The National Park Service

By Emily T

One of the most common employers of those involved in outdoor recreation is the United States Government. A major government system that is popular among those in the Sustainable Parks, Recreation, and Tourism major, and really anyone who loves the outdoors at all, is the National Park Service.

Watch this video to learn more about the ideas and mission of the National Park Service:

As you may have noticed from the video, the National Park Service sends a message to embrace the ever-changing and growing nation that is the United States, and they have made it their mission to help their system become enjoyable to all.

The National Parks Service protects and embraces the beautiful land of our nation, and much of our history.They run programs in parks, memorials, and other historical landmarks. Some of the most famous places run by the National Parks Service are Grand Canyon National Park, the battlefields at Gettysburg, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. There are a total of 58 National Parks in the United States alone.

America’s first national park, and probably the most famous, is Yellowstone National Park, located in Wyoming. The entrance to the park is a large arch, with the words “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people” engraved on it. These were the words President Theodore Roosevelt said when the park opened in 1872. With its mountains, wildlife, and majority of the world’s geysers, including Old Faithful, this wonderland was so beautiful that it had to be preserved “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people”. Since then, multiple locations, everywhere from Crater Lake in Oregon to The Everglades in Florida to the Volcanoes in Hawaii to the forts at San Juan have been preserved so that citizens of the United States, and those from around the world, can enjoy and learn about the history and land of our country.

Historian and American novelist Wallace Stegner called the national parks “America’s Best Idea”. The initial purpose of the parks, which continues today, is that every United States citizen, no matter where they are from, owns some of these beautiful and historic locations. These parks and lands have been around for many years, providing us with the benefit of enjoying the beautiful, unique places of the United States.

I had the wonderful privilege of growing up and hiking in the national parks. From the canyons in Arizona to the rain forests in Washington, to the mountains in Montana, the wildlife, landscape, and amazing views never ceased to take my breath away. There truly is nothing like them, and once you have seen the beauty of them, you are never the same.

Sources:

http://www.nps.gov/index.htm

United States. National Park Service. "National Park Service." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 05 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Feb. 2016.

Images:

http://www.carolinaoutdoorsguide.com/NationalParks.html

http://www.yellowstonepark.com/roosevelt-arch/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/national-parks/best-parks.html