All language subtitles for Americas.National.Parks.At.100.2016.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

Narrator: IT WASN'T
ANY ONE PERSON'S IDEA.

Downloaded from
YTS.MX

THERE WAS NO GRAND MASTER PLAN.

♪

Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

Woman: THE NATIONAL PARKS
ARE ALL SO DIFFERENT.

Narrator: IN SOME WAYS,
THEY WERE VISIONARY--

BEGINNING A MOVEMENT THAT SPREAD
AROUND THE WORLD.

Man: NATIONAL PARKS ARE
AMAZING PLACES FOR RESEARCH,

AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY,
FOR EXPLORATION.

Narrator: IN OTHER WAYS,
THEY WERE FLASHPOINTS--

IN THE BATTLE BETWEEN
PUBLIC LAND AND PRIVATE RIGHTS.

IN EVERY WAY,
THEY REFLECTED THE COUNTRY--

THE GOOD, THE BAD,
AND THE BIZARRE.

Woman: IT WAS A REALLY BAD IDEA.

Narrator:
NOW THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

IS 100 YEARS OLD...AND COUNTING.

THE LAST CENTURY
IS FULL OF STORIES.

AND THE NEXT CENTURY
IS FULL OF POSSIBILITY.

♪

[FILM PROJECTOR RUNNING]

[OWL HOOTS]

NATIVE AMERICANS
HAD MANY NAMES FOR IT.

"LAND OF THE BURNING GROUND."

"PLACE OF HOT WATER."

AND "MANY SMOKE."

CENTURIES LATER, WHITE EXPLORERS
WROTE OF ITS WONDERS,

BUT WERE OFTEN DISMISSED
AS LIARS.

THEY CALLED IT "YELLOWSTONE."

IN 1870, A GROUP

INCLUDING MONTANA OFFICIAL
NATHANIEL P. LANGFORD

SET OFF TO FIND IT.

LANGFORD WROTE:
"WE CAME SUDDENLY UPON A BASIN

OF BOILING SULPHUR SPRINGS,

THROWING WATER
AND FEARFUL VOLUMES OF VAPOR

HIGHER THAN OUR HEADS."

WATER SMOKED.

MUD BUBBLED.

COLORS BLED.

CONGRESS HEARD
ABOUT THE HOT, SPEWING GEYSERS

AND FIGURED THE PLACE
WAS TOO RUGGED

TO EVER BE FARMED
OR HOMESTEADED.

ECONOMICALLY,
IT APPEARED WORTHLESS.

SO WITH LITTLE DEBATE, THEY
PASSED A BILL TO PROTECT IT.

THEY HAD JUST CREATED
THE WORLD'S FIRST NATIONAL PARK,

AND IT WAS A WHOPPER--

OVER TWO MILLION ACRES

SPLAYED ACROSS THREE TERRITORIES

THAT WEREN'T EVEN STATES YET.

CONGRESS ASKED
NATHANIEL P. LANGFORD

TO BE YELLOWSTONE'S FIRST
SUPERINTENDENT, FOR NO PAY.

HE ACCEPTED.

Joy Beasley: THE EARLIEST
VISITORS TO YELLOWSTONE,

WHO CAME TO SEE
THESE NATURAL WONDERS

WITH THEIR OWN EYES,

WERE A VERY HARDY BUNCH.

Narrator: TOURISTS ROAMED
ON THEIR OWN,

HOPING THEY WOULDN'T FALL INTO
A CAULDRON AND BOIL TO DEATH.

SEVERAL DID.

OTHERS CAME LESS FOR THE SCENERY
AND MORE FOR THE SPOILS.

OUTLAWS ROBBED VISITING COACHES.

VANDALS CARVED THEIR NAMES
ON GEYSER FORMATIONS.

HUNTERS SLAUGHTERED BUFFALO
BY THE SCORE,

OFTEN JUST FOR SPORT.

NOW THERE ARE RESURGENT HERDS...
PROTECTIVE BOARDWALKS...

AND WELL-REHEARSED
CROWD CONTROL.

NEARLY 3 MILLION PEOPLE COME
TO YELLOWSTONE EVERY YEAR.

THE LAST CENTURY HAS BEEN FILLED
WITH TRIAL AND ERROR

OF HOW TO RUN A NATIONAL PARK
LIKE YELLOWSTONE.

BUT ONE THING
REALLY HASN'T CHANGED.

YOU STILL HAVE TO SEE IT
TO BELIEVE IT.

NOT ALL THE EARLY PARKS
WERE WESTERN WONDERS.

CUTTING THROUGH
WASHINGTON, D.C.,

IS A NATURAL WATERWAY
CALLED ROCK CREEK.

DURING THE CIVIL WAR,

UNION SOLDIERS FELLED
MANY OF THE SURROUNDING TREES

AND LAID THEM OUT AS SPEEDBUMPS
FOR INVADING CONFEDERATE TROOPS.

AFTER THE WAR, CIVIC LEADERS
PUSHED TO PRESERVE

THIS NATURAL WEDGE
OF GREEN SPACE.

IT WAS MADE A PARK IN 1890.

WASHINGTON RESIDENTS
HAVE ENJOYED IT EVER SINCE.

ROCK CREEK NATIONAL PARK
IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE

OF AN URBAN AREA
THAT TOPS 6 MILLION PEOPLE.

Man: PEOPLE USE IT
IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.

IT'S A PARK
THAT CONNECTS NEIGHBORHOODS,

MAKES D.C. WHAT IT IS.

Narrator:
BUT THERE ARE STILL PLACES

WHERE THE CITY
SEEMS TO DISAPPEAR.

Bill McShea:
WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND

YOU DON'T SEE TOO MUCH OF
THE D.C. THAT MOST PEOPLE KNOW,

THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PIECE
OF WOODS.

Narrator:
BILL McSHEA WANTED TO KNOW

WHAT LIVES IN NATIONAL PARKS--

INCLUDING ONE SURROUNDED
BY A CITY.

McShea: FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS,

WE SET CAMERAS
IN DIFFERENT NATIONAL PARKS,

AND ONE OF THEM
WAS ROCK CREEK PARK,

TO SEE WHAT'S HERE,
WHEN IS IT ACTIVE,

HOW DOES IT RELATE
TO THE TRAIL USE

THAT PEOPLE ARE USING.

