Parks and Protected Areas Final 2.0

Legends and Tall Tales of National Parks

• Bigfoot; physical embodiment of wilderness/protector of wilderness

• Spearfinger; deceptive witch, shapeshifting - relflect history + culture of locations where parks exist

• Passed down by indigenous communities and early settlers

• preserve history, dangers of traveling alone/trusting strangers, untamed forces of nature

Abandoned National Park Units

1865-2004, 26 units removed

• policy changes, lack of funding, environmental damage

• Mackinac Island; 2nd National park

  • first micihigan state park, preserve scenic beauty of island

• Mar-A-Lago

  • rich lady built mansion, used for presidetns, high upkeep costs

• Fossil Cycad National Monument

  • SD, Black Hills

  • every fossil excavated, no more resrouces, transfered to BLM

• Should gov. be able to protect areas only to exploit resources?

Smokey Bear

1950 wildfire in New Mexico, bear cub rescued w/ burn injuries; lived in smithosian national zoo until death in 1976

• message; people had responsibility to prevent fires, (all fires are bad)

• drawbacks to this; understory of forest became to dense, led more sevre wildfire later on

• finding the balance between prescribed fires and preventing ones

History of Working Animals in NPS

• Horses + mules; backcountry range

  • efficient patrolling, faster response, higher quantity of tools and equipment transporting

• Dogs; park police K9 unit

potential for llamas - yellowstone + rockies

1964 - horses became popular when mechanized equipment use in background was forbidden

Bark rangers; teaches people how to have dogs in nature without casuing issues

Water Resources Divison (WRD)

Divison of NPS; protecting quality, ecological rights, cohabitating fauna of water systems

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration

• $25 million to 400 projects

Lake Champlain

• storm water management, sewage treatment plants + green infastructure (rain gardens, bioswells)

Wildfires in protected Areas

Loss of habitat + biodiversity, release of CO2, property damage, dangerous air quality

Natural; lightning

Human; camp fires, cigarette butts, equipment malfunction

2021 Dixie Fire in Lassen Volcanic NP

• why was it more extreme?

  • increase carbon emission, drier conditions + droughts, large area burns

Prison firefighter program; 1000 inmates worked alongside first responders

need to incorportate indigenous prescribed burning + wildfire management policies

Guide to Increasing Delight Per Acre

Improve urban design

• streets, design, green spaces (parks, vertical growth, gardens)

improve walkability + mixed use urban design

Slacklining

• Started as mountaineering chains and evolved into ropes then nylon lines

• highlining is origin

• Sense of community + experience over success

Recreation in the name of conservation

Conservation - responsibility + properties of nature + resources

Recreation - activites within nature

Some NP allow hunting and flying drones

More studies need to be done for sustainable recreation in national parks

Exploring public lands: Backcountry skiing and mountain biking

activites on a mix of public and private land

boom of skiing after covid

• NPS - strict regulation of what can be done to land, heavy use of trails causes erosion, soil compaction, vegatation loss + ski areas have negative impacts on local wildlife

• New VT law, assigns value to tree greater than 1 inch DBH,

• Public land use is privilege, education on impacts, how to use, and expand more activities

Native American Collaborations w NPS

Glacier Bay National Park

• Huna Tlingit are allowed to carry out traditional practices within park boundaries

Grand Portage National Monument

• gates of Arctic National Park

• protect artic, caribou herbs, 10 communities within park

• money goes back into communities

Parks + Public health

Benefits of parks

• mental well-being, physcial, social

ex; wishing tree park - buffer between residents and industrial plants

National Mall - urban design for mental health

Parks = public health

social + local ecological connection

intregral part of society

Recreation in parks

what activity is suitable?

• laws + regulations, exisitng plants, effects in resources, public interest, cost

Pros; economic, community, preservation/conservation, education

Cons: disturbance, overcrowding, invasive species spread, fire risk, degradation

Balance is key, needs to be managed by more than one entity + multiple perspectives

Summit Fever + Conquering Nature

soceital focus on domination of nature and romaniticization of extreme wilderness, impacts recreation goal

Wildlife Conflict in NP

increase human presence in wild areas has led to negative human-wildlife interactions

post pandemic:

• increase visitor use

Man saved baby bison in yellowstone, herd rejected it, led to euthinization

Grizzly bear road crossing - stops traffic

Bison injure humans more than any other animal in yellowstone

human convince themselves they aren’t in danger, people want to save animals that are struggling, visitors don’t recognize parks as wild spaces

Search and Rescue

El Capitan;

Guy crushed leg under falling boulder

Planning + setup = 35 hrs, recue = 90 min

Zion, 2018;

hiking group went without sufficient equipment, ignored rangers warning, S + R stayed with hikers until helicopter could arrive

Don’t charge but could be fined due to recklessness

Budget cuts; Less education, higher demand of SAR

Grand Canyon - 785 missions

make a plan + backup plan, use NP app, respect safety rules

more unprepared tourists post-covid

• Acadia SAR up 65%

NP spends $4 million per year on SAR missions

Signage of National Parks

Inform, show presence of active mangagement, first impression

arrowhead; tree + bison (vegetation + wildlife) mountain + water (scenery+ recreation) arrow shape (history)

First logo = sequoia core - black and white

park identity signs; waysdie signs; info at site

stone/wood; rustic look

Signage management funding - $ from donations + grants

Parks as political havens

• common ground - public land for all

• gathering spaces, political groups

• methow park; trsut for public land renovated in 2014 to suit communties

• Parks = mix of government property + public property

  • indigenous activitism longest walk protest (1000 nature activists, 27000 mile walk across country)

  • march on washington for Jobs and freedom - MLK i have a dream speech

have to protect parks; fighting for future and past

Community Conservation

• Belize; landowner participation is vounatary, saving monkeys

• challenges: “paper parks”, fortress conservation, less successful community conservation,

• Mkomazi national park - forced evictions to make park to restore wilderness

Struggle of Migratory Birds in parks

parks provide; stepover sites, habitats, programs for conservation

park flight programs; 83 international interns trained in bird banding techniques

Negative; habitat fragmentation, deforstation, human-wildlife interactions

Change of bird colonization, decrease of populations

Biscayne NP- decling bird populations

future is unknonw, parks can’t be islands, we need more conservation outside of parks + PA

Early US Geological Survey

USGS - provides science about natural hazards

King survey; linked geology to mining opportunities, mapped mountain regions - creation of USGS

haden survey; Yellowstone was worth preserving, advanced idea of public land

Powell survey; mapped CO river + Grand Canyon, introduced idea of west too arid for traditional farming

Wheeler survey; detailed maps + documentation + knowledge of nature tribes