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| OUR NATION'S PARKS A Forum with Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt May 23, 1997 |
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Questions Sec. Babbitt answered in this forum:
Should cars be banned from national parks? How should forest fires be handled? Why are visits to the Grand Teton or the Grand Canyon so expensive? Does the federal government give mining companies sweetheart deals? Could special tax incentives provide money for the parks? Does the federal government promote clearcutting forests? What was Sec. Babbitt's best experience being part of a National Park Service firefighter? Viewer Comments
NewsHour Backgrounders
March 9, 1997:
Interesting coalitions have developed around the fight for rights to the water flowing down the Animus and the La Plata rivers in Colorado.
March 3, 1997:
Spencer Michels reports on efforts to rebuilt Yosemite National Parks after this year's devastating floods.
April 30, 1996:
Tom Bearden reports on efforts to restore the Colorado River's eco-system by flooding it.
Browse the NewsHour's index of environmental issues.
Outside Links
National Park Service
History of the National Park Service
Interior Sec. Bruce Babbitt
Department of the Interior
Viewer Comments
Glenn McKnight of Erie, PA, comments:A shared goal for the present and future of our National Parks would be wonderful to find among all the interested parties. Of course, that is extremely unlikely to happen. Many Americans want a convenient, comfortable holiday experience, and they enjoy the beautiful scenery of natural areas, but limits on accessibility are essential to ensure the quality of the experience of park visitors, as well as to maintain the health of our parks themselves.
The ability to go to any park anyone may care to visit at anytime they feel so inclined, is a luxury our parks cannot afford to provide. Some people are going to be upset about being inconvenienced or restricted in pursuit of their whims, but let them go to Disneyland if they can't wait their turn at a park. Others will fight any restrictions on their profit taking, but their livelihoods are not what the parks were established for.
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