What's in a name? That's a good question in light of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's unsolicited (from the National Park Service) bid to turn Golden Gate National Recreation Area into a "national park."
In pushing for renaming the NRA "Golden Gate National Park(s)," Speaker Pelosi would have us believe anything less than attaching a "national park(s)" suffix to Golden Gate would be a slight.
"In the years since the establishment of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area almost 40 years ago, the park units have collectively been referred to as Golden Gate National Parks. As natural and historic sites have been added to this park system, the need has grown to recognize the system of parks for what they are, which is one of our nation’s great natural treasures," her office says in explaining the proposal.
"This bill recognizes the importance of Golden Gate National Parks to the history and future of our nation and rewards it with a designation befitting its place among the most spectacular national parks in our nation."
Let's forgo, for the moment, debating whether a missile site, maximum security prison, lighthouse, or military outpost are truly "natural treasures." Instead, why not wonder why Speaker Pelosi should stop with Golden Gate in her renaming bid? Surely there must be some other units within the National Park System that are among "our nation's greatest natural treasures."
What about Dinosaur National Monument? Over the years there have been several calls for it to be renamed a national park (in fact, that talk just recently resurfaced.) Talk about natural treasures. Where can you find a richer dinosaur boneyard, one that wrote a significant chapter in the great dinosaur fossil discoveries of this country, if not the world?
Downstate in Utah there's Cedar Breaks National Monument, a rich, 60-million-year-old geologic slice of sedimentary rock known as the Pink Cliffs that seems to have captured all the colors of the rainbow. Heck, the locals have been calling for a name change for a coupla years at least.
Cultural history? Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona offers a richness more than befitting "national park" stature.
"Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America, the cultural resources of Canyon de Chelly include distinctive architecture, artifacts, and rock imagery while exhibiting remarkable preservation integrity that provides outstanding opportunities for study and contemplation," says the Park Service. "Canyon de Chelly also sustains a living community of Navajo people, who are connected to a landscape of great historical and spiritual significance."
And while she's at it, perhaps Speaker Pelosi should rid the National Park System of national seashores. "Cape Cod National Park" is much more befitting that spit of sand that curls out from the Massachusetts mainland and which has heretofore been known as Cape Cod National Seashore. You've got natural beauty, whaling history, recreation opportunities. Similar arguments easily could be made for Point Reyes National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, and Gulf Islands National Seashore.
But perhaps Speaker Pelosi is darting off in the wrong direction. Perhaps she should urge Congress to decommission Golden Gate National Recreation Area and auction off the various units to Californians to love, cherish, and market as they see fit. After all, it was Ms. Pelosi who gave birth to the Presido Trust with the explicit instruction to manage the Presidio as a business, and it has, renting out its historic structures to make ends meet.
Just look through the trust's directory of tenants and you'll wonder if you're not examining a business portfolio rather than a national park, let alone NRA: You've got LucasFilm Ltd., of Star Wars fame, building contractors, marriage counselors, investment counselors, even restaurants that can offer an "extensive cocktail menu."
Is this a "national treasure" or a business commons? Is it a "national park" or an industrial complex? Is it cast in the legacy of the National Park System or a bastardization of the Park Service's mission and better defined as a Wharton school of business case study? If the red-ink-washed National Park Service should be managed like a business, aka the Presidio Trust, wouldn't it be wise for the agency to sell off some of its properties to better manage that bottomline?
If Speaker Pelosi's bill goes forward, maybe it needs to be tweaked a tad. Instead of "Golden Gate National Park(s)," what would you think of "Golden Gate National Business"?
Comments
This is quite the education.
I was under the ill-informed impression that this is how it was. Certainly seems like this is how it should be.
When I stop to think about two of my favorite NPS units - Congaree and Sleeping Bear - it seems like Sleeping Bear has far more of the park-like attributes than Congaree. You have two islands (one a wilderness), a self-guided scenic drive, touristy gimmicks (the Dune Climb), and a lot of diverse ecosystems. Throw in the historical aspect and Sleeping Bear is about as "Parky" as you can get. I love Congaree and want it to have the highest level of protection it can have, but you are correct it is less of a park by your definition of park.
