Sellar's Preserving Nature in the National Parks

Preserving Nature in the National Parks by Richard West Sellars offers an historical overview of the National Parks Service in the U.S. Sellers' experience allows him to give a detailed view of the history because he has been a historian for over twenty years with the NPS. His research for the book involved using historical files from NPS, other secondary sources, individual accounts from past and present NPS employees, as well as his own experiences.

Nature preservation is the issue Sellars is most concerned about. He presents the issue throughout the book and the different ways that it has been approached during the history of the NPS. Beginning with the establishment of Yellowstone in 1872, the first national park aimed to preserve the land from exploitation. This has been the goal of NPS from inception, but this goal has been and is still being challenged today.

The conflict is between those who want complete nature preservation of the parks, and those who believe tourism should dictate the land use. Sellars believes that more and more parks are becoming tourist traps with so many amenities that the areas are losing their pristine nature. The role of NPS employees has also changed too, by becoming more bureaucratic, losing the authority they once held, and dealing with a disconnect from nature by spending more time in park offices. Nature preservationists would like to see tourists limited to certain areas of the park to be able to more effectively protect precious flora and fauna.

While the challenges of modern day tourism are certainly present in the NPS, other modern advantages are being utilized to help combat this issue. Ecological science is now being employed within the NPS to help manage and preserve wildlife, which has not been the case for most of NPS history. This tool is adding an ethical commitment to preserving nature, because as more native species and areas of critical need are being identified through ecological science, the NPS should be morally obligated to protect them.

As the NPS loses more authoritative control over what is happening in America's parks, the debate between tourism and preservation will continue. Sellars believes that tourism is important, and that the parks should serve the visitor, but a line has to be drawn in order to protect the natural inhabitants of the land. While I love to enjoy the outdoors by hiking and camping, I don't feel I have the right or the need to explore every corner of every park I visit. Nature can still be experienced without trespassing on the homes of native plants and animals that should be respected. If nature preservations lose the battle to preserve these areas, there will be no untouched land left in the parks for this wildlife to thrive, and it will be environmentally detrimental for generations to come.