'National Parks: Americas Best Idea'

[nwdiver]

'National Parks: Americas Best Idea' a PBS Ken Burns series is streaming on Amazon Prime. It's an amazing series about the history of our parks.

It's scary that only a handful of people stood between preservation and the absolute exploitation of these areas that most people would now agree are priceless. I never realized how incredibly influential John Muir was.

 

[Skotty]

Beware politicians that now talk of privatizing national parks. I understand being a conservative, advocating smaller government and free market solutions, but holy $$$$. Don't give away the parks!

 

[nwdiver]

Beware politicians that now talk of privatizing national parks. I understand being a conservative, advocating smaller government and free market solutions, but holy $$$$. Don't give away the parks!

I doubt full privatization will ever fly... the bigger threat is outsourcing like we've done with prisons. It's disappointing that they no longer offer free admission... the cost to visit will rise significantly if they're run by private corporations seeking profit. Defending is the bigger threat.

 

[Uncle Paul]

If it cost over $100 per day to visit Disneyland, imagine what they would charge to enter Yellowstone

 

[Brando]

If it cost over $100 per day to visit Disneyland, imagine what they would charge to enter Yellowstone

Once, when America was great and before the wealthy increased their assets to, in my opinion, obscene levels our parks were free for all to enjoy, as long as you could afford to get there. Now all our money seems to go to prisons, military, military bases, secret security state, homeland security and a president that brags about not paying taxes and people like Mit Romney that pays less than 10% when wage earners pay almost 15% in payroll taxes (SS, unemployment for those with less than what, $130,000?

PS- Uncle Paul, does that include parking?

 

[TEG]

I have noticed a recent trend to call them "public lands" instead of "national parks" and suggest that cattle farmers should be able to let their cows graze in the parks, and campers should be able to cut down trees for firewood, and hunters should be able to hunt the animals there. With the budget gutting going on with park service, do we have the ability to stop these activities?

 

[nwdiver]

With the budget gutting going on with park service, do we have the ability to stop these activities?

It's still illegal and will likely always be. National Parks have the primary objective of preservation with use as a secondary goal. Public Access is almost a necessary evil. You need to public to enjoy these areas for them to support them. National Forests and other areas governed by the BLM are there for uses such as firewood, timber and grazing. BLM lands are much larger at ~250M acres vs 84M acres for Parks... with much of that 84M acres being unusable for commercial use anyway since it's swamp, desert, canyon or mountain.

The one thing I wish NPs would allow is Dogs. For that reason most of my outdoor activities tend to be on BLM land not NPs.

 

[TEG]

Hunting prohibited, but poachers try

Where Can I Go Hunting? • Modern Hunters

Hunting in the National Park System?

Dispelling the Myth about No Hunting on National Parks

Hunting and Fishing on National Parks and Fish and Wildlife Refuges