YELLOWSTONE - OUR FIRST NATIONAL PARK

Thomas Moran's watercolor of Old Faithful (1871).

His paintings were the first images of Yellowstone presented to the public.

[Part of Constituting America’s 90 Day Study - Days that Shaped America]

National Parks are the most visible manifestation of why America is exceptional.

America’s Parks are the physical touchstones that affirm our national identity.  Our historical Parks preserve our collective memory of events that shaped our nation.  Our natural Parks preserve the environment that shaped us.

National Parks are open to all to enjoy, learn, and contemplate.  This concept of preserving a physical space for the sole purpose of public access is a uniquely American invention.  It further affirms why America remains an inspiration to the world.

On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the law creating Yellowstone as the world’s first National Park. 

AN ACT to set apart a certain tract of land lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River as a public park. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the tract of land in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming ... is hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale under the laws of the United States, and dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people; and all persons who shall locate, or settle upon, or occupy the same or any part thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall be considered trespassers and removed there from ...

The Yellowstone legislation launched a system that now encompasses 419 National Parks with over 84 million acres.  Inspired by Grant’s act, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand established their own National Parks during the following years.

Yellowstone was not predestined to be the first National Park.

In 1806, John Colter, a member of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery, joined fur trappers to explore several Missouri River tributaries.  Colter entered the Yellowstone area in 1807 and later reported on a dramatic landscape of “fire and brimstone”.  His description was rejected as too fanciful and labeled “Colter’s Hell”.

Over the years, other trappers and “mountain men” shared stories of fantastic landscapes of water gushing out of the ground and rainbow-colored hot springs.  They were all dismissed as fantasy.

After America’s Civil War formal expeditions were launched to explore the upper Yellowstone River system.  Settlers and miners were interested in the economic potential of the region. 

In 1869, Charles Cook, David Folsom, and William Peterson led a privately financed survey the region.  Their journals and personal accounts provided the first believable descriptions of Yellowstone’s natural wonders. 

Reports from the Cook-Folsom Expedition encouraged the first official government survey in 1870. Henry Washburn, the Surveyor General of the Montana Territory, led a large team known as the Washburn-Langford-Doan Expedition to the Yellowstone area. Nathaniel P. Langford, who co-led the team, was a friend of Jay Cook, a major investor in the Northern Pacific Railway.  Washburn was escorted by a U.S. Cavalry Unit commanded by Lt. Gustavus Doane. Their team, including Folsom, followed a similar course as Cook-Folsom 1869 excursion, extensively documenting their observations of the Yellowstone area.  They explored numerous lakes, mountains, and observed wildlife. The Expedition chronicled the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins.  They named one geyser Old Faithful, as it erupted once every 74 minutes.

Upon their return, Cook combined Washburn’s and Folsom’s journals into a single version. He submitted it to the New York Tribune and Scribner's for publication. Both rejected the manuscript as “unreliable and improbable” even with the military’s corroboration. Fortunately, another member of Washburn’s Expedition, Cornelius Hedges, submitted several articles about Yellowstone to the Helena Herald newspaper from 1870 to 1871.  Hedges would become one of the original advocates for setting aside the Yellowstone area as a National Park.

Langford, who would become Yellowstone’s first park superintendent, reported to Cooke about his observations.  While Cooke was primarily interested in how Yellowstone’s wonders and resources could attract railroad business, he supported Langford’s vision of establishing a National Park. Cooke financed Langford's Yellowstone lectures in Virginia City, Helena, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. 

On January 19, 1871, geologist Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden attended Langford’s speech in Washington, D.C.  He was motivated to conduct his next geological survey in the Yellowstone region. 

In 1871, Hayden organized the first federally funded survey of the Yellowstone region.  His team included photographer William Henry Jackson, and landscape artist Thomas Moran. Hayden’s reports on the geysers, sulfur springs, waterfalls, canyons, lakes and streams of Yellowstone verified earlier reports.  Jackson’s and Moran’s images provided the first visual proof of Yellowstone’s unique natural features.

