The land for the people

Mammoth Cave NP Kentucky

A recurrent criticism of the United States' parks is that they are frequented  by the well to do.  The other criticism that is seen again and again is that lands now under park system management contain areas that Native Americans once used.  When one considers the alternatives that would be in place were it not for the parks one appreciates the parks with all of their contradictions.  These few special places have been preserved for the people.   If the lands were instead bought by private interests the scenic areas would be taken over by gated communities.  Vast areas would be unavailable to the people.   Land companies would own huge areas and would allow mining interests to use the land for extractive pursuits without caring for the animals or the plants.  Many current parks are used by present day Native Americans.  These places are deeply appreciated and Native Americans are among those who deeply appreciate these set aside places.  The parks have contradictions.  The fact that the parks have contradictions in no way diminishes the appeal or the value of the parks.