Commission to discuss park advancement

Approximately 100 organizations and individuals will meet Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the report of the Second Century Commission.

Last year, the National Parks Conservation Association created the Second Century Commission, co-chaired by former Sens. Howard Baker and Bennett Johnston, to develop a vision for the National Park Service for the next 100 years.

“The commission was comprised of a diverse group of private citizens, educators, scientists, historians and conservationists, with a common goal of creating a vision that would advance and expand the national park idea,” Dr. Stephen Lockhart, chairman of the board of Yosemite National Institutes, said.

The commission wishes to expand the idea of the parks within their borders but also to expand the idea outside the borders. An ardent climber and backpacker with an enthusiasm for the environment, Lockhart understands the importance of protecting the national parks.

“The goal is to engage this group in reviewing the recommendations and to develop strategies for their implementation,” Lockhart said. “There is a strong desire among commissioners that the report not languish on a shelf but actually becomes a document that strategically guides the future of the parks.”

The four areas of discussion during the two-day event are park system expansion, natural and cultural resources, sustainable funding and educational engagement.

“The whole process is about how we identify ways to make sure that people continue to appreciate, promote and protect these treasures,” Amy Gibson, director of development and policy research at the Howard Baker Center for Public Policy, said.

Discussion scheduled Wednesday

There will be group discussions and question-and-answer sessions following an introduction to each of the four topics. Individuals who were not invited to the event, including students, can view the discussions and participate in the Q&A sessions via Web cast.

Gibson said it is important for students to particpate in the program.

“Students as a whole should be looking at this because it’s the future of who we want to suggest we are as a nation,” she said.

There will be breakout sessions in the afternoon to discuss each area in detail, as well as voting sessions in which participants vote for recommendations that they support. The results will be used to promote further discussion in later sessions.

Thursday, the groups will work around the recommendations to discuss opportunities, obstacles and the role of each group in the advancement of the national park idea.

Gibson noted that changing population and changing habits have changed the ways in which the people use the parks. Education, travel habits and demographics have shifted, which requires the U.S. to think about different ways to keep people engaged in national parks.

“In addition to that, it’s about how we make sure that the parks are great, comfortable places for everybody, so that people of all races, all ethnicities and so forth all feel welcome and understand that the parks are a representation of what it is to be American,” Gibson said.

Individuals can view the discussions and send in comments via Web cast at http://tinyurl.com/yfku2r9.

The full Second Century Commission report is available from the Baker Center Web site and at http://www.visionfortheparks.org.