The various expeditions and reports built the case for preservation instead of exploitation.

In October 1865, acting Montana Territorial Governor Thomas Francis Meagher, was the first public official recommending that the Yellowstone region should be protected.  In an 1871 letter from Jay Cooke to Hayden, Cooke wrote that his friend, Congressman William D. Kelley was suggesting "Congress pass a bill reserving the Great Geyser Basin as a public park forever".

Hayden became another leader for establishing Yellowstone as a National Park. He was concerned the area could face the same fate as the overly developed and commercialized Niagara Falls area.  Yellowstone should, "be as free as the air or water." In his report to the Committee on Public Lands, Hayden declared that if Yellowstone was not preserved, "the vandals who are now waiting to enter into this wonder-land, will in a single season despoil, beyond recovery, these remarkable curiosities, which have required all the cunning skill of nature thousands of years to prepare".

Langford, and a growing number of park advocates, promoted the Yellowstone bill in late 1871 and early 1872.  They raised the alarm that “there were those who would come and make merchandise of these beautiful specimen”.

Their proposed legislation drew upon the precedent of the Yosemite Act of 1864, which barred settlement and entrusted preservation of the Yosemite Valley to the state of California. 

Park advocates faced spirited opposition from mining and development interests who asserted that permanently banning settlement of a public domain the size of Yellowstone would depart from the established policy of transferring public lands to private ownership (in the 1980s, $1 billion of exploitable deposits of gold and silver were discovered within miles of the Park).  Developers feared that the regional economy would be unable to thrive if there remained strict federal prohibitions against resource development or settlement within park boundaries.  Some tried to reduce the proposed size of the park so that mining, hunting, and logging activities could be developed. 

Fortunately, Jackson’s photographs and Moran’s paintings captured the imagination of Congress. These compelling images, and the credibility of the Hayden report, persuaded the United States Congress to withdraw the Yellowstone region from public auction.  The Establishment legislation quickly passed both chambers and was sent to President Grant for his signature.

Grant, an early advocate of preserving America’s unique natural features, enthusiastically signed the bill into law.

On September 8,1978, Yellowstone and Mesa Verde were the first U.S. National Parks designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Yellowstone was deemed a “resource of universal value to the world community”.

SAVING AMERICA'S HERITAGE

Harpers Ferry NHP 1985

Harpers Ferry NHP 2004

[Published on Newsmax]

Imagine America without scenic vistas or historic sites. These physical touch stones define American Exceptionalism, and remind us who were are and why we are.

One of the reasons our defining landscape remains mostly in tact is the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). On September 30, this Fund vanished. Lack of Congressional action allowed this fund to expire and with it countless opportunities to preserve uniquely American places threatened by sprawl and short-sighted development schemes.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is funded by a small percentage of federal oil royalties from offshore drilling in public waters. No tax dollars are involved.

Each year, four percent of $20 billion collected in offshore royalties is deposited in the LWCF account in the federal treasury. It is less than the rounding errors across the Federal Budget. It is less than one quarter of one percent of the annual documented waste throughout the Federal Government.

Over its 50-year history, LWCF has protected land in every state and supported over 41,000 state and local park projects. It pays dividends well beyond preserving what makes America America. Outdoor recreation, natural resource preservation, and historic preservation activities provide a powerful building block in our national economy that supports 9.4 million jobs and contributes a total of $1.06 trillion annually to the U.S. economy, according to the National Fish and Wildlife Federation.

West Virginia is an excellent example of what the LWCF can do. West Virginia has received approximately $241 million in LWCF funding over the past five decades, protecting places such as the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, Monongahela National Forest and New River Gorge National River.

The Outdoor Industry Association has found that active outdoor recreation generates $9 billion in consumer spending in West Virginia, 91,000 jobs which generate $2.4 billion in wages and salaries, and produces $660 million annually in state and local tax revenue.

There are amazing stories behind these numbers – here is one.