Narrator: THE ANIMAL CENSUS
PROGRAM IS CALLED E-MAMMAL,

AND THE BACKBONE OF THE PROJECT
IS THE CAMERA TRAP.

McShea: THEY HAVE
A HEAT MOTION SENSOR,

SO IT HAS TO BE A HOT BODY

AND IT HAS TO BE MOVING
IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA,

WHICH WILL ZOOM IN
ON WHATEVER'S MOVING

AND TAKE A PICTURE OF IT.

Narrator: CAMERA TRAPS HAVE BEEN
DEPLOYED ALL OVER THE WORLD.

McShea: CHINA, MALAYSIA, BURMA,
TO AFRICAN SITES,

TO NORTH AMERICAN SITES.

AND YOU CATCH THE ANIMAL
UNAWARES.

Narrator:
INSIDE ROCK CREEK PARK,

THEY REVEALED
THE CITY'S WILD SIDE.

McShea: IT WOULDN'T
SURPRISE PEOPLE

TO HEAR WE GOT A LOT
OF WHITETAIL DEER PICTURES.

WHAT WAS SURPRISING TO ME
ARE WILD TURKEYS.

I'VE NEVER SEEN
OR HEARD ANYONE REPORT

A WILD TURKEY FOR THIS PARK,

BUT WE HAD QUITE A NUMBER
OF WILD TURKEY IMAGES

IN THERE DURING THE DAY.

ARE THERE COYOTES?

YES, THE COYOTES ARE HERE.

WE GOT AS MANY
COYOTE IMAGES HERE

AS WE GOT IN ANY OF THE OTHER
PARKS WE SURVEYED,

EVEN THE MOST RURAL PARKS.

AT TIMES, YOU THINK THIS IS
PRIMARILY A PEOPLE PARK,

BUT IT'S REALLY
AN ANIMAL PARK, TOO.

Narrator: IT IS A BIOSPHERE,
A HISTORIC SITE,

AND A CITY PARK--

ALL WITHIN A SLICE OF WOODS
NO WIDER THAN A MILE.

ROCK CREEK PARK IS AN ONGOING
EXPERIMENT IN THE URBAN WILD.

McShea: THIS IS
AS GOOD A PIECE OF WOODS

AS YOU'LL FIND ANYWHERE,

AND WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE
OF A CITY.

Narrator: THE EARLIEST
NATIONAL PARKS PRESERVED NATURE.

NOW THEY PRESERVE MUCH MORE.

GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA,
WAS THE SITE

OF THE DEADLIEST BATTLE
IN THE CIVIL WAR.

ABOUT 50,000 SOLDIERS
WERE KILLED OR WOUNDED

IN JUST THREE DAYS.

Beasley: I DON'T KNOW IF WE
REALLY CAN TRULY IMAGINE

WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE
TO HAVE A BATTLE OR A WAR

UNFOLDING LITERALLY
IN YOUR BACKYARD.

Narrator: EVERY HOUSE
AND BUILDING BECAME A HOSPITAL.

EVERY GARDEN AND FIELD
BECAME A GRAVEYARD.

AFTER THE BATTLE, RESIDENTS
AND VETERANS FROM BOTH SIDES

BECAME CONCERNED
ABOUT THE POOR CONDITION

OF SCATTERED, SHALLOW GRAVES.

THEY ADVOCATED
FOR A PERMANENT CEMETERY.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN
DEDICATED THAT GRAVEYARD

WITH THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS.

BY 1895 THE GOVERNMENT DECLARED
IT A NATIONAL MILITARY PARK,

OVERSEEN BY THE WAR DEPARTMENT.

THERE WAS NOT YET
A NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

TODAY, THE LAND IS PRESERVED

NOT JUST FOR CEREMONY
AND REFLECTION, BUT PROTECTION.

THERE ARE STILL STORIES
TO UNEARTH

FROM THE CIVIL WAR'S
HALLOWED BATTLEGROUNDS.

[GUNFIRE]

THIS SKULL FRAGMENT WAS FOUND

MORE THAN A CENTURY
AFTER GUNS FELL SILENT

ON THE BATTLEFIELDS OF ANTIETAM.

Doug Owsley: IT WAS FOUND
BY SOME INDIVIDUALS

THAT WERE USING METAL DETECTORS,
AND THEY PICKED UP THIS BURIAL.

Narrator: IT REVEALS
ONE MOMENT AMONG MILLIONS

THAT DEFINED THE CIVIL WAR.

Owsley: WHEN I AM DEALING
WITH HUMAN REMAINS

FROM MILITARY PARKS

AND THEY ARE MEN THAT DIED
ON THAT BATTLEFIELD,

THAT IS THE REALITY OF THE WAR.

I MEAN, THAT TYPE OF FIGHTING,

THAT TYPE OF FIGHTING
IS UNBELIEVABLE FIGHTING.

Narrator: DOUG OWSLEY
AND KARI BRUWELHEIDE

CAN UNRAVEL THE MYSTERY
OF UNKNOWN REMAINS.

Kari Bruwelheide: ANY BONE
THAT COMES INTO OUR LAB

WE THINK OF AS AN INDIVIDUAL.

WE KNOW THAT EACH BONE
HAS A STORY TO TELL.

IT'S A HUMAN LIFE.

Narrator: THE LIFE OF THIS
SOLDIER REMAINS A MYSTERY,

BUT HIS DEATH IS QUITE CLEAR.

Bruwelheide: THIS PIECE OF BONE

IS FROM THE ANTIETAM
BATTLEFIELD.

IT IS A PIECE OF THE CRANIUM

THAT IS FROM THE BACK
OF THE HEAD.

IT'S CALLED THE OCCIPITAL BONE,

AND IT COVERS ALMOST
THE ENTIRE BACK PORTION.

NOW WHAT'S SPECIAL
WITH THIS BONE

IS THAT IT HAS A DEFECT
RIGHT HERE

THAT IS INDICATIVE
OF A GUNSHOT WOUND EXIT.

AND I CAN TELL THAT
BECAUSE THE MARGINS

ON THE OUTSIDE SURFACE
OF THE BONE ARE BEVELED.

AND IT'S BEVELED

BECAUSE THE FORCE
OF THE TRAVELING PROJECTILE

WILL FRACTURE THE BONE OUTWARD.

