----- begin quoted ----

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/10/opinion/10mon2.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

July 10, 2006
Editorial: Drafting the Future of the Parks

Last Friday marked the end of the public comment period on the most recent draft of the National Park Service's management policy - the core document that governs the day-to-day operation of the national parks. It's a relief to see that the current draft appears to reaffirm the doctrine that preservation is the core historical mission of the parks. That had been the philosophy guiding the Park Service for years, until the Bush administration attempted to give recreation and commercial use a much higher priority.

Compared with the original draft, this one is a marvel of sanity and historical conscience. But it's been a rough road getting to this point, and there may well be a few bumps ahead.

Over the past few weeks, there has been a concerted effort by the so-called recreation community - a euphemism for the motorized vehicle industry and its lobbyists - to change the draft. In at least two conference calls with Interior Department officials, snowmobile and off-road vehicle lobbyists have expressed their opposition to the restored emphasis on preservation.

What's most worrying about this last-minute lobbying - besides the fact that recreation seems limited to activities involving an internal combustion engine - is the suggestion, put forward by the American Recreation Coalition, that the Park Service revise the management policy regularly. There is only one reason for a suggestion like that: to give "recreation leaders" a regular chance to pressure the park system for increased motorized vehicle access.

No one, of course, wants to limit the use of the parks to hardy hikers. Our understanding of what it means to preserve the parks "unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations" has changed dramatically since the parks system was established in 1916. Millions of motorists have visited wilderness they could never have reached on foot, using roadways that were carefully constructed to balance the goals of access and conservation. But what we have been seeing under this administration is an attempt to redefine enjoyment for the benefit of a small minority who want to eliminate restrictions on the use of noisy jet skis and open up the parks to off-road vehicles and snowmobiles.

The parks should not be sacrificed to the internal combustion engine. The new interior secretary, Dirk Kempthorne, should listen to the claims of the motorized recreationists and weigh them for what they are worth against the many thousands of public comments supporting the historical mission of the parks - and act accordingly.

Comments (0) >>

Write comment

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment