That's all to the good. But like any object of beauty, a park requires protection, with high standards of care and conservation, to sustain the qualities that make it special. National parks should never be regarded simply as tourist attractions with dollar signs attached to them. I see public recreation as a large and essential factor in contributing to the quality of American life. It serves the economy as well, but that isn't its primary purpose.
Outdoor recreation spans a variety of interests, tastes and goals.
Theme parks, such as Six Flags, Busch Gardens, Opryland and Disneyland, fill particular niches. So do commercial resorts and campgrounds. But public recreation areas are something else again, filling a different niche. Public parks and forests provide an antidote to urbanized living, a return to pioneer pathways, a chance to exercise the body and mind in harmony with the great outdoors. In such places Americans learn to understand and to respect the natural environment.