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They Support Science, Not Silence


Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

(Photos by Mark)

Imagine you are planning a route for an upcoming cross-country trip. Which national park areas might you choose to visit? 

You have 433 to choose from but decide well because you’ll probably have company. National park areas are very popular; last year 43 million visitors from all over the country, and the world, were doing the same thing.

Consider Rocky Mountain National Park? From Mexico to Alaska, for 2,700 miles the great Rocky Mountain chain forms the backbone of N. America, the world’s longest mountain barrier. Set in central Colorado, this park climbs high – from 7,600 ft to 14,259 ft Longs Peak. 

Here, tree-line and tundra, beaver ponds, and montane forests are accessible to all along the park's Trail Ridge Road – spectacular scenery and wildlife are guaranteed. In the Never Summer mountains, you might discover where melting snow begins the Colorado River. 

Consider Vicksburg National Military Park? The Civil War campaign for Vicksburg and the Mississippi River was critical to both sides. Ironclads made every wooden warship obsolete and both North and South rushed to build these deadly new vessels, but the North's industrial might gave the Union advantage. 

The USS Cairo dominated the Mississippi but in December, 1862, it struck a mine and sank in a tributary just north of Vicksburg. The ship disappeared from history until, in 1956, it was discovered beneath feet of river, silt, sand and mud. Salvaged in the 1960's, the ship and a treasure of naval artifacts are now on exhibit at Vicksburg. The Vicksburg battlefields also contain 1,340 monuments, memorials, and gravestones to those on both sides.

Consider New River Gorge National Park? Definitely not “new,” the stream at the bottom of this 1,000-foot Gorge is possibly one of the oldest river systems on Earth. This West Virginia park was designated in 1978, protecting 53 miles of outdoor delight. 

Visitors enjoy New River's warm water fishery, outstanding whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and birding. Like the gorge, the forests of these mountains are some of the oldest on the continent and as a result, contain some of the most diverse plant and wildlife assemblages of any woodlands in the southern Appalachians.

Consider Dry Tortugas National Park? Tropical sanctuary meets historical mega-marvel. This park is not on the road to anywhere. In the Gulf, seventy miles west of Key West lies a cluster of seven islands composed of coral reefs and sand only a few feet in elevation. 

Construction of the actual Fort (Jefferson) began in 1849 to protect Gulf access and trade. The masonry fortification rises from the shallow sea like a mirage. The islands of Dry Tortugas protect habitat for sea turtles and seabirds - breeding colonies that sometimes form a stunning spectacle. Most of this park is underwater - its 100 square miles of ocean and gulf conserve rich marine environments of coral and fish. There are even shipwrecks you can see from the air in the aqua-clear waters.

But all is not well with these four examples of our National Park System. Significant challenges impact their natural, cultural, and recreational resources. 

Equally significant are the losses of personnel – some 24% of its permanent staff since January. 

These numbers include not only the familiar rangers at visitor centers, guided walks, entrance stations, and maintenance shops, but also include resource managers, archeologists, museum curators, hydrologists, historians, wildland fire fighters, climate specialists, and historic preservationists – our scientists along with their institutional knowledge and their support staffs.

The National Park Service is the most favored and popular of Federal agencies according to the American public. Yet, it is besieged by an Administration with a 180-degree different philosophy.

Next week, in Part 2, this post continues with a deeper dive into the selected four national park areas, some of their specific scientific challenges, and the political obstacles from the current Administration. Stay tuned. 

Vicksburg National Military Park, MS

New River Gorge National Park, WV
Dry Tortugas National Park, FL

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