On the Meaning and Value of America's National Parks

Alan Spears, the Director of Cultural Resources in the Government Affairs department of the National Parks Conservation Association, writes a surprising argument on whether or not its national park is America's best idea.

Obviously, given his title and a long tradition of experiences at national parks in the United State, Spears is an advocate and fan for the National Park System. So it's surprising, perhaps, when Spears writes:

But despite the oft-quoted words of writer Wallace Stegner, parks are not America’s “best idea,” and describing them as such may be preventing us from creating and sustaining the diverse constituency our national parks need to survive and thrive in their second century. 

After offering some perspective on some other very important ideas by the United State, Spears introduces the crux of the argument:

The “best idea” language has the potential to alienate more people than it attracts; it assumes that we all regard national parks with the same unfettered and unequaled devotion.