In the late 1980’s, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (HFNHP) was threatened on all sides. Neighboring Loudoun County, Virginia was the fastest growing county in America. Developers looked to land around HFNHP for intensive development. They hoped the Loudoun real estate boom would spill over Loudoun Heights and create a deluge of new housing and strip malls. The developers saw riches on the hallowed ground where Americans fought and died during the Civil War. Access to the Washington, DC MARC commuter trains trumped historic preservation.

In March 1988 a small group of concerned local citizens met with the Superintendent of HFNHP. The result was chartering Friends of HFNHP as the official Friends Group for the Park. Its mission was to preserve precious historic and scenic resources before the bulldozers arrived.

Senator Robert Byrd became the “patron saint” for the preservation forces. He funded a Resource Study that defined core battlefield land (where troops actually engaged in fighting and tactical movement) and buffer lands that preserved the vistas and maintained the contextual integrity of the many battles fought in the area.

The study, adopted after extensive scholarly documentation and public meetings, became the new “battle map” for the preservationists.

What followed was forty separate preservation projects over thirty years. Twenty six successful legal and regulatory actions stopped developers from destroying earthworks, and blighting vistas with townhouses, apartments, subdivisions, strip malls, and in one instance, a strip club. In their place is now over 1,500 preserved acres in three states, which were ultimately transferred into the National Park system.

The preservation battles in the Harpers Ferry area all banked on the Land and Water Conservation Fund being all or part of the final financial arrangements. In some cases, the LWCF allowed the Friends’ group and its partners to outbid developers for unspoiled farmland. Willing sellers desired their legacy to be open land, not concrete and vinyl. In other cases, legal actions slowed or stopped developers, forcing them to the bargaining table.

Through it all, the LWCF was the financial “cavalry” that would arrive just in time to acquire land or reimburse preservation partners who were holding land in trust.

Today, 500,000+ visitors, from all over America and the world, can roam one of the nation’s most fully preserved battlefields. Countless travel and history rankings list Harpers Ferry as the top historic & scenic community in the U.S. None of this would have been possible without the tireless commitment of local citizens, the hard work of preservation and conservation groups, and the LWCF.

Permanent reauthorization, and full dedicated funding, of the LWCF will ensure other communities have this same access to vital preservation resources for facing current and future challenges.

TRUMPING THE PARKS

#TRUMPING

[Also published http://www.newsmax.com/ScotFaulkner/trump-national-parks-preservation-friends-groups/2017/05/01/id/787459/] 

President Trump signaled his commitment to the National Parks by donating his first quarter’s salary to their upkeep.

America’s nationhood is based upon ideals.  America’s National Parks are the physical touchstones that reaffirm who we are and why we are.

America remains America if our Parks remain integral to our lives.  It means making our Parks relevant and relatable to all Americans through the 21^st Century and beyond.

National Parks have three primary customers.  Each requires diverse actions to meet their needs.  Visitors are one customer.  However, the environmental and historical resources a Park protects are also customers with their own unique needs. 

Making sure a Park’s plants and animals are healthy and thriving is grounded in science linked to creativity.  The 1995 reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park was a master stroke that is improving the Park’s environment on a daily basis.

Making sure the historical resources of a Park remain viable is a daunting challenge.  Natural parks even have historic structures, sites, and viewsheds.  Time, the elements, and visitors constantly assault this historic fabric and context.  A leaky roof today may become a collapsed one a year later. Unfortunately, Park maintenance has been neglected by Presidents and the Congress far too long.

Making sure visitors gain the intended insights, and leave with a sense of civic renewal, is complex.  Young people no longer bring to their Park experience the language, historical, geographical, or scientific knowledge of previous generations.

There exist highly successful best practices that will help President Trump, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, and the Park Service address these challenges.

Expanding Partnerships – every National Park should have its own Friends Group, corporate partners, and, where appropriate, Cooperating Association.

