Henry David Thoreau's visit to the north Maine woods inspired him to become an early advocate of what became national forests and national parks:
The kings of England formerly had their forests 'to hold the king's game' for sport or food, sometimes destroying villages to create or extend them; and I think that they were impelled by a true instinct. Why should not we, who have renounced the king's authority, have our national preserves, where no villages need be destroyed, in which the bear and panther, and some even of the hunter race, may still exist, and not be 'civilized off the face of the earth,' - our forests, not to hold the king's game merely, but to hold and preseve the king himself also, the lord of creation - not for idle sport or food, but for inspiration and our own true recreation? or shall we, like villians, grub them all up, poaching on our own national domains?"
The North Woods of Maine are rugged lands of steep mountains, tiny jewels of lakes, rushing clear water, and abundant wildlife, but very few people. That's also a good description of the Siskiyou mountain range on the California-Oregon border. What better places to become national parks?
The proposed Maine Woods National Park & Preserve would be ENORMOUS -- bigger than Yellowstone and Yosemite put together, the second biggest park in the entire United States (the first is in Alaska), and about a quarter of the entire state of Maine. The land would encompass both a national park and a national preserve (exact boundaries between the two have yet to be determined), where "some even of the hunter race" -- hunters, snowmobilers, and anglers -- could engage in their traditional recreation. The park would surround Baxter State Park and its crowning glory of Mount Katahdin, the highest peak in Maine.
A New England group, Restore, has been working on and off since 1992 to create the Maine Woods National Park. The Park would be a place where the eastern timberwolf, Canadian lynx, and moose roam freely, trout and Atlantic salmon swim in clear water, and old growth forests go on forever.
For 150 years, paper barons held much of the land, with an unwritten understanding that they wouldn't log too much in exchange for local citizens enjoying the land. Enter globalization: absentee owners who enforce their No Trespassing signs, accelerate logging, and dream of lakes and streams spawning McMansions instead of salmon. Roxanne Quimby, former owner of Burt's Bees, bought up huge tracts to preserve as sanctuaries (no hunting, fishing, or snowmobiling allowed), annoyed locals, and then decided to keep quiet. Now she and Restore recognize, quite correctly, that the Maine Woods National Park will only come into existence if Maine residents want it to exist.
Interested? Here's a Facebook petition, and MaineNorthWoods seems to send the same message every couple of hours on Twitter (one of the better reasons for avoiding Twitter that I've seen). The National Parks Conservation Association, a well respected old-school advocacy group, wants Congress to authorize a study.
At the other end of the continent lies the Siskiyou Mountains, a range roughly straddling the California-Oregon border, bisected by Interstate 5, and allegedly roamed by Sasquatch. The region has a weird history strong independent streak, having declared secession from the United States to become the independent State of Jefferson. On November 27, 1941, armed Jeffersonians even stopped Americans from entering their country, only to have other events distract from secession talk ten days later, December 7, 1941.
Klamath-Siskiyou Wild has launched a brand new campaign for a Siskiyou Crest National Monument lying just west of I-5 between the Klamath (southern) and Rogue (northern) rivers, roughly in the Rogue River National Forest:
The National Forest Service logs too much, hence the need to change from a Forest Service-managed land to a National Park Service-managed land. Beginning early August, KS Wild will lead a team of scientists and conservationists to hike 90 miles through the wilderness to show off its biological diversity and stunning beauty.
KS Wild's proposal is only one of many in this sparsely populated, rugged, immensely beautiful region. The proposed Siskiyou Crest National Monument is entirely separate from the Cascades-Siskiyou National Monument established by President Clinton and located east of I-5. And it's entirely separate from a proposed, and far more ambitious, Ancient Forest National Park, which would encompass various government-owned lands from the Rogue River in the north all the way to the Trinity Alps Wilderness in the south. Representative Pete DeFazio and Senator Ron Wyden have introduced a series of three bills, collectively known as Oregon Treasures, HR 2888, 2889, and 2890, which would expand the Rogue River, Oregon Caves National Monument (from 480 acres to 4070 acres -- a massive expansion), and Devils Staircase protected lands. After rafting the Rogue, eating wild blackberries on its banks, spying beavers and bald eagles, and swimming across its swift current, I can wholeheartedly support KS Wild's and DeFazio's efforts to protect this land.
The history of national parks is littered with good ideas opposed by bad Congresses, good ideas opposed by local residents who fear loss of local control, and just plain goofy ideas. Apparently DeFazio has introduced similar legislation to expand the Oregon Caves NM in the past without success. Grand Tetons took 50 years to become a national park. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, presently managed by the Forest Service, is mentioned as a candidate. Mt. St. Helens in southwest Washington is managed by the National Forest Service, albeit badly; local opinion is sharply divided on whether the National Park Service should take it over, and the NPS won't move without substantial local support. My personal oddball favorite proposal is the notion of clearing out the Chesapeake Bay and adjacent swampland of all human habitation to return it to the wild -- piece of cake, nothing useful in that region. Local support is critical to obtaining a NPS designation if a region will, in Thoreau's words, not be civilized off the face of the earth. Hence, the poll of the week.
Obligatory side notes and links go here. On Friday, I'm off to hike the Mineral King section of Sequoia National Park. You can find me on the trail somewhere, or go to a national park of your choice, this weekend, without paying the usual admission fee -- July 18-19 is the second of three free weekend admission at national parks this summer! If you'd rather bike than hike, you'll appreciate anotherdemocrat's Fitness Monday - Tour de France edition, and if you're an armchair traveler, LandofEnchantment took us all on a drop dead gorgeous Rocky Mountain High wildflower tour. Last, I am very pleased to report that Obama has selected a National Park Service director who's risen up through the ranks, respected by employees, committed to carbon neutrality, spoken out against the Bush administration's efforts to commercialize the parks, and now praised by the NYT. Until next week, hike on!