OT: National Parks America's Best Idea - Documentary Film

[shelbyjohnson]

For those who haven't tuned in just yet AETN is airing the 6 part documentary series by Ken Burns titled: The National Parks America's Best Idea.

I've caught the first two episodes and have been very moved. If you've ever read Jon Muir, Thoreau, or been interested in the history of Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot you'll be moved by the incorporation of their part played in the history.

For those who've visited the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone or Yosemite this is a must see.

The next episode is on tonight at 7PM. Here's a link for more information.
http://www.aetn.org/parks/film

[Jim Krueger]

Shelby,

Marlo and I too are watching. I've enjoyed all of Ken Burns documentaries
over the last some years and have been eagerly awaiting the beginning of this one,starting last Sunday. I love the natural world, as well as the recounting of history. I've always enjoyed the accounts and the commentary ,and most especially the photographs, movies and music that Ken uses to tell his stories.


Best Regards
Jim

[hellbender]

stayed up way to late sunday evening catching up,great stuff! yosemite was awesome,thank god jon helped save it.

[shelbyjohnson]

Tonight's episode got into the attempts by Stephen Mather to get Grand Canyon designated from only being a Natl Monument to full status as a Natl Park.

TR had made it a monument using the Antiquities Act. I didn't know Mather had a breakdown.

Been fascinated by the whole series.

[Sparky]

Having watched the greater part of the first 2 episodes I was quite intrigued by the political factors involved. Big difference between TR and Woodrow Wilson. Let's hear it for TR and the Antiquities Act. This series is better than I anticipated.

Now to pose a question. I started thinking about our own Buffalo National River. This is administered by The National Park Service, but how does it fit into the park system. I realize it became the 1st National river by act of congress, but is it a National Park?

Brent Glover

[Roger]

National Parks in Arkansas:

[Dave Smith]

Yeah I've really enjoyed the shows I've caught!

The Buffalo is that it is part of the National Park Service System but is not a "National Park"

Isn't Hot Springs the only National Park we have here in Arkansas?

[Lifejacket]

All six listed on the Map above are operated by the National Park service. Hot Springs is the only one that has Park in the title when you select it. But I don't know there classification system for what the difference is between a Historic site and actual Park.

[FarPastGone]

I like how they touched on the paradox of preserving the land for the future, and the inherent problems associated with making these places more accessible for the public to visit (on the "Empire of Grandeur" episode"). Really like how there are so many "characters" behind the scenes that I have never heard of and without their personal efforts the National Parks would be completely different or cease to have existed. Found the story of Horace Kephart and George Masa to be pretty moving, the fact that Masa desired to be buried next to his best friend but did not have enough money, and the subsequent naming of Mount Kephart and Masa Knob in the GSMNP.

Great series so far, hope they touch on Big Bend National Park at some point.

-Matt

[RomanLA]

I went to GSMNP and Yosemite this summer. I felt more like I was at Disney World. In Yosemite, everywhere you look there are either people or the evidence of people. Trying to take pictures without people in them is a real challenge. Kings Canyon was amazingly beautiful though. I wish all of the parks didn't have roads. I've only been able to catch a couple of the shows, but I've enjoyed them so far. I have a dvd box set about the parks, but I hadn't really heard much about Mather before.

[wdwlodge]

Last night's piece on the CCC was especially interesting....of course we have all heard of this organization but I had no idea how organized they were and how many men were involved. The work they did is absolutely amazing...the many bridges, roads, buildings, etc are some of the most beautiful buildings in the parks (national and state)......they sure do not build'em like that any more....

It has been a great series.....the soundtrack can also be purchased and I bet it is amazing......Copeland, Grofe, etc.....some of the best "Americana" pieces that make you feel that you are there.

[RandyJ]

Videos of each episode are online until Oct. 9:
http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/watch-video/#872

Yes, great historical perspective. Makes you realize how close we've come to losing some of these places, and how much has been lost (Hetch Hetchy, in particular). Didn't know that GSMNP had been so badly ravaged by logging before it was protected ("clear-cutting up to 60 acres per day," with logging continuing even after agreement had been reached to protect the area). And yeah, Mather is the man! What a huge impact he had.