Lack of funding has devastated America’s National Parks for more than a generation.  There are less than 100 Friends groups among the 415 National Parks.  These groups are formed by local citizens and chartered by the Department of Interior.  Friends groups generate support within the communities surrounding each Park.  Partners can supplement Park resources with volunteers to staff special events.  They also serve as advocates to win preservation battles.

Cooperating Associations are another vital Park partner.  These groups run Park bookstores, build a membership base, raise funds, and co-develop and present interpretive programs. 

Corporate partners have provided vital funds for major maintenance projects. Target raised $5 million to help repair the Washington Monument in 2000, while Chrysler CEO, Lee Iacoccca, spearheaded raising $36 million for the restoration of the Statute of Liberty in the 1980s.

Embedding Parks in Schools – Young people must grow up with National Parks being an important part of their life.  Parks need to be a learning resource. This will help the next generation embrace the role Parks play in preserving America’s civic culture. 

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (HFNHP) has been at the forefront of highly successful education initiatives.  In 1988, the Park partnered with the local county schools to create an award winning living history immersion.  Each year the Park provides educational material to local K-12 schools, including a full day Civil War simulation where students experience being raw recruits.

In 2009, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground and HFNHP developed “Of the Student, By the Student, For the Student” video workshops.  8^th grade students studied a major Park theme (i.e. John Brown’s 1859 raid) and then, working with media coaches, wrote, acted, directed, and produced short videos on some aspect of that theme.  The multiple avenues of learning, from history to film making, has become a national model for engaging young people.

Making Parks Virtual – iPhone and Android screens have become our window to the world.  Bringing the Park to the visitor, creating unique experiences, is one way of engaging more people, without expanding the number of Park staff.

Recently, HFNHP launched “Time Trek” which uses smart phones and virtual reality to immerse young people in history.  They peer through their smart phone cameras with images from historical story lines overlaying their surroundings.

Google Street View now has technology for mapping trails and off-road environments.  “Guide by Cell” and applications like “Wikitude” and “Detour” enable nonlinear tourism.  Imagine virtually hiking the Appalachian Trail from your own home or having real time access to experts in a park you are visiting.

President Trump’s and Secretary Zinke’s leadership and vision can make Parks Great Again.

[Scot Faulkner is President of Friends of Harpers Ferry National Park and a former Trustee of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground. He helps private corporations and governments save billions of dollars by flattening organizations; achieving dramatic and sustainable cost reductions while improving operational and service excellence. He served as the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives.  He also served as Director of Personnel for Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Campaign and on Reagan’s Transition and White House Staff.] 

Losing our Memory

The following article was published on the History News Network 

http://hnn.us/articles/losing-our-national-historic-parks-and-our-memory

Six months before the Afghan-based Al Qaeda terrorists blew up the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the Afghan-based Taliban blew up the 1700-year old Bamiyan Buddha statues [1].  The world decried this wanton destruction of history.

Unfortunately, every day America’s history is also being wantonly destroyed.  These touchstones of our national identity are not being leveled by Taliban tanks, but by developer bulldozers.

America is in the middle of commemorating the 150^th Anniversary of its Civil War and the Bicentennial of the War of 1812.  It is heart breaking to watch these events against a backdrop of impending threats to core historical properties and viewsheds.

“Sprawl and commercial development are threatening the historic sites where our nation was forged and shaped,” Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) recently said.  “Each time a historic battlefield is replaced with a parking lot, a chapter of American history is obscured, and future generations lose an important window onto their heritage.”

Thirty acres of America’s history are lost each day.  Over twenty percent of America’s battlefields are already lost forever, of the remaining 3+ million acres only fifteen percent are protected by National Parks. [3] While additional acres are protected by state and local parks and by private organizations, the threat to America’s collective memory remains tragically real and immediate.

On September 11, 2012 the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2489 reauthorizing and expanding the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP).  This legislation also covers Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields. Since 1999, the program’s matching grants have helped save more than 16,500 acres of historic sites in 14 states. [4]

The ABPP is currently seeking public comment on its latest report, which details the threats to 383 Civil War sites (Deadline October 12, 2012). [5] Unfortunately, detailed reports and a matching grant program are too little too late.

