Our National Parks: Conserving the Best of the United States

So I was reflecting on what I wanted to blog about for this week's observational post, and a letter that I received in the mail this past weekend came to my mind.

Now, this particular letter came in one of those envelopes - you know the type - on the outside they say "hurry! open soon!" or, "special offer enclosed!" or, "limited time only!" or, heck, for all I could care, it could've been saying I just won $5,000,000 just so that I would open the darn thing.

But, rather than just ripping this one in half and chunking it (as is my usual course of action), for whatever reason I proceeded to open this particular one and found inside this letter:

Dear Friend,

Our National Parks represent the BEST of the United States. They are our most precious natural, cultural, and historic landmarks. By working together, we are safeguarding them as a uniquely American legacy for our children - and for all coming generations. And that's worth celebrating!

You see, the most wonderful aspect of our national parks is that they are open to everyone. All are welcome to visit a national park to restore the spirit, refresh the body, and inspire the heart.

...As beloved and cherished as the parks are - as much... as they are part of our identity as Americans - they are underfunded, sometimes mismanaged, and often decaying. And that's a shame!

The national parks tell the story of America. They deserve our care and attention!"


And the letter went on to elaborate on the benefits of becoming a NPCA member (National Parks Conservation Association), the fact that we take our parks for granted, and that these parks tell America's history and that "America the beautiful" is contained within them.

It included a nice little brochure on each National US park and a few other items and pamphlets.

Your typical "Send us some money please" letter.

But in light of our class discussion on Tuesday, what struck me the most (and what reverberated with me when I read this letter) was our discussion about how something can only be preserved/conserved if there is a sense that is is being lost. Otherwise, there is no need to preserve it or to conserve it (or what is left of it). So that sentiment really resonated with me when I stopped for a moment to think about our National Parks and Wildlife Refuges.

However, in class today, we talked about our National Parks and the paradox that they themselves present: they are "controlled spaces" that are meant to be "wild."

So do I really want to put my money toward conserving "the best of the United States," as the brochure declares, or would I rather put my money toward simple, little ways that I can preserve/conserve on my own, in my day-to-day habits and routines? I guess for some, contributing some sum of money and having a little membership card and getting a free hat or t-shirt or whatever that says NPCA clear across it is a way in which they feel that they are really helping the environment and preserving a "piece of America." True. Yet, what if we all made the decision to put our money toward little changes that we can make here in our own lives, in our own communities, in our own, personal "environments"? Would that not have a more lasting effect? Perhaps.
Perhaps not.

Either way, this letter - while petitioning my pocketbook for funds to protect "national landmarks" that I've never even been to - does address the fact that something needs to be done. And, as Leopold claims, it is only when man and land can find that balance that any permanent change will be made.