Abstract This essay deals with four areas which are causing Canadian NationalParks to disappear--extreme government cut-backs, identity crisis, improper management and ecosystem destruction. It also suggests ways in which the government can change its polices to save these parks.
From the Paper "Canadians look at the infamous National Park's landscape and see a vast and beautiful range of Canada at it's best. Unfortunately, what one sees is often deceiving. The truth is that the state of Canada's National Parks is alarming. Entire species are disappearing, vegetation is being destroyed by development and urbanization, and the pristine lakes and rivers are being contaminated by pollution. The Canadian Government has not been fulfilling its managerial role in protecting the essential resources that are comprised in Canada's National Parks. The problems that have generated in the Park's system have often dismissed due to their seemingly insignificant characteristics. Unfortunately, all of the insignificant problems joined together to create a devastating picture of dyfunctionality of the National Parks. There are four pivotal points that have caused the Park's disastrous spiral aimed at oblivion. Extreme cuts to the Parks Canada's budget has forced them to compromise their principles on how the parks should be run, and resorted to doing what they could. Parks Canada has found itself in an extreme identity crisis, as financial pressures are pitting conflicting philosophies against one another. The Canadian Government is the root which many, if not all of the posing threats the National Parks has emerged from. Their improper management and mentality has potentially shattered any chance of Canada's ecosystem to flourish. Until the Canadian Government stops seeing the nation's national Parks yet another way to generate a clever income for their institution, the parks will continue to lose their ecological integrity until they fade from man's sight completely."
Abstract This paper discusses the history of Mesa Verde NationalPark in Colorado. The paper explains that the park was built to preserve the cliff dwellings of the Anasazi people and that it is of historical and archaeological significance to visitors and scientists alike.
Abstract This paper studies the process of policy making within the nationalpark program. Yosemite NationalPark is used as an example to illustrate environmental policy. It looks at how land has been changed since the influence of the NationalPark Service. It shows how the nationalpark service's manipulation of land parallels broader policy-making and deals with the levels of public awareness and action.
From the Paper "The process of policy making within the national park program follows the "issue-attention cycle" proposed by Anthony Downs in 1972. This sequence includes problem identification and agenda setting, followed by policy formulation, adoption, implementation and evaluation (Switzer 3-5). The history of policy making for the national parks has repeated this process several times, with a significant reevaluation of the National Park Service's agenda approximately every decade. The major shifts in policy emphasis from tourism to wildlife biology occurred after World War II, when families increasingly took advantage of the national parks, and continued through the environmental awakening of the 1960s and 70s, at which time much of today's broader environmental policy was implemented".
Abstract The paper discusses how nationalparks in the US have various problems, including pollution stemming from inside and outside the parks and a present management that is seen as insufficient and contradictory. The paper discusses the structure, history and mission of the NationalPark Service (NPS). The paper looks at park system powers and the politics surrounding them. The paper concludes that a restructuring in the administration of the NPS might be in order, if only to gain more protection for the parks against 21st century environmental problems.
Outline:
Structure
History
Mission
Powers
Politics
From the Paper "Since 1916, more than 370 parks of great natural beauty and grandeur from Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands to the Hawaiian Islands have been managed and preserved by the National Park Service (NPS) which is a bureau of the United States Department of the Interior. Such great historic and natural treasures as the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone; are now parks that preserve the pristine animal habitats or echo the nation's history, such as the Gettysburg Battlefield or preserve such notable landscapes as Mesa Verde and parks along seashores, lakeshores, and river-ways. They also provide opportunities for outdoor activities, such as at Assateague Island and Lake Mead. (National Park Service 2006)."
Abstract Nationalparks should be considered treasures of this country. They are some of the few remaining examples of how beautiful the land truly is in its natural state. This paper contends that snowmobiles harm American nationalparks and their inhabitants (animals) with pollution to the air as well as noise pollution. In addition to this, they disrupt the nationalpark experience for the millions of visitors to parks such as Yellowstone.
From the Paper "Snowmobiles run on fuel just like the automobiles we drive in everyday life. Those automobiles of course pollute our cities everyday and it would be foolish to assume that snowmobiles do not do the same thing to the national parks of America. Air pollution, water pollution, and noise pollution are all results of the frequent snowmobile use in several prevalent national parks in this country. According to Sean Smith, the snowmobiles have "two-stroke engines that spew up to 30 percent of their fuel out the tailpipe and emit highly toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons"(Presley). One does not have to be an environmental expert to realize that machines releasing 30 percent of their fuel into the atmosphere is a bad thing. "
This paper discuses the geological history of Joshua Tree NationalPark, located within the Transverse Ranges Province near Riverside County, California.