SO WHEN THIS INDIVIDUAL
WAS SHOT,

THE BULLET WAS TRAVELING
FROM THE FRONT OF THE PERSON

AND EXITED OUT THE BACK
OF THE HEAD.

Owsley: THESE ARE SOFT LEAD
LOW VELOCITY BULLETS,

AND AS THEY HIT,
THEY'LL OFTEN DEFORM,

THEY'LL TUMBLE, AND THEY'LL
LEAVE LITTLE PARTICLES,

AND SO IN THE X-RAY, YOU CAN SEE
A GOOD BULLET FRAGMENT

THAT'S STILL EMBEDDED
IN THE BONE.

Narrator: THE REST
OF THE SOLDIER'S BONES

WERE RE-BURIED
WITH FULL MILITARY HONORS.

THE SMITHSONIAN
KEEPS THIS FRAGMENT

FOR PRESERVATION AND EDUCATION.

Bruwelheide: TELLING THAT STORY
MAKES THE EVENT, THE HISTORY

SO MUCH MORE, NOT JUST TANGIBLE,
BUT SO MUCH MORE PERSONAL.

Owsley: EVEN TODAY,
MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER,

HUMAN REMAINS
ARE STILL BEING FOUND

ON CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELDS.

Bruwelheide:
AND IF THEY WEREN'T PROTECTED,

THOSE THINGS MIGHT BE DESTROYED.

Owsley: THEY SERVE AS A REMINDER

TO THE SACRIFICE
OF OUR ANCESTORS

TO BUILD THIS NATION,
THE NATION THAT IT IS TODAY.

Narrator: AFTER THE CIVIL WAR,

ONE SOLDIER WHO LOST HIS ARM
IN BATTLE

LED ONE OF THE GREATEST
RIVER ADVENTURES

IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

IN MAY OF 1869, A TEAM SET OFF

TO NAVIGATE THE SURGING
COLORADO RIVER

THROUGH UNKNOWN TERRITORY,

INCLUDING A CANYON
THAT WAS MOSTLY JUST A RUMOR.

LEADING THE EXPEDITION
WAS JOHN WESLEY POWELL--

A ONE-ARMED CIVIL WAR VETERAN
AND GEOLOGY PROFESSOR.

HE LEFT IN A COMPANY OF TEN MEN
IN FOUR WOODEN BOATS.

ALONG THE WAY,
ONE BOAT WAS WRECKED.

FOUR MEN QUIT OUT OF FEAR.

THREE OF THEM HIKED AWAY
AND WERE NEVER SEEN AGAIN.

BUT SIX MEN, INCLUDING POWELL,
MADE IT THROUGH--

THE FIRST KNOWN WHITE MEN
TO TRAVERSE THE GRAND CANYON.

Robert Stanton:
BUT THE GRAND CANYON

WAS THE HOME PLACE
OF AMERICAN INDIANS.

THIS IS WHERE PEOPLE LIVED
FOR CENTURIES UPON CENTURIES

AND WHERE THEIR KIN ARE BURIED,
AND THEY ARE SACRED PLACES.

Narrator: NATIVE AMERICANS STILL
LIVE INSIDE THE GRAND CANYON,

AMID ANCESTRAL PETROGLYPHS

THAT PRE-DATE POWELL'S EXCURSION
BY 6,000 YEARS.

THE 20th CENTURY SAW
GREAT CHANGES FOR THE CANYON.

TOURISM EXPLODED.

SOME CAME FOR THE VIEW
FROM THE RIM;

OTHERS CAME FOR THE TREK
TO THE BOTTOM.

NOW SOME WANT TO BUILD
ANOTHER TOURIST DEVELOPMENT

ON THE SOUTH RIM

AND A TRAMWAY
TO THE CANYON FLOOR.

IT HAS BEEN EXPLORED, EXPLOITED,
AND EXALTED

AS ONE OF THE GREAT WONDERS
OF THE WORLD.

BUT IT'S NOT THE ONLY PLACE
TO ATTRACT ADVENTURE.

IN 1870, A 15-YEAR-OLD BOY
FROM KANSAS ATE HIS LUNCH

WHILE READING THE NEWSPAPER
IT WAS WRAPPED IN.

HE WAS CAPTIVATED BY A STORY
OF A MYSTERIOUS LAKE IN OREGON--

AND HE VOWED TO GO THERE
SOMEDAY.

15 YEARS LATER, HE JOURNEYED
WEST BY RAIL, THEN STAGECOACH.

HE WENT THE LAST 20 MILES
ON FOOT.

FINALLY, WILLIAM STEEL ARRIVED
AT CRATER LAKE.

ITS WATERS ARE NOTHING MORE
THAN RAIN AND SNOWMELT.

NO RIVERS LEAD IN OR OUT OF IT.

IT IS ONE OF THE CLEAREST LAKES
IN THE WORLD--

AND ONE OF THE DEEPEST,
AT ALMOST 2,000 FEET.

THE ALLURE OF CRATER LAKE
NEVER LET WILLIAM STEEL GO.

HE WORKED FOR 17 YEARS

TO PERSUADE HIS GOVERNMENT
TO PRESERVE IT.

BY 1902, IT WAS A NATIONAL PARK.

OTHER PARKS
IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

REVEAL DIFFERENT SIDES
OF NATURE--

AND DIFFERENT WAYS TO CREATE
AND MANAGE A PARK.

MOUNT RAINIER IS AN ACTIVE
VOLCANO IN WASHINGTON STATE.

IN THE 19th CENTURY,
LOCAL MOUNTAINEERING GROUPS,

NEWSPAPER EDITORS,
COLLEGE PROFESSORS

AND SEATTLE BUSINESSMEN

ALL VOICED SUPPORT
TO PROTECT IT.

IN 1899, IT BECAME
JUST THE FIFTH NATIONAL PARK.

NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK,
ALSO IN WASHINGTON,

HAD A LONGER, WINDIER ROAD.

IT WAS FIRST DESIGNATED
A FOREST RESERVE IN 1897,

BUT IT DIDN'T BECOME
A NATIONAL PARK UNTIL 1968.

IN BETWEEN WERE 70 YEARS

OF LOCAL AND CONGRESSIONAL
DEBATE OVER WHO WOULD BENEFIT

AND WHICH FEDERAL AGENCY
SHOULD MANAGE IT.