The last few comments have made my point for me. No one knows what the designations mean. There is not hierarchy of parks and a national "park" is not an elevation of any kind. It is a name change and nothing more unless the legislation specific to the park also changes. As noted, Congress, courts, and the 1978 Redwood Act as amended specify that all units are managed the same. National Recreation Areas are not managed for any less preservation than national parks or monuments. Santa Monica Mountains NRA is among the most diverse ecosystems in the country and has more plant and bird species and more endangered species than most of the national "parks." Why do some people seem to care about these designations so much? They are not denoters of size, amenities, location, staff, budget, or anything other than the political whim of the Congress when designated. The names are tools to designate to the public what they own and what constitute the greater collection of treasures in the National Park System. It is no wonder visitors are confused when the BLM and Forest Service also manage national recreation areas and national monuments and many privately owned properties are National Historic Landmarks. If we are to ahve our National Park System survive it needs to be supported by the public. The public will not support what it cannot understand. The preservation of these natural and historical areas is more important than what you call them. Therefore, they should be called something that can be easily understood.
To clarify for ALL readers, the Pelosi bill is not merely a name change, but strikes every occurrence of the word "recreation" out of the enabling legislation of the GGNRA.
That Pelosi staffers call this a "name change," merely cosmetic to "raise the status" of the park, with no impact on the administration of the park, is simply laughable.
These folks are serious about making recreation take a backseat to preservation/restoration. Somehow, I missed the rationale that explains why Bay Area residents are in less need of recreation than they were in 1972.
Sometimes a resource is not always seen, like how some hot springs have An important pre-historic Native american quarry worth protecting. Moreover, a park does not have to be big it just has to be important and of national importance or awareness. But people associate the phrase National Park with a lot of things, which is why there are so many names. The Names are for what the park protects, not what it is.
As some on this site will know, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees is on record (and pushing in every way we know how) for the establishment of a Centennial Commission to analyze many of the existing institutional processes and the overall governance of the National Park System. Such a commission could make recommendations to the Congress and the Executive Branch for changes that would increase the probabilities that management of the National Park System in the second century of the NPS would be the best possible. I'm not trying here to open up debate on the concept or responsibilities of such a commission, but would suggest that this issue of naming of areas in the System is exactly the kind of issue that it could take up.
Bill Wade
Chair, Executive Council
Coalition of National Park Service Retirees
Right on Jsherman; the GGNRA was established to provide a place for all of us to recreate in the numerous ways that we do: some on foot, some by bike, some on horse, some on surfboard, some with dog, some without, some in a car, some not. There are millions of us living in these here hills, and especially now we need land and sea access close to us because most of us can't afford to go to far afield.
That brings up the question of who decided on this name change. Take a look at the Boards of the Presidio Trust and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (we should have paid closer attention to their name years ago), the members of these boards are a list of the rich and influential in the Bay Area (and Pelosi's friends). Easy for them to take out 'recreation', they can go to the ranch in Napa, or Montana, or...... I see this as a bit of class warfare.
There is at least one pratical reason for the name change that is not, and will not, be mentioned in any of the news articles. For many years Golden Gate has struggled to proactively preserve its natural resources from organized dog walker associations. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but San Francisco is a crowded city with multi-million dollar homes that have no yards, and each resident seems to own at least two dogs. Dogs are hard on the environment, and the Presidio unit alone is home to about 13 endangered or threatened plant species. Some of these plants grow nowhere else in the world. Golden Gate also sits on the Pacific Flyway, and its protected lands have become an important stop for migrating birds. During one bird count in 2006 one birder spotted over 100 species of birds in one day, again, in the Presidio.
One of the key arguments the dog walkers have made against the Park's leash law has been that the park was a "Recreation Area" and not a "National Park" and therefore not as valuable as, say, Yosemite.
This name change puts a crimp in their case, and elevates the park (symbolically) to a status I think it richly deserves-- because, the Presidio is more than just a former military base it is home to the Presidio Clarkia. Alcatraz is more than just a former federal prison, it is also the site of the little known story about the struggle for Native American civil rights. It is also Muir Woods, Marin Headlands, and Crissy Field.
While I don't disagree that hosting Lucas and Disney on park lands sullies the mission and the purpose of Golden Gate, I do believe there is enough rich natural and cultural history existing on those lands worthy of federal protection and our respect.
Rangertoo knows what he is talking about, and is absolutely right.