The Holly chieftain., 1922-05-04
BY JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN

!
~~ HE second National Conference on
State Parks will be held May 22-25
Bear Mountain inn, Palisades In.
III terstate park, on the west bank Of
N E4,,u. the Hudson river about As miles
" &MH above New York City. The first
u NHyZS conference held January 1912,
4H4S0 1921, in Des Moines, Ia. appointed
AEH1 John Barton Payne then secretary
!esSD of the interior and now chairman
of the central committee, American
National Red Cross chairman of committee on
arrangements for second conference to be heio
In 1929. The committee membership includes:
Edgar II. Harlan Des Moines. secretary of the
iowa State Board of Conservation.
Mrs. John Dickinson Sherman, Estes Park, Colo.
chairman department of applied education. Gen.
eral Federation Of Women's Clubs.
Richard Lieber, indianapolis, State Of Indiana
Department of Conservation.
]. Horace Mcfarland, Harrisburg Pa. president
American Civic association.
w. l.. Harding. Des Mones. former governor OF
iowa.
Maj. w. A. Welch, Haverstraw. N. Y, general
manager and chief engineer Palisades Interstate
park.
James Grafton Rogers Denver Colo.
William F. Bade. Berkeley Calf, president
Sierra club, California Associated Societies for
the Conservation of Wild Life, vice-president
American Alpine ,iub Save the Redwoods league
Alfred Britt, sew York.
Chairman Ps.yne's letter OF announcement of
the time and place of meeting also says:
"a great deal of constructive work has been
done in the development of state parks, duly stim.
ulated by the work of the past conference. Con-
siderable legislation has been enacted and new
parks created The convention this year will be
particularly illuminating, as 1t will give the dele
gates an opportunity of seeing the development In
the Palisades Interstate park, which stands In
the forefront of state parks While the first and
third days will be taken up with business sessions
the second will be devoted to n trip to West
ctn TO oh
King overlooking the Hudson, while the fourth
day Will be given over to an inspection of the
Bronx parkway and Will mean an especially inter-
esting motor trip from the Bear Mountain inn
across the Hudson to Lake Kensico and from
there down the Bronx River parkway to the New
York Geological gardens in the Bronx
II especially urge that all organizations inter.
estcd In the preservation of our native scenery
arrange to have delegates attend the conference
Many states have taken the forward step In
the development Of state park system and l
firmly believe that this be extended to In.
ciude all of the states so that close cooperation
can be carried out between all the states and
the slogan of state park every hundred miles
from Maine to California will become an actno
fact In the very near future"
Vhe first conference was held In Des Moines
because Iowa has state park law that comes
pretty near being n model. The state board of
conservation has power to select and acquire
parks and make them accessible and has funds
to work with. 1t is non-partlsan md member.
ship is an honor. The state has already acquired
eleven parks and is steadily adding acceptable
arens
The second conference is held in Palisades In.
terstate park because Is the finest object lesson
In the world of efficient state park management
on a large scale and of the benefits to the public
OF such recreation place. There is no space
here for detailed description. These points,
however. stand out:
The park along the historic Hudson had Its
beginning in movement to save the Palisades
from the quarrymen. Largely through the per-
sistence of the federated club women of New
York nuf New Jersey the legislatures of these