RARELY IS A PARK'S HISTORY

AS CLEAR AND SIMPLE
AS A MOUNTAIN STREAM.

DURING THE GOLD RUSH IN 1851,
A BAND OF ARMED MEN

CAME THROUGH YOSEMITE VALLEY
TO CHASE AWAY INDIANS.

THEY MAY HAVE BEEN READY
FOR A FIGHT,

BUT NOT READY FOR THE SIGHT.

♪

THE SCENERY OF YOSEMITE BROUGHT
ONE OF THOSE HORSEMEN TO TEARS.

THE EARLIEST WHITE VISITORS
WANDERED AND PHOTOGRAPHED

AND FLASHED OCCASIONAL
MOMENTS OF JOY.

Beasley: JUST IMAGINE, YOU KNOW,
COMING INTO THE PARK

AND SEEING HALF DOME
OR EL CAPITAN,

THESE ROCK FORMATIONS

THAT ARE LIKE NOTHING
YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE.

Narrator: THE LANDSCAPE
HAS LONG EVOKED WONDER

AND SPURRED SCIENTIFIC THEORIES.

FOR DECADES, SCIENTISTS THOUGHT
AN EARTHQUAKE HAD CREATED

THE STEEP VALLEYS OF YOSEMITE
IN A VIOLENT SPASM.

JOHN MUIR WAS
THE FIRST TO PROPOSE

THEY WERE CARVED MORE SLOWLY--
BY GLACIERS.

HIS THEORY PROVED CORRECT.

IN 1903,
HE CAMPED FOR THREE NIGHTS

WITH PRESIDENT TEDDY ROOSEVELT

AND BENT HIS EAR ABOUT
BETTER PRESERVING YOSEMITE.

ROOSEVELT AGREED,

TAKING A PATCHWORK
OF STATE AND FEDERAL LANDS

AND PROPOSING
ONE COHESIVE NATIONAL PARK.

BUT THERE WAS STILL NOT YET
A NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

SO WHO WAS PROTECTING
THESE PARKS?

Beasley: YOU KNOW, I THINK
IT WAS KIND OF A FREE-FOR-ALL.

IT WAS A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE

AND, YOU KNOW, VERY MUCH,
YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE WILD WEST.

Narrator: EARLY PARKS
WERE HARD TO POLICE.

PARK BOUNDARIES WERE INVISIBLE
IF NOT IGNORED.

THE IDEA OF PRESERVATION

DIDN'T ALWAYS TRICKLE DOWN
TO INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS.

SO THE GOVERNMENT
SENT THE CAVALRY--

UNITED STATES ARMY UNITS
ON HORSEBACK--

TO PROTECT WESTERN PARKS FROM
LOOTERS, POACHERS, AND SCAMMERS.

UPON ARRIVING AT YOSEMITE,
ONE SOLDIER WROTE:

"IT IS THE CAVALRYMAN'S
PARADISE--

FOOD AND DRINK
FOR HIS HORSE EVERYWHERE."

AMONG THOSE SENT WEST

WERE THE MILITARY'S FIRST
AFRICAN AMERICAN UNITS--

THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS.

Beasley: THERE WAS DISCOMFORT
AROUND THE IDEA

OF AFRICAN AMERICANS
POLICING WHITES.

Narrator: THE MILITARY SENT THEM
OUT TO WESTERN PARKS,

WHERE THERE WERE FEWER PEOPLE
TO POLICE.

Stanton: THE CONTINGENT
THAT WENT TO SEQUOIA

WAS HEADED UP
BY CAPTAIN CHARLES YOUNG.

Narrator: CAPTAIN YOUNG,

ONLY THE THIRD AFRICAN AMERICAN
TO GRADUATE FROM WEST POINT,

DID NOT SEEM TO MIND
THE ASSIGNMENT.

HE WROTE:
"A JOURNEY THROUGH THIS PARK

WILL CONVINCE EVEN
THE LEAST THOUGHTFUL MAN

OF THE NEEDFULNESS OF PRESERVING
THESE MOUNTAINS

JUST AS THEY ARE."

BUFFALO SOLDIERS BUILT
THE FIRST TRAIL

TO THE TOP OF MOUNT WHITNEY

AND EVICTED TIMBER THIEVES--

DESPITE BEING ISSUED
THE WORST HORSES

AND OLDEST EQUIPMENT.

IN A PROMOTION THAT WOULD BE
HARD TO IMAGINE BACK EAST,

CHARLES YOUNG WAS PUT IN CHARGE
OF SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK

AS ACTING SUPERINTENDENT.

BY 1906, THERE WERE
JUST SIX NATIONAL PARKS.

MOST WERE SIMPLY
BIG, GORGEOUS SPACES.

BUT THERE WAS A NEW MOVEMENT TO
SAVE SMALLER, HISTORIC PLACES.

THEY WERE CALLED
NATIONAL MONUMENTS,

AND THEY CHANGED THE COURSE
OF AMERICAN CONSERVATION.

Beasley: THAT WAS REALLY
THE FIRST FORMAL ATTEMPT

TO PRESERVE WHAT THEY MIGHT
HAVE CALLED AT THE TIME

"WORKS OF MAN."

Narrator: AT ANCIENT
NATIVE AMERICAN SITES

LIKE CHACO CANYON IN NEW MEXICO
AND MESA VERDE IN COLORADO,

POACHERS CALLED "POT-HUNTERS"

WERE STEALING CULTURAL TREASURES
TO SELL TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER.

SMITHSONIAN'S
JESSE WALTER FEWKES

WAS TRYING TO CATALOG
THE ANTIQUITIES

AS THEY WERE DISAPPEARING.

HE WROTE:
"IF THIS DESTRUCTION GOES ON,

THESE UNIQUE DWELLINGS
WILL BE PRACTICALLY DESTROYED."

IN 1906, CONGRESS PASSED A BILL
CALLED THE ANTIQUITIES ACT.

Beasley:
IT ALLOWED THE PRESIDENT

TO SET ASIDE NATIONAL MONUMENTS
BY EXECUTIVE ORDER

WITHOUT THE APPROVAL
OF CONGRESS.