What is needed is a priority comprehensive federal initiative to save America’s memory.  This should be embraced by leaders across the political spectrum.  Liberals can rally around open spaces and preservation.  Conservatives can rally around making sure patriotic sacred ground and sites that establish America’s exceptionalism remain intact and in context for future generations.

Step One – Identify the land.  The ABPP has already identified core and contributing battlefield land in detail.  Groups such as the Civil War Trust have gone further to identify ownership parcel by parcel.  This information, along with data from local historical groups, should be compiled into both a national map and a set of battle-specific “metes and bounds” setting the stage for Omnibus Battlefield Boundary legislation.

Step Two – Create and pass Omnibus Battlefield Boundary legislation, which would expand the boundaries of existing national parks to encompass all battlefield land.  Where National Parks (battlefields, historical parks, monuments) do not currently exist, establish national historic areas that authorize cooperative agreements with state, local, and private entities to preserve this land. These arrangements would be similar to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. [6]

Step Three – Authorize and appropriate sufficient funds within the Department of Interior’s existing Land & Water Conservation Fund to purchase all the battlefield land.  The current state of America’s economy prevents state and local government, and private groups, from buying land.  Only a fully funded federal effort will meet preservation needs before it is too late. 

Conservatives will balk at this program, but they should view it as stimulating the economy by jump starting the real estate market and family farms.  Most battlefield land is near urban areas and will vanish under developer bulldozers once the real estate market returns (current predictions are for normal sales activity by 2014 and a return to January 2006 market conditions by 2020). [7] Many farmers view their undeveloped land as their 401k investment.  Why not provide them with the ability to cash-in and at the same time save history?

Property rights conservatives will want to avoid eminent domain and have land bought from willing sellers at market rates. The main problem is that, by law, the federal government has to pay appraised value instead of asking price.  While appraisals prevent fraud and extortion, they do not reflect the fact that many of these battlefield properties are “under water” – worth less than their original purchase price or their current mortgage.  There needs to be a way to create clearly documented and reviewed waivers that allow federal realty officials to purchase battlefield land over and above appraised value. Congressional review and/or Federal Register publication with public comment prior to finalizing sales contracts could avoid problems.

Fiscal conservatives will be concerned about increasing the ongoing operational costs for this newly preserved battlefield.  Most unprotected battlefield land is agricultural.  The National Park Service could lease this land back to farmers, thus generating revenue while preserving the land. As this land is contiguous to existing Parks, existing Park personnel would monitor the land.  They probably drive by much of this land while monitoring existing Park acreage anyway.  Additional funds for archeology and public access/interpretation would be decided via normal Park management processes.  The main intent of this legislation is to preserve battlefield land while the realty market is stagnant.  This land will be lost forever once the realty market returns.

Step Four – Mandate a sense of urgency with the National Park Service and provide focused leadership to make sure this mandate is promptly and properly implemented.  This is fundamental to the success of this initiative because too many Park officials mouth preservation platitudes while doing nothing.  It is well documented that some lower level functionaries find ways not to do their job, that too many front line Park officials refuse to think outside their existing boundaries when developing their General Management Plans, that career regional and national Park leaders play internal power games and squander resources on pet projects, and that officials at individual Parks remain unwilling to protect land within their existing Park boundaries from development threats.  Top to bottom reform of the National Park Service will take time and needs to be mounted as part of a general management effort.  It must not stand in the way of this timely rescue.

Historian David McCullough stated, "History is who we are and why we are the way we are." America has a rapidly vanishing opportunity to preserve land on which its collective memory resides.  Failure to fully meet this current challenge will undermine America’s unique identity for generations to come.

