Though he "retired" in 1995, Dr. Michael Frome has really never stopped writing, nor caring, about the national parks. In this, his 95th year, the distinguished journalist who has dedicated his life to conservation and parks celebrates that life and regales us with a memoir that not only looks back across the many decades of his work but which inspires us to carry that work forward.
The late Gaylord Nelson said Dr. Frome had no literary peer when it came to arguing for "a national ethic of environmental stewardship." It was Dr. Frome who stood before a distinguished audience of top National Park Service managers gathered to celebrate the agency's 75th birthday and promptly scolded them for losing sight of their mission, and who long ago warned that commercialization of the national parks will turn them into "popcorn playgrounds."
During an interview with the Traveler five years ago, just before he turned 90, Dr. Frome lamented the Park Service's drive, never so evident as it is now as we approach the agency's centennial, to build visitation as high as possible.
"Twenty years or so ago, they were talking about carrying capacity. 'Let’s determine the carrying capacity of the parks,'" he said in May 2010 during a call from the Wisconsin home in the woods he shares with his wife, June. "Now, they’re talking about, 'Let’s get more people in, so we can get more money.' The carrying capacity is out the window, so, I would say the condition of our parks has definitely gotten worse."
Dr. Frome's concerns shouldn't be taken lightly. In Rediscovering National Parks in the Spirit of John Muir, he retraces the course his life has taken as both a national park advocate and watchdog and urges us to follow his lead.
... I doubt that we shall ever see a perfect world, but we can all take heart from the spirit of our parks, joining together toward that goal. Compassion must be at the root of values; the power of human life is in emotion, in reverence and passion for the earth and its web of life. A feeling, a philosophy, and a love of earth count most. To identify with life on the green planet in all its forms, as we do in our national parks, is to celebrate human hope and human potential.
Crowds, congestion, noise, intrusions of human-made structures, and pollution of air and water all interfere with the appreciation, understanding, and enjoyment of the natural scene. To be fully enjoyed, the parks must first be fully preserved.
A slower pace expands the dimensions of time. It enables us to recognize the limitations of a fragile earth, to pledge allegiance to a green and peaceful planet, and to believe that if others do likewise and we believe strongly, we will make it happen.
Rediscovering National Parks is not simply a clarion call, (though perhaps it rightly should be) for more support and preservation of the National Park System. The autobiographical approach Dr. Frome takes with it traces his career and highlights the concerns that have risen along with it as he's explored the park system, interviewed its managers, and witnessed the commercial pressures exerted upon it.
...our national parks are undoubtedly the most popular and most loved tourist destinations in America. But, like any object of beauty, a park requires protection, with high standards of care and conservation, to sustain the qualities that make it special.
There I go again, preaching again in a memoir. But national parks should never be regarded simply as tourist attractions with dollar signs attached to them. Public recreation is a large and essential factor in contributing to the quality of American life. It serves the economy as well, but that isn't its primary purpose. Outdoor recreation spans a variety of interests, tastes and goals. Theme parks fill particular niches. So do commercial resorts and campgrounds. But public recreation areas fill a different niche, providing an antidote to urbanized living, a return to pioneer pathways, a chance to exercise the body and mind in harmony with the great outdoors. In such places, Americans learn to understand and to respect the natural environment. Historic parks maintain the opportunity for successive generations to learn firsthand about the conditions that shaped our culture. Contacts of this nature instill the vital sense of being an American.
Who else today is driving these points home so eloquently and fervently? That Dr. Frome continues to do so in his 95th year is a testament to his love of the parks. But it should also be seen as a call for us to take up his tenacious concern for the parks and carry it forward. Buy this book, read what Dr. Frome has learned over a lifetime spent in the parks, share his concerns, and aspire to make a difference.
Comments
Dr. Runte has nailed it again.
Yes, tell us about Breckenridge or Park City or Dizzyland or sports stadia or condo developments and gated communities and we can then point to all sorts of taxpayer paid infrastructure that supports developers as they convince local governments to adopt yet another example of Modern American Socialism.
Here's something perhaps someone can investigate: Is it possible that our public lands actually have better bottom lines than private lands when it comes to generating tax revenues? Is it possible that because there are fewer paybacks for those who stand to profit from development, that a higher percentage of money generated by that land actually goes into the public treasury because less of it is tied up in subsidizing various profit motives of a few developers, builders and realtors? Public lands may not bring in as many dollars per acre, but taxpayers are also not paying out nearly as many dollars per acre as we must to support the megamansions of Park City or Breckenridge or Jackson.
Here in little Weber County, Utah, a number of mega"cottages" have been built near our ski areas. They are occupied only a few weeks of each year, usually in winter during ski season. Access is via a very steep, winding, mountainous county road. Owners of those monstrosities DEMAND prompt snowplowing and massive salting of the road every morning PRONTO so they don't miss any skiing. They also DEMAND that there be no potholes or washed out shoulders. They DEMAND water lines and fire hydrants in nearly vertical terrain. They were apoplectic when the Forest Service told some of them that their "cabins" are simply not defensible in case of wildfire and crews will not be risked if one gets going. (And the Forest Service has been under tremendous pressure lately to provide thining operations around such developments at public expense to make those places defensible.)
A few years ago, a Weber County commissioner got himself into big hot water when he revealed that taxes collected off these properties may seem to be a lot of money, they don't come anywhere near covering the costs of maintaining the road, plowing the snow, or trying to keep water flowing.
The idea that private lands will always generate more revenue than public lands may appear to be true on the surface, but if one digs a little deeper it turns out too often to be a carefully crafted illusion.