[Roger]

Obviously, a park is not a park when it is part of the federal park system!!

Hot Springs National Park

Buffalo National River

Little Rock Central National Historic Site

Fort Smith National Historic Site

Arkansas Post National Memorial

Pea Ridge National Military Park

BTW, the first two are the only ones to offer National Park Camping.

[dogpatch]

In reply to Roman's post, I've always had a love/hate attitude toward the National Parks. The system is overloaded with bureaucracy and often overregulation. But the truth is......they offer the best level or protection for our really special natural places. We've found that with proper planning you can work around the throngs of people and regulations and still have a great experience. For instance, we got up at 5 AM during the summer in Glacier NP and did the two mile hike up Avalanche Creek, the most popular hike in the park, first thing in the morning, returning just as the hordes were just starting to arrive. We've found that probably 90 % of the people are within a mile or so of a trailhead. In Teton Park, you can do the scenic float down the Snake parallel to the highway past the mountains and see very few other people, except the crowd hanging out at the overlooks. Same with Old Faithful......plan to be there at the break of dawn. To float the Buffalo, plan a trip during the week and you usually see very few people. Or on weekends, launch late in the afternoon from Ponca, Pruitt, or some other popular access. (most people launch around 10 AM on Saturday) I always buy a Trails Illustrated map of whatever park I'm going to and study it carefully to plan a trip that avoids the crowds. The truth is, the National Parks are by far the most spectacular places, and without the Parks they would be lost to development. Thanks to Ken Burns for a great series that reminds everyone what a treasure they are, and even more of the work that went into their protection.

[David Holthus]

I have been glued to the T.V. this week watching the Ken Burns documentary. I find the cinematography fantastic and Dayton Duncan's writing superb, they make a great combination.
I was born and raised in Hot Springs National Park and took full advantage of it when I was growing up. Hot Springs was small enough in the late 60's and early 70's that I could ride my bicycle from my house to downtown and spend all day hiking and bicycling in the mountains downtown, I remember even as a child thinking how lucky I was to live in such a beautiful place. When I was a teenager, my friends and I would spent nearly every weekend on Lake Ouachita camping and water skiing. When I went to college in Fayetteville, I discovered the Buffalo River and just fell in love with the area. I had a group of friends who made it a point to float from Ponca to Kyles every Wednesday. In the late 80's and early 90's I worked for a company from Salt Lake City. We would work in some of the major cities in the western United States for about 6 to 9 months a year and have the rest of the year off. The owner of the company owned the West Yellowstone Motel and invited me to come and stay and explore Yellowstone. I stayed in Yellowstone / Grand Teton area exploring for over six weeks, It was my first time out west and I loved it, I wanted to see as much of the west as I could. For the next few years, when we were done working I would take off for the National Parks and stay as long as it took to see everything I wanted, at least a week or two. I never really counted how many Parks I had seen, I just enjoyed visiting them. As I was watching the film, I kept seeing places I had been and got to thinking about how many parks I had visited. Today I went down the list of National Parks and figured out which ones I had been to.
Here are the National Parks I have been to.
Arches
Big Bend
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Bryce Canyon
Canyonlands
Capitol Reef
Cuyahoga Valley
Death Valley
Grand Canyon (4 times)
Grand Teton
Great Smokey Mountains
Hot Springs (Home Sweet Home)
Joshua Tree
Mammoth Cave
Mesa Verde
Petrified Forest (4 times)
Rocky Mountain (4 times)
Saguaro
Shenandoah
Sequoia / Kings Canyon
Yellowstone
Zion
I also visited quite a few National Monuments and Recreation Areas
Canyon De Chelly
Lake Mead
Lake Powell
Muir Woods
Big Sur
Alcatraz Island
Golden Gate
Dinosaur
Fort Union
Blue Ridge Parkway
Fort Smith
Chickasaw
Fort Sumter
Glen Canyon
I plan to figure out now how many State Parks I have been now. I am posting this mainly to jog my memory on where I have been and to keep a list of the Parks I have visited but I thought I would share it everyone on the board if you are interested.