NHD Theme Book 2016 | Page 35

EXPLORATION, ENCOUNTER, EXCHANGE IN HISTORY A crisis in the competition between conservationist and business interests came when the city of San Francisco lobbied to dam Yosemite’s Hetchy Valley to create a reservoir. Strict natural preservationists like John Muir called on Congress to ban the dam, to preserve the area’s natural wilderness. In 1913, however, Congress permitted that dam to be built. Preservationists came to W the conclusion that a centralized agency was needed to oversee and coordinate management of national parks. ealthy businessman and park preservation supporter Stephen T. Mather was called on by the secretary of the Interior in 1915 to serve as his assistant regarding park affairs. Horace M. Albright was appointed as Mather’s aide. Mather and Albright set to work to promote the creation of a national parks bureau, pointing to the economic benefits of tourism in national parks through a media campaign in magazines and railroad tourism publications. In 1916, Congress would respond to that campaign, passing the Organic Act, which created the National Park Service. Stephen T. Mather was selected by Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane to serve as the Park Service’s first director. The first 100 years of the National Park Service would see eras where presidents favored expansion and establishment of new parks and areas, as well as periods under other administrations more interested in maintaining and preserving existing parks. A major 10-year initiative instituted in the 1950s, known as Mission 66, sought to rebuild park infrastructure and create new visitor centers that provide expanded exhibits, audiovisual programs and other public services. President Jimmy Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980, which would double the size of the National Park System by adding over 47 million acres of wilderness to its management. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Organic Act, the National Park Service has recommitted to connecting with the public and re-establishing itself as the world’s largest informal educational agency. This article has drawn much of its content from “The National Park Service: A Brief History,” by Barry Mackintosh. (Top) The Wawona Tunnel Tree, Yosemite National Park, 1929 National Park Service Historic Photograph Collection / Henry G. Peabody (Middle) Sylvan Lake, Yellowstone National Park, 1916 National Park Service Historic Photograph Collection / Haynes (Bottom) Grand Teton National Park, 1960s National Park Service Historic Photograph Collection 33