up http://matadornetwork.com/pulse/us-national-parks-visits-up/ travel culture worldwide Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:06:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Megan Hill http://matadornetwork.com/pulse/us-national-parks-visits-up/#comment-70643 Megan Hill Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:49:09 +0000 http://matadorpulse.com/?p=1001#comment-70643 Thanks for the thoughtful comment, JoAnna. I definitely think that shuttles like at Zion and Bryce and the G.C. are helpful solutions, but I wonder if we don't need more radical approaches. I'm torn, too. And you're right that as much as we might try to leave only footprints, it's probably impossible to truly do so. The good thing is that much of the parks are backcountry areas and that naturally limits the numbers there, plus you probably need a permit to stay overnight and that further limits things. Thanks for the thoughtful comment, JoAnna. I definitely think that shuttles like at Zion and Bryce and the G.C. are helpful solutions, but I wonder if we don’t need more radical approaches. I’m torn, too. And you’re right that as much as we might try to leave only footprints, it’s probably impossible to truly do so. The good thing is that much of the parks are backcountry areas and that naturally limits the numbers there, plus you probably need a permit to stay overnight and that further limits things.

]]> By: JoAnna http://matadornetwork.com/pulse/us-national-parks-visits-up/#comment-70642 JoAnna Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:05:35 +0000 http://matadorpulse.com/?p=1001#comment-70642 You know I'm a lover of the National Parks, but this is something I struggle with all of the time. I wrote about it in my blog about Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park (on my Matador Community page and my personal blog), and I'm getting ready to write about it again because of a recent visit to Lehman Caves in Great Basin National Park. I'm of mixed views over the "National Parks problem," as I think of it. We want people to appreciate the natural space in the United States, but it's being loved to death. You note that in your article regarding the pollution, noise, crowds, trash, etc. You can see it in the bumper-to-bumper traffic in the Yosemite Valley, the graffiti in Lehmans Cave, the crowds elbowing for space on Moro Rock. While I don't care for the conclusion I've come to, this is how I'm feeling about the debate right now: If we sacrifice part of our parks for the crowd, we can maintain the dignity, beauty and respect for the rest of the park. Even if everyone in the park had the best intention of cleaning up after themselves, being quieter, etc., some things can't be fought: the need to pave some trails, the need to build bathrooms, the need to staff more park rangers to answer questions and maintain order. If that is the case, then we protect places like Yosemite National Park and sacrifice the Yosemite Valley (somewhere between 2%-4% of the park, depending on which stats you read) for crowd overload so the rest of the park can be protected and tread upon lightly for those who choose to leave the crowd behind. In the case of Lehman Caves, you put unnatural lighting in, walk a dozen tours through a day, risk breaking and leaving oils on rare cave formations ... but then you protect the other caves in the park (I believe there may be about a half dozen more) by not naming, marking or allowing visitors to know where they are. Those caves are off limits. Sacrifice one to save the rest. The National Park problem is a tough one. I try to do my part in picking up garbage, taking shuttle buses when possible (Zion and Bryce both have great systems, but in Bryce you can choose to drive your car, and most people do that), staying on trails, keeping a low volume and profile on backcountry trails and letting wildlife be wild. We can never leave "just" footprints, but if we all tried, we might be able to extend the life of our National Parks just a little longer. You know I’m a lover of the National Parks, but this is something I struggle with all of the time. I wrote about it in my blog about Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park (on my Matador Community page and my personal blog), and I’m getting ready to write about it again because of a recent visit to Lehman Caves in Great Basin National Park.

I’m of mixed views over the “National Parks problem,” as I think of it. We want people to appreciate the natural space in the United States, but it’s being loved to death. You note that in your article regarding the pollution, noise, crowds, trash, etc. You can see it in the bumper-to-bumper traffic in the Yosemite Valley, the graffiti in Lehmans Cave, the crowds elbowing for space on Moro Rock.

While I don’t care for the conclusion I’ve come to, this is how I’m feeling about the debate right now: If we sacrifice part of our parks for the crowd, we can maintain the dignity, beauty and respect for the rest of the park. Even if everyone in the park had the best intention of cleaning up after themselves, being quieter, etc., some things can’t be fought: the need to pave some trails, the need to build bathrooms, the need to staff more park rangers to answer questions and maintain order. If that is the case, then we protect places like Yosemite National Park and sacrifice the Yosemite Valley (somewhere between 2%-4% of the park, depending on which stats you read) for crowd overload so the rest of the park can be protected and tread upon lightly for those who choose to leave the crowd behind. In the case of Lehman Caves, you put unnatural lighting in, walk a dozen tours through a day, risk breaking and leaving oils on rare cave formations … but then you protect the other caves in the park (I believe there may be about a half dozen more) by not naming, marking or allowing visitors to know where they are. Those caves are off limits. Sacrifice one to save the rest.

The National Park problem is a tough one. I try to do my part in picking up garbage, taking shuttle buses when possible (Zion and Bryce both have great systems, but in Bryce you can choose to drive your car, and most people do that), staying on trails, keeping a low volume and profile on backcountry trails and letting wildlife be wild. We can never leave “just” footprints, but if we all tried, we might be able to extend the life of our National Parks just a little longer.

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