Narrator:
ONE PRESIDENTIAL SIGNATURE

COULD NOW PROVIDE
INSTANT PROTECTION

FOR ANY, QUOTE, "HISTORIC
OR SCIENTIFIC INTEREST."

ARMED WITH THE LAW'S
VAGUE LANGUAGE,

PRESIDENT TEDDY ROOSEVELT
JUMPED RIGHT TO IT.

HE QUICKLY PROTECTED
CHACO CANYON AND MESA VERDE.

THEN HE ADDED DEVIL'S TOWER
IN WYOMING...

THE GRAND CANYON IN ARIZONA...

AND MOUNT OLYMPUS IN WASHINGTON,
AMONG OTHERS.

ROOSEVELT CREATED
18 NATIONAL MONUMENTS

IN LESS THAN THREE YEARS.

MANY WOULD LATER BECOME
NATIONAL PARKS.

ONE OF HIS SIGNATURES PROTECTED
A WEIRD, RUGGED PLACE

THAT LOOKS LIKE RUINS
ON ANOTHER PLANET.

NATIONAL PARKS
DON'T JUST PRESERVE GEOGRAPHY.

THEY INVITE DISCOVERY.

IN 1853, AN EXPEDITION
CAME THROUGH

WHAT LOOKED LIKE
A DESERT GRAVEYARD.

ONE WROTE IN HIS JOURNAL:

"PASSED TODAY IMMENSE MASSES
OF PETRIFIED WOOD.

WHOLE TREES,
WITH VERY LONG BASES,

LYING ON THE GROUND

IN A COMPLETE STATE
OF PETRIFICATION."

WHEN THESE TREES WERE ALIVE,

ARIZONA'S PETRIFIED FOREST
LOOKED A LOT DIFFERENT.

TO SEE IT AS IT WAS,
YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHERE TO DIG.

Kay Behrensmeyer:
IT LOOKS LIKE BADLANDS,

BUT FOR US IT'S GOOD LANDS.

IT'S A PLACE
WHERE WE CAN GO HUNTING

AND ACTUALLY FIND THINGS.

Narrator: KAY BEHRENSMEYER
IS A PALEOBIOLOGIST,

WHICH INCLUDES THE ART
OF FOSSIL HUNTING.

HER TEAM BROUGHT BLOCKS
OF ANCIENT STONE

FROM THE PETRIFIED FOREST

TO THE SMITHSONIAN'S MUSEUM
OF NATURAL HISTORY.

Behrensmeyer:
AND THEN IN THE FOSSIL LAB

UNDER A MICROSCOPE

THE VOLUNTEERS EXCAVATE
VERY, VERY SLOWLY

AROUND THESE TINY PIECES.

AND THEY FIND
ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT WAY

THAT WE COULD NEVER FIND

IF WE WERE JUST TRYING
TO DO THIS IN THE FIELD.

Narrator: IN A SERIES OF BLOCKS

THAT ADD UP
TO JUST ONE SQUARE METER,

THEY UNCOVERED
MORE THAN 900 FOSSILS--

EACH BELONGING TO AN ANIMAL

THAT LIVED IN A VASTLY DIFFERENT
LANDSCAPE.

Behrensmeyer:
200 MILLION YEARS AGO OR MORE

IT LOOKED LIKE A SWAMP
IN A FOREST.

THERE WERE VARIOUS KINDS
OF STRANGE PLANTS.

THERE WERE STRANGE ANIMALS
IN THE WATERWAYS.

Narrator: SO NATIONAL PARKS
DON'T JUST PROTECT SPACE,

BUT TIME.

Behrensmeyer: IT'S JUST
AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY

TO SEE THIS LONG VIEW.

IT'S DEEP TIME.

WE CAN SEE THE TRAJECTORY
OF THIS PLANET

AND OF LIFE ON THIS PLANET,

AND IT'S JUST A WONDERFUL,
WONDERFUL STORY.

Beasley: BY 1916, YOU DID HAVE

ALL THESE DIFFERENT
NATIONAL PARKS

THAT HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED
IN DIFFERENT PLACES

AND FOR DIFFERENT REASONS,

AND THEY WERE BEING MANAGED
IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

Narrator: FINALLY, 44 YEARS

AFTER THE GOVERNMENT CREATED
THE FIRST NATIONAL PARK,

IT CREATED
THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

NOW THERE WAS A CHANCE
FOR A COHERENT STRATEGY

OF HOW TO PROTECT THE PARKS
AND CONNECT THEM TO THE PUBLIC.

THAT STRATEGY IS STILL EVOLVING.

Martha Merson:
MOST VISITORS GO TO PARKS

AND ARE NOT AWARE AT ALL

OF THE ACTIVE SCIENCE
THAT'S GOING ON.

Louise Allen:
THERE'S SORT OF BEEN THIS GAP,

AND IT'S REALLY NEAT TO SEE
SORT OF THOSE LIGHT BULB MOMENTS

WHEN THE PARK VISITORS
GET EXCITED

ABOUT SEEING THEIR PUBLIC LANDS
AS LIKE A LABORATORY.

Narrator: LOUISE ALLEN
AND HER HUSBAND NICKOLAY HRISTOV

ARE BIOLOGISTS
WHO SPEND A LOT OF TIME

IN THE DARK EXPANSES OF
NEW MEXICO'S CARLSBAD CAVERNS.

Nickolay Hristov:
CARLSBAD IS MASSIVE.

IT'S, IT'S ENORMOUS.

CARLSBAD DOESN'T DISAPPOINT.

Narrator: THEY HAVE DEVELOPED
A WAY TO SEE THE UNSEEN--

THOUGH AT FIRST THE PROCESS
SEEMS VERY LOW TECH.

Allen: THEY LOOK LIKE SPUTNIKS,
LITTLE FOAM SPHERES

WITH LITTLE BARBECUE SKEWERS
STUCK INTO THEM.

Ranger: AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO

IS PUT THEM AT DIFFERENT
SECTIONS OF THE CAVE,

AND THEN WHEN WE DO
THE SCANNING,

THE SCANNER
WILL PICK UP THE BALLS,

EVERY TIME IT TOUCHES,
IT REFLECTS THE LIGHT.

Allen: I'M SCANNER TWO...

Narrator: WITH LASER SCANNERS
AND REFERENCE SPHERES,

THEY LIGHT UP THE DARK.

