By John Byrne, chair, Sierra Club National Parks and Monuments Team
Since its founding with the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, the National Park System has grown not just in size but also in scope. Initially established to protect areas of unique natural qualities, it has expanded to set aside areas that represent significant historical events, and to provide recreational opportunities for many areas of the country. In the 21st century, national parks need to assume even more important functions.
For all their spectacle and scenic beauty, national parks are also representative of the world around them--and affected by the same influences. Protecting the parks is inextricably bound with protecting the worldwide environment.
By monitoring the natural ecosystems found in national parks we can observe how native species are responding to changes created by climate change and other human impacts. Fortunately, capable government scientists are studying what is happening in national parks and extrapolating their discoveries to broader areas outside their boundaries. National parks are like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, giving us an advance warning of what is to come in the broader world.
Not even half the major natural areas of the United States are currently represented in the National Park System. Further, most of our national parks are located in the West, not easily available to much of our population.The Sierra Club proposes establishing national parks to represent each of the rest of the nation's ecoregions. That way people will not have to travel long distances to experience and enjoy national parks. By expanding our system of national parks we can save fossil fuels and reduce our carbon footprint.
For example, how about establishing a tallgrass- prairie national park? In addition to preserving a sample of a vanishing and neglected- -and historically important--ecosystem, and creating park access in a region now without national parks, it would provide a unique research location for the ecology of this ecoregion and the ecological threats to it. National parks should also be models of energy efficiency, of places we can live in harmony with our natural world. Facilities in national parks should be net-zero consumers of electricity, using solar and (when properly designed and located) wind to produce the energy the parks need. People should be able to experience the wonders of national parks that do not generate climate-changing gases. National parks are also excellent places to learn about the natural world. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, for example, about 12,000 species are known, and an all-taxa inventory is expected to bring this number up to around 100,000, many not previously known. Such studies should be expanded to all parks, including parks that need to be added to the system, so that we learn about all the places we live. National parks should reach out to our schools and colleges to demonstrate how the natural world affects our lives. The Internet and robo-cams can allow us to visit our national parks 24/7/365.
The role of our national parks has changed as we have learned greater appreciation of our natural world and its importance to our survival. The role of the National Park System must be expanded to help us better enlighten ourselves on living in harmony with our natural world.
The newly revised Sierra Club Conservation Policies on National Parks can be viewed at: www.sierraclub.org/policy/conservation/natparks.aspx