Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (Fodor's) - Fodor's [63]
In 2009, the park service announced plans for several more new projects, including the completion of a comprehensive inventory of the myriad plants and animals in Yellowstone National Park. Also in 2009, Congress passed the Omnibus Public Lands Act, which designated 2 million acres as wilderness, including the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Acknowledgments: We thank the Department of the Interior for their helpful resources, including A Brief History of the National Park Service.
THE ROOSEVELT TOUCH
Without Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt, many of America’s natural treasures would have ceased to exist. A generation apart, the two men were moved by the dire state of their nation to ramrod monumental changes in how the country preserved its outdoor wonders.
For Theodore, it was the disappearance of the bison and rampant misuse of the land in the western United States. For Franklin, it was the needs of an unemployed population—and the need to save the country’s ravaged forestland. Both men, through sheer force of will, drove their ideals into law.
Theodore, who believed America had an almost divine responsibility for proper stewardship of its ample resources, brought his conservationist leanings to the presidency in 1901. As part of his revolutionary administration, he established the U.S. Forest Service, along with 150 national forests; the first national wildlife refuge; 51 bird preserves; four game preserves; five national parks; and 18 national monuments, including four that became national parks—Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Lassen Peak, and Mount Olympus (Olympic). His efforts accounted for more than half of the lands to be managed by the National Park Service when it was created in 1916—seven years after his presidency ended.
Franklin, who believed the president was called to lead with character and morality (and to rescue the country from the throes of the Great Depression), created millions of jobs on public works projects—including many in the national parks. Almost immediately after his inauguration in 1933, he developed the Civilian Conservation Corps. Over nine years, it employed 5% of American males and planted about 3 billion trees. The corps was instrumental in suppressing forest fires, clearing campgrounds, constructing roads and trails, controlling floods and soil erosion, and eradicating undesirable plants. The CCC also enabled the NPS to improve existing public lands, establish new national parks, and guide the development of a system of state parks. Seven states gained their first state parks through the CCC’s efforts, and at the project’s end in 1942, a total of 711 state parks had been established. Additionally, Franklin added to the NPS holdings his Hyde Park, NY, home.
Though the inspiration for each differed, their contributions were similar, as are their legacies. They stand as giants among American presidents and as standard-bearers for government-aided conservation.
Teddy
Lifespan: 1858–1919
Saying: Speak softly and carry a big stick.
Regulated: Railroads
Unique qualities: Youngest president (age 42); won Nobel Peace Prize (for mediating the Russo-Japanese War)
FDR
Lifespan: 1882–1945
Saying: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
Regulated: Wall Street
Unique qualities: Only president with polio; only four-term president; established the WPA (Works Progress Administration)
—Gary Peterson
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WILDLIFE IN THE PARKS
Bats: Caves within the national parks teem with bats, the only mammals that can fly. Although not threatening to humans, bats do carry and can transmit dangerous diseases such as rabies. Enormous bat colonies can be observed whirling and flying out of caves en masse at dusk for feeding time, returning around sunrise. You also can observe