MANY OF THE CAVERNS
HAVE YET TO BE EXPLORED,

AND FEWER STILL
HAVE BEEN MAPPED IN 3D.

Hristov: WE SIMPLY HAVE
NEVER ILLUMINATED THESE SPACES

IN THE WAY THAT THE LASER
CAN DO IT.

Allen: AND YOU CAN LOOK
AT THE VOLUME OF THAT SPACE,

YOU CAN DO CROSS SECTIONS,

YOU CAN DO PRETTY MUCH
ANY MEASURES THAT YOU WANT.

Hristov: IT'S ACCURATE
TO MILLIMETERS.

Narrator: THE CARLSBAD CAVERNS

ARE A WORLD-FAMOUS HOME
FOR BATS.

FOR YEARS NICK AND LOUISE
HAVE STUDIED THEM

AND SEEN A REVERSAL
OF THEIR REPUTATION.

Hristov:
THEY TURNED FROM THESE CREEPY,
SCARY, BLOOD-SUCKING CREATURES

INTO THESE REALLY MYSTIC
AND ATTRACTIVE

AND ENDLESSLY INTERESTING
CREATURES.

Narrator: NOW THAT PEOPLE
ARE MORE CURIOUS ABOUT BATS,

THEY'RE MORE CURIOUS
ABOUT BAT SCIENCE.

Hristov: NIGHT AFTER NIGHT
I WOULD SET UP THESE COMPUTERS

WITH BIG COLORFUL SCREENS AND
LIVE THERMAL IMAGES OF THE BATS.

Allen: EVERY NIGHT WE'D HAVE
A GOOD LINE OF PEOPLE

ASKING US WHAT'S GOING ON.

Narrator: NICK AND LOUISE
SAW AN OPPORTUNITY

TO MAKE NEW CONNECTIONS
BETWEEN THE PARK AND THE PUBLIC.

Merson: THERE WAS REALLY A NEED
TO BRING THE PARK RANGERS

UP TO DATE
ON THE CURRENT SCIENCE.

Narrator: SO THEY STARTED
A PROGRAM CALLED iSWOOP,

WHICH STANDS FOR
INTERPRETERS AND SCIENTISTS

WORKING ON OUR PARKS.

RANGERS GET CLOSER
TO THE CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH

AND MAKE IT PART
OF THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE.

INSTEAD OF OUTDATED
TALKING POINTS,

RANGERS CAN BRING UP
THE OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

OF SCIENCE IN PROGRESS--

LESS LECTURE, MORE DISCUSSION.

IT'S A FAR CRY FROM THE SCRIPTED
RANGER TALKS OF YESTERYEAR.

Merson: YOU CAN WALK
INTO A NATIONAL PARK,

AND YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE
OF SOMEBODY'S EXPERIMENT.

THERE'S ACTIVE SCIENCE GOING ON
IN ALMOST EVERY PARK.

AND IT'S PRETTY EXCITING.

[FILM PROJECTOR RUNNING]

Film narrator:
THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

HAS SET UP LONG-RANGE PLANS

FOR THE PRESERVATION
AND ENJOYMENT OF THE PARKS,

AND THE COMING
OF THE CONSERVATION CORPS

PUT THESE PLANS INTO ACTION.

Narrator: IN THE 1930s,

THE GREAT DEPRESSION
PUT MILLIONS OUT OF WORK.

IN RESPONSE, THE GOVERNMENT
EMPLOYED THOUSANDS OF MEN

IN THE CIVILIAN
CONSERVATION CORPS.

THEY WORKED
ON INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
INCLUDING NATIONAL PARKS.

Stanton: THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK
THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE

AND COULD BE DONE
ON PUBLIC LANDS.

Narrator: THEY WERE PAID
AROUND $30 A MONTH,

BUT THE GOVERNMENT REQUIRED THEM
TO SEND MOST OF IT BACK HOME

TO KEEP LOCAL ECONOMIES AFLOAT.

Beasley: MANY OF THE ROADS
AND TRAILS AND CAMPGROUNDS

AND OTHER FACILITIES
THAT PEOPLE ARE USING

IN NATIONAL PARKS TODAY

WERE BUILT BY THE CCC.

THAT TRULY TRANSFORMED
THE NATIONAL PARK EXPERIENCE.

Narrator:
IN VIRGINIA'S SHENANDOAH,

THEY HELPED GIVE SKYLINE DRIVE
BETTER VIEWS

AND CUT SECTIONS
OF THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL.

THEY CRISSCROSSED THE DESOLATE
LANDSCAPE OF DEATH VALLEY

TO RUN TELEPHONE LINES,
BUILD CAMPGROUNDS,

AND MAKE TRAILS.

IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK,
THEY FOUGHT FIRES,

CLEARED CAMPSITES,
AND GRADED ROADS.

♪

THE MEN OF THE CCC
ENDURED ARMY-LIKE CONDITIONS--

GOVERNMENT-ISSUED UNIFORMS...

CROWDED CAMP LIVING...

AND BAD GRUB.

BUT THE TRADEOFF WAS THE PRIDE
OF A HARD DAY'S WORK

AND HAVING THEIR EYES OPENED

TO THE WONDERS
OF THEIR OWN COUNTRY.

MANY HAD NEVER BEEN
AWAY FROM HOME

OR SPENT ANY TIME
IN THE WILDERNESS.

THE EXPERIENCE PUT
MANY AMERICANS IN TOUCH

WITH THEIR NATIONAL PARKS
FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

♪

THE CCC WAS NOT THE ONLY STAMP

THAT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT LEFT
ON THE PARK SERVICE.

Beasley: WHAT FDR DID
WAS BRING TOGETHER PARKS

THAT WERE BEING MANAGED
BY OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES

INTO THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.

Narrator: THE PARK SERVICE
WAS NOW IN CHARGE

OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY,

THE NATIONAL MALL
IN WASHINGTON, D.C.,

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S BIRTHPLACE
IN KENTUCKY,

AND MOUNT RUSHMORE
IN SOUTH DAKOTA,

AMONG MANY OTHERS.

PRESERVATION
WAS BEGINNING TO PIVOT

FROM WILD AND NATURAL
TO MANMADE AND HISTORIC.

