I’ve always hated beauty pageants. Advocates of beauty pageants argue that the competing women are judged based on their integrity, talent, intelligence, and very little of the competition is based on the individuals’ physical beauty. Let’s get real, these women go through training and practice what they need to say, spray tanners, makeup artists, hair extensions, Vaseline coated teeth – what is so beautiful about that? At least the National Park Service is honest. In order for an area to become a protected National Park, it must be beautiful. Naturally beautiful.
The National Park Service outlines four critical steps that must be taken prior to determining if an area is worthy of being labelled a National Park. The first step is a beauty pageant of potential National Parks. Each land mass is marked based on its physical beauty, suitability, as well as feasibility. The area must have a combination of natural, historic, or cultural resources that when combined, represent unique aspects of local heritage. Each National Park must be able to provide the public opportunities to conserve natural, cultural, and scenic features as well as provide recreational and educational opportunities for everyone. There is nothing pretentious or fake about this phase of judgement.
The second and third step in the formation of a National Park or Heritage Site involves the public voice. Does the community surrounding this area want millions of tourists invading the area yearly, (consider Turkey and the travel groups). The proposed site must add to the national story by reflecting the traditions, customs, cultures, beliefs, voices and opinions of the people. The people of the potential National Park must show widespread public support, and push for the area to become protected grounds. If the people surrounding the area are against the formation of a National Park this makes the process more difficult and may even bring the debate to an immediate closure.
The fourth and final step, in the development of a National Park is funding. Everything comes down the green paper that we all fight for. Policy makers must determine if residents, businesses, non profit organizations and governments will support the formation of a National Park in their area. These organizations must have the option to be involved in the planning and organization of a financial plan. These plans assist each entity with understanding what their individual role is in the formation of the National Park. Along with financial plans, boundary maps and plans must be laid out in complete detail, describing in extreme detail the rules and regulations, what will and will not change, etc. Community members and businesses must also work together to ensure the economic activity within the proposed area is running as smoothly as possible. Everyone must agree with the fore casted plans.
National Parks have the potential to benefit everyone. National Parks can be a fantastic source of income for local businesses that lay within and around the National Park boundaries. Turning a prospective area into a National Park is no easy task, but when the formation is completed – it is well worth the battle.
Now this is what I call a beauty pageant.
http://www.nps.gov/history/heritageareas/rep/criteria.pdf
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