National Parks

The idea of creating protected areas can be traced back to the early 19^th century when, among others, William Wordsworth and George Catlin thought about that the U.S. government should come up with a protection policy to preserve the beauty of nature. Similar propositions were made in other countries later on and Yellowstone National Park became the world's first national park in 1872.

However, not all people welcomed this national park. Citizens living near or in the national park feared the worst for the local economy due to prohibitions of mining and settlements within the park. Subsequently, Nathaniel Langford who was appointed as the park's superintendent did not receive any salary nor did he have any additional staff helping him to protect the land, so that the park's destruction went on without any real opposition.

This was about to change when the U.S. Army built Camp Sheridan (later renamed to Fort Yellowstone) in 1886 and provided the means to effectively protect the park's wildlife and resources. Many regulations developed during this time were adopted by the National Park Service created in 1916. On 31^st October 1918, the U.S. Army turned over the control of the park to the newly created agency.

It had become obvious that establishing new protected areas would not be an easy feat, considering the struggle with just one national park. Nevertheless, it is most likely due to the naturalist John Muir's marvellous writing skills that inspired many people, including presidents, that eventually led the National Park Bill pass U.S. Congress in 1899 which established Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National Park. John Muir's preservation efforts and his influence in the creation of national parks made him being referred to as the "Father of the National Parks". He also founded the Sierra Club, an important conservation organisation in the United States, and many places were named in his honour such as the John Muir Trail, Muir Glacier and Mount Muir.

The creation of national parks was and is probably the best thing that could be done to preserve the beauty of nature and many endemic species of fauna and flora for future generations. By now, about 3,000 national parks in 130 countries were created not only to protect plants and wildlife but also for recreational purposes. These parks attract millions of people, locals and tourists, throughout the year and offer a large variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, boating and camping but also offer the opportunity to learn more about and appreciate the fragile ecosystem we live in.