One Utah

One of the most far-reaching, prescient and effective decisions ever made by the US Government was the creation of the national park system.  You can explore the national parks at nps.gov - one of the better, more user friendly sites in the Federal government.  National Parks represent a radical and important protection of the commons - the idea that some things should be preserved and made available to all the people.  As a matter of principle, I object to the idea that you have to pay for entrance and tours, but as a matter of economics I get it - even though the prices for entrance and tours at national parks is quite reasonable.  Our national parks constantly balance the demands of preserving natural and historical wonders while making them accessible to huge numbers of Americans.  I believe that as a nation we do better today than we have in the past.

Utah has an embarrassment of riches where national parkland is concerned.  Utah has several major national parks (Zion’s, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands) as well as a group of lesser known parks (Natural Bridges, Timpanogas, Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Hovenweep).  This list does not include, for instance, national wilderness areas or forests, which Utah also possesses in abundance.  Few other states can boast such riches. 

This weekend, I made the first in a very long time journey to Timpanogas cave.  It’s impossible for me to spend any time at America’s national parks without believing we as a nation have done really well on this front - and to realize the future holds unique challenges in preserving these spaces for future generations.  Intelligent management of natural wonders seems to me a crucial component of a successful society - holding those places in trust for our children and grand children, keeping them in the best condition possible so that people in the future can enjoy them and learn from them.  I know it’s a cliche to say but I believe it is true that we are borrowing the earth from our children. 

This entry was posted Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 12:31 pm and is filed under This Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.