[Scot Faulkner is President of Friends of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and a Trustee with The Journey Through Hallowed Ground]

FOOTNOTES:

[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1326063/After-1700-years-Buddhas-fall-to-Taliban-dynamite.html 

[2] http://holt.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1047&Itemid=18

[3] http://www.civilwar.org/take-action/save-a-battlefield/

[4] Op Cit Holt http://holt.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1047&Itemid=18

[5] http://historycoalition.org/2012/09/14/national-park-service-seeks-input-on-civil-war-battlefield-preservation/

[6] https://www.cfda.gov/?s=program&mode=form&tab=step1&id=06c9a62e6758e4c455c97037e3ff7b4e

[7] http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2012/05/housing-markets

Why Visit A Civil War Battlefield?

This article appeared on http://www.hnn.us/articles/138312.html
The audio version of this article is at http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=19791

April 20, 2011 · “A war was fought. The right side won. What else do we need to know?” That person’s comment was recently posted on one of my websites.

Americans have been commemorating the 150th anniversary of our Civil War since October 16, 2009. On that date in 1859, a cataclysmic event wrenched America into its bloodiest war.

John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry, was the “September 11” of the 19th Century. Commemorating the actual war began on April 12, 2011 – the sesquicentennial of the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, South Carolina.

What should we do to remember a four-year war that ended slavery, reunited a country, but also resulted in 1,030,000 casualties (3 percent of the U.S. population), including 620,000 soldier deaths?

We have already seen its politicization by both extremes – souring general interest in the era. This proves that America’s Civil War continues to leave deep legacies, and scars, on our nation’s physical, political, and psychological landscape.

As the weather warms, why should people spend their limited recreation and reflection time visiting a Civil War battlefield?

History enthusiasts have long studied America’s Civil War. Its first battles echoed Napoleon’s wars while the last ones anticipated the bloody trench warfare of World War I. A full century of change in military technology and dogma was compressed into four years.

Those who study management have for years looked to the Civil War for timeless lessons in problem solving, planning, communication and leadership. The Civil War offers countless examples of brilliance and stupidity that provide insights into modern business, government and life.

Why should everyone else visit a battlefield?

First we as a nation, and as individual citizens, need to remember who we are and why we are. America’s Civil War was not some arm wrestling contest where the winner took all. It was a time when everyone in this nation - from founding families to new immigrants – was impacted by its violence.

Why America is what it is today was shaped more by the events of April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865, than any other time period, including World War II. Walking on ground, that was fundamental to shaping our national identity and culture offers insights beyond any book, movie or television show.

Most Americans in 1860 had not traveled more than a day’s walk from their home. The Civil War unified our nation while it was tearing it apart. Northern and Southern soldiers, alike, saw parts of the country for the first time as well as encountered other ethnic and national groups.

Those left on the home front read and learned about new people and places more than at any time prior to the war. No other set of events moved America from a country of isolated communities into a national identity.

The events of the Civil War shaped a generation of citizens who led America into the 20th Century. Some who served in battle went onto become Presidents, Cabinet Members, Congressmen, Senators, Governors and Judges. Understanding their experiences helps us understand the political and social forces at work in America up to and beyond today.

Walking on a battlefield is a window into our past. Many battlefields have preserved the landscape and structures of an earlier era. Seeing what others before us saw is the closest we may come to a time machine. It opens our minds to why things happened and why things are happening.

Walking on a battlefield with your family offers opportunity for learning and dialogue. Young people may ask why a road, railroad, or town was located where it was. This stimulates curiosity that leads to learning. Enough experiences and questions can prepare a young mind to become an engaged and thinking adult.

Reflecting on our past and the “why” that underlies previous actions develops life skills that will well serve a person in their professional, personal, and community endeavors.

Walking on a battlefield is also about recreation and open spaces. Formal parks and sports venues cannot provide the nonlinear joy of wandering. Those of us on the East Coast do not have as many natural national and state parks as the west. Historical parks, and battlefield parks in particular, give us an opportunity to “amble”.

As John Muir once stated, “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul”.

During the next four years there will be many commemorative events designed to honor those who fought in America’s Civil War and to grapple with their complex actions and motivations. These special events will add additional activities and insights to our battlefields. Whether you plan a battlefield visit to take advantage of Sesquicentennial-themed gatherings or just go to a site that is nearby, you and your family will be richer for the experience.

