Drafting the Future of the Parks - New York Times

Posting has been sporadic and will continue to be so as I move my life from one metro area to another to another. I found this tidbit that's worth briefly discussing:

Drafting the Future of the Parks - New York Times: "Over the past few weeks, there has been a concerted effort by the so-called recreation community %u2014 a euphemism for the motorized vehicle industry and its lobbyists %u2014 to change the draft. In at least two conference calls with Interior Department officials, snowmobile and off-road vehicle lobbyists have expressed their opposition to the restored emphasis on preservation."

It's just a brief opinion post, but it's deeply worrisome. The strides of the park service during the Clinton era helped reduce vehicle access in some small amount, and I fear that what little progress has happened is about to be undone. Our culture of sedentary lifestyles and instant gratification seems to want to drive up to the edge of a canyon, up to the top of a peak, look out, snap a photo, and get back in the car. Some of nature's beauties are destroyed if and when that process becomes fact. The effort of the hike, the turmoil of the journey--it is a part of the beauty of this world and its wonders. Furthermore, hiking and camping greatly reduce the ecological footprint relative to cars and RVs. The thunderous RVs that rumble through Yosemite Valley have had a dire affect on the environmental health of the delicate mountain environment. Just compare photos from the 1960s to today. It's a different world, and we have to, somehow, stem the tide. Some parks, like several in Utah...and even Yosemite to an extent... are working, ever so slowly, to limit access and encourage transportation on clean fuel burning mass transit systems. Zion was the best at this that I've visited. But there must must must be more.