The National Parks

All this week a new six-episode documentary series called The National Parks: America's Best Idea is airing on PBS. According to the website, "it was filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature's most spectacular locales – from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska - The National Parks: America's Best Idea is nonetheless a story of people: people from every conceivable background – rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy."

I have watched the first two parts and have found it fascinating. Instead of focusing only on the beauty of the parks, it really educates you on how National Parks came about and the players and politics involved in their creation. We have really come a long way as a country to change our attitudes from wanting to conquer nature and the natural enviornment to wanting to perserve it. If it weren't for some very passionate individuals a lot of what we have today would have been lost.

If you have any interest in National Parks and the natural world I highly reccomend checking this out. There are four more parts yet to air and you can watch the first two online.