FREE ESSAY ON NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Topic: The National Park Service will continue to play an important role in twenty-first
century society.
Abstract: Those with a sense of destiny cried not exploitation, but preservation of
America's land. This belief created the first National Park and later the National Park
Service to protect it and the lands that were to be added. The National Park Service will
continue to protect the land and provide for the common good so visitors can enjoy the
freedom of nature and see the unspoiled earth, as man first knew it.
One country, one land bursting with life beholds the unspoiled beauty in America's
National Parks. Those citizens with a sense of destiny cried not exploitation, but
preservation of the land. In 1872, Congress set aside two million acres of land to
established the first national park, Yellowstone (Questar). Congress had vision to
preserve the natural wonder of the land for the enjoyment of all Americans. It was called
"the best idea America ever had." Believing in this vision, Woodrow Wilson signed
legislation to form the National Park Service in 1916 to protect the lands set aside by
Congress. As the National Park System began to grow from 7.5 million acres of land to
80.1 million acres, measures had to be taken in order to establish rules and limitations
within the parks. The National Park System contains some of the most important and
largest natural preservations in the country: millions of acres of old untouched forests,
wildlife reservations, lakes, and other natural beauties are preserved and protected as
national treasures (Lovett 10). Allowing people access to the parks could harm the land
in which Congress strives to protect. The question is how can the spirit of the land be
preserved without taming it and is it possible to for the parks to be enjoyed and
protected at the same time?
The National Park Service serves the common good of the parks by ensuring that the
community members have access to the park resources, and by ensuring that park resources
are protected for the benefit of the future generations (12). This is not an easy task to
achieve. It is the responsibility of the National Park Service to make certain that the
parks can be enjoyed and preserved; but on the other hand it is the responsibility of
visitors to respect the land as if it was their own. The responsibility of the park
service requires such duties as maintaining safe and pleasant visitor accommodations and
providing visitors with information (maps and guides) to educate them about the park so
they can fully experience the beauty and importance of a natural environment. The park
service cares whether if the visitors have a nice vacation while in the parks (Sellars
14). That is why they make efforts to educate people about the parks, encourage
visitation, serve the interests of both the visitors of today and of the future, and to
make in the informed decisions about the land. By continuing to protect the parks against
the wear and tear of use so that the original values of each park remain intact for each
visitor the National Park service will continue to play an important role in the
twenty-first century.
The national park system serves the individual needs of our country and our land. These
needs provide tourism and vacationing, the opportunity to interact with nature, enjoyment
of cultural and historical monuments, and physical exercise (Lovett16). The contributions
of the park system are valued as common goods to the country. As long as the park service
continues to provide their efforts to keep the parks looking beautiful and consistent
with nature, America will always have a place of refuge in common.
In cooperation with the legislation passed by government, the National Park Service will
continue to play an important role in American society by protecting our mountains from
being striped, trees cut, and water tainted (Cong 27). Without the aid of Congress and
the Park Service, America's beautiful land could be thrashed and misused, in which case
people of the future would not be able to enjoy the majestic grandeurs of America. 
The influence of the National Park Service in America has spread to other countries.
Without a doubt, the actions and of the National Park Service will continue to play an
important role in the twenty-first century. The protection and preservation of America's
land both inside and outside the National Parks are as important now as it was when
America did not even exist, and more importantly they will continue play a crucial role
in the future.
Bibliography
Works Cited
America's adventurous and majestic parks. [videorecording] / [presented by] Questar 
Video Imprint Portland, OR: Encounter Productions; distributed by Questar Video, 
Chicago, IL, 1995, 1 cassette, 85 min, col, VHS.
Cong. Rec. 21 Nov. 1991: Y4.IN8/14:102-46. United States. Cong. Subcommittee on 
National Parks and Public Lands of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. 
National Park Service 75th Anniversary Symposium recommendations. Washington: 
GPO, 1992. 
Lovett, Francis N. National Parks: Rights and the Common Good. Oxford: Rowman and 
Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1998.
Sellars, Richard West. Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History. New Haven: 
Yale University Press, 1997.