Final Project - National Parks: Yay or Nay?

Yesterday, my environmental studies class had a lecture based on resource management and one of the methods mentioned was Eco-tourism. While there is no standard definition for eco-tourism, it involves visiting a protected ecosystem created with the intention of minimizing human impact in the area and of promoting the local economy. I had two thoughts on my mind during that lecture. First was my visit to the Redwoods National Park (a lot of the powerpoint slides had aesthetic pictures of trees) and the second was whether or not eco-tourism was really that environmentally friendly. The reason for my second contemplation was because eco-tourism made me think of one of the paintings by my favorite artist, Alexis Rockman.

Airport, 1997, Envirotex, digitized photo, vacuum-formed styrofoam with aluminum finish, plasticine, Laughing Gull specimen, and oil paint on wood, 56 x 44 x 4.5 in.

I saw this painting last spring break at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and was in utter amazement because of the message it conveyed. No matter how environmentally friendly we want to be, when we go on an eco-tour, it will most likely involve traveling to the site via carbon dioxide emitting modes of transportation that in effect, harm the environment.

Already, climate change is affecting the parks' environment. Reports from the NPS reveal that glacial retreat has been occurring in Glacier Bay and Kenal Fjords National Parks and that increased flooding and wildfires due to climate change have damaged Mesa Verde and Rocky Mountain National Parks. 

HOWEVER, eco-tours are so inspiring. Seeing vast untouched areas of beautiful nature is a remarkable experience. This picture of the Redwoods, may look tall, but if you actually go and see for yourself, it’s not tall at all; it’s GARGANTUAN!! I may only be 5’2, but even my tall friends had to bend their necks 90 degrees to attempt to see the top of the trees. My time there definitely reinforced my love for trees yet, came at an environmental cost. I had to fly from Providence to San Francisco and then drive up the California coast to get to the park and see these beautiful trees.

So, I was left in a predicament. Should eco-tourism to National Parks be allowed? Are eco-tours environmentally sustainable? What exactly are the environmental implications of these parks?

Thus, for my final project, I decided to answer these questions. Throughout the next couple of weeks, I will investigate the environmental sustainability issues associated with National Parks in the United States to try and determine whether or not we should continue to go to them and support them if we want to be environmentally conscious individuals.