Abstract This paper explains that the boundaries of Joshua Tree NationalPark are several mountain ranges including a quadrangle underlain by a basement terrane comprising Proterozoic metamorphic rocks, Mesozoic plutonic rocks, and Mesozoic or Cenozoic hypabyssal dikes. The author points out that, even in arid climates such as Joshua Tree NationalPark, water and wind are the key dynamic as far as erosion of rock is concerned; however, what is seen today in this park is a collection of relict features inherited from an earlier time of higher rainfall and lower temperatures. The paper stresses that the park, located just east of the San Andreas fault zone, is crisscrossed with hundreds of faults from ancient and recent earthquakes, which can be viewed and clearly understood by an alert visitor to the park.
From the Paper "On June 28, 1992, the largest earthquake to have hit the contiguous United States in 40 years hit the Joshua Tree National Park area - a 7.3 Richter Scale shaker. It was called the Landers Earthquake Sequence; it was the result of a "right-lateral shear on five major faults," according to an article in the journal "Science". The earthquake was generated in an 80-kilometer-wide swath of seismically active faults along the southern part of the eastern California "shear zone" - of which Joshua Tree is a part."
Abstract This paper briefly discusses the history of the Kruger NationalPark which is considered to be an international icon and represents the heritage of South Africa. The paper also explains that thousands of people had to suffer so that the park could grow and flourish, and thousands of people have been displaced because of the bureaucratic decisions made by officials.The paper also emphasis that the park has a dark history of a war over land as there were land claims from the tribes that once populated the park.
From the Paper ''The establishment of game reserves in the Transvaal in 1889 before the park was founded as well as more recently is still an issue surrounded by controversy today. Game reserves are considered undemocratic by many due to the fact that the land is closed to the public and only available for use by certain privileged individuals. The governing of game reserves in the Transvaal was not well established at the time, which made it difficult to even define what constituted a game reserve. Those who took part in the establishment of these reserves believed it was a novel idea, and that they should be given credit this new and modern institution, however in actuality, game reserves had a long history going back many centuries. After the South African War from 1899-1902, the already existing game reserves were inherited by the new British government in place, and looked upon as a method of wildlife protection. No real function of these game reserves was ever announced during the life of the Transvaal Republic Government, and this was straightened out during the colonial Transvaal period. It was stated that game reserves were for sportsman, and that they would eventually contribute to the government after the antelope population returned to an adequate number and the reserves would then be open to the public who would pay to hunt. In addition to the colonial citizens, African residents also opposed game reserves because they alienated land and made it impossible to defend themselves from dangerous animals since Africans were not allowed to have weapons. In addition to this, many Africans were evicted from their homes and forced to live on native reserves or "locations", in addition to the fact that they were not allowed access to game as a means of subsistence. Africans were commonly arrested for "being in possession under suspicious circumstances of game meat".
Abstract This six-page undergraduate paper is brief general discussion on the American NationalParks. It describes the physical environment, climate/weather, vegetation and land cover, the kind of landscapes some parks have and what physical process formed this landscape and what physical processes may still continue to alter the form of these parks.
Abstract This paper discusses how, given the historical and ecological history of Yellowstone NationalPark, the forest manager has three options in regard to controlled wildfires - suppression, fire management involving allowing natural fires to burn, and controlled or prescribed burning involving fires set by professionals. It also looks at the pros and cons of controlled burning in Yellowstone and gives recommendations concerning an option combining both controlled burning and suppression.
Outline:
What Options Are Available As Manager?
What Can Yellowstone NationalPark Do About This Current Issue--Fires In Yellowstone?
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Controlled Burning In Yellowstone?
Part II Recommendation Analysis
From the Paper "In 1988, the largest fire in the history of site burned in Yellowstone National Park. The fire was a combination of unseasonably dry weather and controlled and uncontrolled fires. Some believe the fire to be a combination of experimental fire management plans that were launched after the research of the 1960s that shed light on the benefits of small fires although only thirty-eight of the fifty fires that burned were actually controlled or prescribed fires ("Wildland Fire"). Though this evidence seems to suggest that the destruction caused by the fire was a result of wildfire, not fire management, the argument can still be made that the additional twelve fires were not suppressed because of relaxed suppression policies due to fire management. "
Abstract This paper discusses the prominent features of physical geography both within the park and the surrounding region. The focus of the paper is on the physical geography, including topography, minerals, glaciers, soils, animals, plants, environment and climate. Glaciers and the effects of glaciation on the Kenai Fjords NationalPark and surrounding region are
also discussed in some depth.
Outline
Topography
Rocks and Mineral
Soils
Glaciers
Animals and Wildlife
Plants
Surrounding Bodies of Water
Rivers and Lakes
Environment
Climate and Weather
Geopolitical
Conclusion
From the Paper "The Kenai Fjords National Park is located on the Kenai Peninsula off the southern part of Alaska. The Park and the surrounding region are known for a wide variety of climates, terrain, and flora and fauna. The region also contains reserves of oil, natural gas, and coal. The Peninsula provides a microcosmic view of the overall Alaskan ecology- all the various types of terrain native to Alaska can be found within the Kenai Peninsula. The region is also home to some of the largest glaciers outside of the Arctic Circle."