IN 1938, THESE ISLANDS
WERE SET ASIDE

NOT JUST FOR THEIR BEAUTY,

BUT THEIR REMARKABLE STORY
OF HUMAN INGENUITY.

NESTLED OFF THE COAST
OF CALIFORNIA,

CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK

IS ONE OF THE MOST ISOLATED

SITES IN THE PARK SYSTEM.

THEY SEEM REMOTE,
BUT THEY TURN OUT TO BE

A BUSY INTERSECTION
OF HUMAN HISTORY

AND NATURAL EVOLUTION.

Torben Rick: THERE'S REALLY
NO PLACE I CAN THINK OF ON EARTH

THAT'S QUITE LIKE THEM.

YOU KNOW, WE OFTEN CALL THEM
THE NORTH AMERICAN GALAPAGOS.

THEY'RE THAT SPECIAL.

Narrator: SURROUNDING SEAS
ACT AS A BARRIER

TO GIVE THE ISLANDS
A UNIQUE STORY.

LIKE THE GALAPAGOS,
THE CHANNEL ISLANDS

ARE A GRAND EXPERIMENT
IN LOCAL EVOLUTION.

ANIMALS LIKE THE ISLAND FOX
AND THE SCRUB-JAY

ARE ONLY FOUND HERE.

DESPITE LOW FOOT TRAFFIC
BY MODERN VISITORS,

THESE ISLANDS
HAVE A LONG HUMAN HISTORY--

SURPRISINGLY, LONGER THAN ANY
OTHER COAST ON THE CONTINENT.

Rick: NATIVE AMERICANS,

THE CHUMASH
AND THE TONGVA PEOPLE

WHO LIVED
ON THE CHANNEL ISLANDS,

THEY WERE VERY MUCH
COASTALLY FOCUSED

AND MARITIME-FOCUSED PEOPLE.

Narrator: THEY WERE ALSO
A PIONEERING PEOPLE.

EXCAVATIONS REVEAL
A STARTLING THEORY--

THEY WERE THE FIRST SEAFARING
CULTURE IN THE AMERICAS,

DATING BACK 13,000 YEARS.

SHELL BEADS.

ABALONE.

SMALL STONE SPEARS AND HOOKS.

THESE ARE JUST SOME
OF THE ARTIFACTS

USED BY THE EARLY PEOPLE
OF THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.

FROM DEEP WITHIN
THE SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES,

TORBEN RICK CONTINUES
TO PIECE TOGETHER

THIS CULTURAL PUZZLE.

ONE REVEALING ARTIFACT
IS A MINIATURE CANOE.

Rick: WE INTERPRET THESE
AS BEING EITHER TOYS

OR WHAT WE CALL HEURISTIC
OR LEARNING DEVICES, YOU KNOW,

SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THESE

TEACHING PEOPLE
ABOUT THEIR CULTURE,

ABOUT WHO THEY ARE,

ABOUT IMPORTANT PARTS
OF THEIR LIFE.

AND THIS PREPARES THEM THEN

TO BE MAKING
THEIR OWN BOATS MAYBE,

OR GOING OUT IN THOSE BOATS

FOR FISHING OR TRADE
OR EXCHANGE.

Narrator: THESE ARTIFACTS
SIGNIFY A COMMUNITY

THAT HAD LONG-DISTANCE
TRANSPORTATION...

A BARTERING SYSTEM...

EVEN ART.

NOW THE NATIONAL PARKS
PROVIDE A PLACE TO DISCOVER

THESE AND OTHER
ANCIENT AND DIVERSE CULTURES.

[DRUMMING AND SINGING]

BUT THE PARK SERVICE
HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN

SO CULTURALLY SENSITIVE.

FOR DECADES, THEY SHARED

AMERICA'S STRUGGLE
WITH STEREOTYPES.

Stanton: AFRICAN AMERICANS
IN PARTICULAR,

AND I THINK OTHER MINORITIES
AS WELL,

WERE PRESENTED,
IN MANY INSTANCES,

IN LESS THAN A HUMAN WAY.

Beasley:
AND IT DOES MAKE YOU CRINGE

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT TODAY.

Narrator: INTERPRETING
THE HISTORY OF DIFFERENT PEOPLES

IS CENTRAL TO THE MODERN MISSION
OF THE PARK SERVICE.

AMERICA IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST
CULTURAL INTERSECTIONS

ON THE PLANET.

MANY SITES REVEAL
THE SURPRISINGLY GLOBAL HISTORY

OF THE COUNTRY.

FLORIDA WAS PART
OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE

WHEN CONSTRUCTION BEGAN ON
CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS IN 1672.

IT'S THE OLDEST MASONRY FORT
IN THE CONTINENTAL U.S.

AS LATE AS THE 19th CENTURY,

PARTS OF ALASKA
WERE COLONIES OF RUSSIA.

THIS HOUSE IN SITKA
ONCE HOUSED THE BISHOP

ASSIGNED TO SPREAD
THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX FAITH

AMONG ALASKA NATIVES.

IN NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA,
THIS QUIET LAKESIDE FORT

WAS ONCE A BUSTLING
18th CENTURY COMMERCIAL HUB

FOR EUROPEANS, FRENCH CANADIANS,
AND LOCAL OJIBWE.

BEAVER PELTS
FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

MADE IT ALL THE WAY
BACK TO MOSCOW.

BUT THERE ARE ALSO
HISTORIC SITES

THAT COMMEMORATE DIFFICULT
CHAPTERS OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

Beasley:
PARKS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED

THAT ARE REFLECTING SOME
OF OUR MORE SHAMEFUL MOMENTS

IN OUR HISTORY--

JAPANESE INTERNMENT,
FOR EXAMPLE, OR SLAVERY.

Stanton: THE PARK SERVICE
HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY

TO RESEARCH, PRESERVE
AND INTERPRET HISTORY

WHERE HISTORY OCCURRED.

Beasley: AND IT IS IMPORTANT
THAT WE,

AS THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE,

REFLECT THE FULL RANGE
OF HUMAN EXPERIENCES.

[FILM PROJECTOR RUNNING]

Film narrator: NATIONAL PARKS
HAVE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES.

THEY'RE MAKING
AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION

TO THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS
OF MILLIONS NOW LIVING

AND STILL MORE MILLIONS
OF THE FUTURE.