[Photo by Jim Davison]

National Treasures

I do not understand why the Bush Administration hates the National Park Service (NPS).

Over the last seven years the Bush Administration has under funded park operations by over $600 million a year. They have also created a $5 billion backlog in deferred maintenance. They have also reorganized in ways designed to hamper land acquisition and derail private partnerships and donations. These actions have ground construction and land acquisition to a virtual halt. The President’s FY 2009 Budget identifies $351 million in unobligated NPS construction funds and $185 million in unobligated land acquisition funds. These NPS funds are found on pages 649-650 of the President’s budget appendix (pdf pages 53-54). http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/pdf/appendix/int.pdf

However, the most heinous Administration actions strike at the fundamental survival of the National Park System. The Bush Administration has been secretly shutting down park operations and undermining our park system through a program called “Core Operations”.

“Core Operations” is mandating that every national park reduce its current operations by at least twenty percent over the next five years. In addition, each park is being told that they will have to absorb all cost increases related to inflation, personnel, and benefits within these reduced budgets. “Core Operations” has already resulted in wholesale terminations of public programs, firings and forced transfers of personnel, and the closing some park units. All this is being done without public knowledge or input. In fact, this program’s guidelines specifically ban public input and prevents park managers from considering customer and stakeholder interests.

The first signs of this resource starvation have recently surfaced in a report from the Inspector General of the Department of Interior. That report disclosed how the National Park Police are being plagued by low moral, poor leadership, and bad organization. Most importantly, the report sounds the alarm that our national monuments are at risk http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/02/06/travel/14_50_482_4_08.txt.

The Administration’s reaction to this report, and other reality checks, is denial and punitive efforts to silence its critics. Theresa Chambers learned what happens when career officials speak out about what is really happening. In 2004, Ms. Chambers, as the Chief of the U.S. Park Police, spoke out about the Bush Administration’s neglect and its impact on our national parks and monuments. Her concern for our nation’s treasures earned her a rapid demotion.

The Park Service is not always the most efficient or effective at preserving our national treasures and providing public programs. We all remember the $1 million spent in 1988 on an “environmentally friendly” outhouse in Glacier National Park http://www.jldr.com/oh1mill.html and the $330,000 spent in 1997 on an outhouse along the Appalachian Trail that did not have any running water http://www.theplumber.com/outhouse.html. But such fiascos do not justify the current systematic undermining and dismantling of the agency protecting our national treasures.

If the Bush Administration is right about our being in a global struggle against radical Islam then it should be of paramount importance that we preserve and protect the icons that define our nation. During the Christmas season the Bush White House made a big show of promoting the Park Service. The official Christmas tree featured park ornaments and the family’s dogs became junior Park Rangers in the annual Bush Christmas video. There is clearly a disconnect between these symbolic acts and the Bush administration’s own jihad against our national treasures.

This assault on the Park Service comes at a pivotal time in America. We are facing a major crisis in our civic culture. We are victims of our own success. Today we can watch 100 different television stations and visit millions of websites. This means we are no longer obtaining information in any common format or source. We are rapidly losing the collective experience and collective memory that are the foundation of a civic culture. We no longer have a common frame of reference that defines us as Americans and as a nation.

The collapse of civic culture has ended more civilizations than invasions and disease. This is not about immigration or diversity. It is about how we maintain our public values and institutions when people forget who we are and how our system works. In West Virginia public high schools civics is now an elective. Guides at the U.S. Capitol have to explain federalism and the three branches of government to US tourists and school groups.

The basic principles of our civic culture, and the history that created it, must be taught as a central part of preparing the next generation. One way to preserve our civic culture is to support the stewards of our collective memory – the 388 units of our national park system. This fundamental concept seems to be lost on President Bush, Secretary Kempthorne, and Park Director Bomar. We may have to wait until the next President before there is a clear commitment to preserving our past in order to assure our future.