Abstract An examination of the series of events that followed the disastrous fire at Yellowstone NationalPark in 1988. It discusses the destruction and ecological damage of the fire and also looks at plans to repair the damage as much as possible.
From the Paper "Fires are dangerous and deadly but just how far they can go that can be seen with the example of the 1988 fire at the Yellow Stone National Park. Yellowstone National Park is located in the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming is the first and oldest national park in the world. It covers 8,983.210 km? (2,219,790.71 acres) mostly in the northwest corner of Wyoming. Yellowstone is home of the brown bear (sometimes called "grizzly bears") and wolf, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk. It is the core of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the largest intact Temperate Zone ecosystems remaining on the planet. The park was named for the yellow rocks seen in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone a deep gash in the Yellowstone Plateau that was formed by floods during previous ice ages and by river erosion from the Yellowstone River."
Abstract This paper explores the history of point Pelee NationalPark. Other issues discussed are: the changing roles of recreation and parks management and the problems facing park management.
Abstract Although most people in this country support having a nationalpark system, and the number of visitors to those parks continues to increase, there are controversies about how to manage the nationalparks. There is debate about how to manage fire and how to limit the impact of the numbers of visitors. There is debate about how to deal with introduced species of plants and animals which do not belong in a particular ecosystem. Finally, there is debate about reintroducing animals, such as the wolf or the grizzly bear, who have become extinct in a particular region. The focus in this essay is on the reintroduction of the wolf, which has aroused strong feelings in both opponents and supporters of that reintroduction
From the Paper "The Return of the Wolves
Introduction
Although most people in this country support having a national park system, and the number of visitors to those parks continues to increase, there are controversies about how to manage the national parks. There is debate about how to manage fire and how to limit the impact of the numbers of visitors. There is debate about how to deal with introduced species of plants and animals which do not belong in a particular ecosystem. Finally, there is debate about reintroducing animals, such as the wolf or the grizzly bear, who have become extinct in a particular region. The focus in this essay is on the reintroduction of the wolf, which has aroused strong feelings in both opponents and supporters of that reintroduction."
Abstract "The Florida Everglades NationalPark is the second largest nationalpark in the lower 48 states, and the largest freshwater marshland in the world (10). It is home to more than 600 kinds of animals, and 900 plant species that dwell in a variety of habitats, including mangrove forests, a dry pineland ridge, shallow sloughs that carry fresh water through the park, and several types of tree islands (13:12).
From the Paper "The Florida Everglades National Park is the second largest national park in the lower 48 states, and the largest freshwater marshland in the world (10). It is home to more than 600 kinds of animals, and 900 plant species that dwell in a variety of habitats, including mangrove forests, a dry pineland ridge, shallow sloughs that carry fresh water through the park, and several types of tree islands (13:12). While hunting in the park has all but ceased because of the efforts of the park rangers, the park and its residents are now in danger from the effects of pollution from nearby vegetable farms, sugarcane plantations and real estate development. This paper will look at factors contributing to the pollution of the everglades and what is being done to combat the problem and restore the park to its original state."
Abstract Uluru Kata Tjuta NationalPark is currently reviewing the Film and Photography Guidelines, which govern commercial film and photographic activities in the park. At the conclusion of an inaugural conference delegates identified and ranked a number of issues for future action. This paper examines why two highly ranked issues received so little attention, the protection of cultural interests and values and payment to Anangu for the use of Uluru images. Part one of the paper presents background information on Uluru Kata Tjuta NationalPark and outlines the management of commercial film and photography. Part two discusses the film and photograph guidelines review processes and the influences involved with reference to current theoretical policy models.
Outline
1. Introduction
PART ONE
2. Uluru Background
2.1 Uluru
2.2 Film and Photography Guidelines
2.3 Stakeholders
3. Guidelines Review Process
3.1 Film and Photography Conference
3.2 Working Parties
4. Agenda Formation and Drivers
PART TWO
5. Discussion
Glossary
References
Appendices
From the Paper "The UKTNP Commercial Film and Photography Guidelines (appendix 1) were developed to help maintain the integrity of Anangu culture and protect the World Heritage area. The Guidelines only apply to commercial photographers, and place restrictions on photographing important cultural sites around Uluru and Kata Tjuta (DEH 2004a). Whilst the Guidelines were drawn up in consultation with Anangu, authority is derived from the EPBC Act 1999, and Regulations 2000, where permits are required to conduct commercial activities in a Commonwealth Reserve (EPBC Act 1999). The permit system is divided primarily into two categories, 'to capture' images (r.12:24) and 'image use' (r.12:38)."