Narrator: AFTER WORLD WAR TWO,

AMERICANS COULD
COLLECTIVELY EXHALE.

WITH GOOD JOBS, SPARE TIME,
AND NEW CARS, THEY HIT THE ROAD.

Stanton: SO WITH THE ADVENT
OF THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM,

VISITORS TO THE NATIONAL PARKS
INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY.

Narrator: IN FACT,
VISITOR NUMBERS DOUBLED

IN JUST FIVE YEARS.

98% OF THEM ARRIVED BY CAR.

EVEN THE IMPROVEMENTS MADE
BY THE CCC

WERE NOT ENOUGH TO SUPPORT
THE AVALANCHE OF NEW VISITORS.

Beasley:
WHERE THERE WASN'T A ROAD,

PEOPLE WERE MAKING A ROAD.

Narrator: "THE PEOPLE,"
SAID ONE PARK OFFICIAL,

"ARE WEARING OUT THE SCENERY."

AND SO BEGAN A MISSION
TO MAKE UPGRADES

IN TIME FOR THE PARK SERVICE'S
50th ANNIVERSARY IN 1966.

IT WAS CALLED "MISSION 66."

Beasley: IT WAS AN EFFORT
TO REALLY IMPROVE

THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE IN PARKS.

Narrator:
ONE IDEA TO CONTROL CROWDS

WAS TO CENTRALIZE THEIR ARRIVAL

AND EDUCATE THEM ON WHAT THEY
SHOULD AND SHOULDN'T DO.

THE VISITOR CENTER WAS BORN.

BY THE TIME THE PARK SERVICE
TURNED 50,

THE PARKS HAD UNDERGONE
QUITE A FACELIFT.

NATIONAL PARKS
WERE NOW AT THE TOP

OF MANY FAMILIES'
SUMMER VACATION PLANS.

ARMED WITH STATION WAGONS
AND MOVIE CAMERAS,

AMERICANS GOBBLED IT UP.

Beasley:
I WAS DEFINITELY THAT KID.

THAT'S WHAT WE DID AS A FAMILY
WAS VISIT NATIONAL PARKS.

THESE WERE SUCH SPECIAL PLACES,

AND THOSE THOSE MEMORIES
REALLY STICK WITH ME TODAY.

♪

Narrator: IN THE 1960s,

AMERICA'S POLLUTION PROBLEM
GAINED NATIONAL ATTENTION.

WATER POLLUTION WAS
ESPECIALLY EASY TO SEE...

AND SMELL.

IN A BURST OF ACTION,

THE GOVERNMENT TRIED TO PRESERVE
SEA AND LAKE SHORES.

SOME THOUGHT IT WISE;
OTHERS THOUGHT IT INTRUSIVE.

MANY SHORELINES WERE ALREADY
PRIVATELY OWNED.

Beasley: THESE AREAS
WERE ALREADY INHABITED

WITH ESTABLISHED CITIES AND
TOWNS AND PEOPLE LIVING THERE.

Narrator: SO THE GOVERNMENT
TRIED TO BUY THEM OUT

AND TURN MOSTLY PRIVATE LAND
INTO PUBLIC.

THE FIRST EXAMPLE--
CAPE COD IN MASSACHUSETTS.

RAUCOUS LOCAL DEBATES
DELAYED THE EFFORT.

BUT BY 1961,

CONGRESS HAD CREATED
THE CAPE COD NATIONAL SEASHORE.

IN THE NEXT DECADE,
THE TREND CONTINUED,

BOTH ON THE EAST COAST
AND THE WEST COAST.

BUT THE GREAT LAKES
RIVAL ANY SEA.

IN THE 1960s, CONSERVATIONISTS
NICKNAMED THEIR SHORES

"THE THIRD COAST."

THE APOSTLE ISLANDS
IN LAKE SUPERIOR

INCLUDE 21 ISLANDS,
MANY WITH A HISTORIC LIGHTHOUSE.

IN MICHIGAN, SLEEPING BEAR DUNES
WAS CREATED

ONLY AFTER ANOTHER BATTLE
WITH LOCALS

OVER TURNING PRIVATE LAND
INTO PUBLIC.

COASTAL PARKS DO HAVE
RESTRICTIONS FOR PEOPLE.

BUT THEY ALSO CREATE HABITAT
FOR ANIMALS.

AFTER MORE THAN 60 DAYS
UNDER THE SAND,

A NEW HATCHLING INSTINCTIVELY
RUSHES TOWARD THE SEA--

ITS VERY FIRST RACE--
WITH ITS LIFE AT STAKE.

PREDATORS ARE NEVER FAR.

IF THE BABY LOGGERHEAD TURTLE

MAKES IT THROUGH
ITS FIRST FEW MINUTES,

IT COULD HAVE
A LONG LIFE AHEAD--

MORE THAN 50 YEARS.

FUTURE GENERATIONS--
BOTH REPTILE AND HUMAN--

COULD BENEFIT
FROM THE PRESERVATION

OF THE GULF ISLANDS
OF MISSISSIPPI AND FLORIDA.

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL

FOR THE PARK SERVICE.

FOR DECADES, IT ALLOWED PEOPLE
TO APPROACH AND FEED BEARS.

RANGERS EVEN ENCOURAGED IT.

Beasley: THEY USED TO
PUT OUT BAIT, YOU KNOW,

IN YELLOWSTONE AND PLACES
TO ATTRACT THE BEARS,

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE
WANTED TO SEE.

Narrator: THEY ALLOWED GARBAGE
DUMPS TO BECOME BEAR BAIT--

EVEN SETTING UP BLEACHERS
FOR PEOPLE TO WATCH.

IT BROUGHT IN THE CROWDS,
BUT RUINED THE BEARS.

THEY BECAME DUMPSTER DIVERS
AND CAMP INVADERS.

IN YELLOWSTONE ALONE, BEARS
INJURED ALMOST 50 PEOPLE A YEAR.

IN 1970,
THE PARKS REVERSED COURSE,

TRYING TO RETURN BEARS
TO THEIR NATURAL HABITS.

THEY PROHIBITED FEEDING,
CLEANED UP THE DUMPS,

AND INSTALLED
BEAR-PROOF GARBAGE CANS.

IN TIME, ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN
PEOPLE AND BEARS PLUMMETED.

[BEAR GROANING]

POLICY CHANGES ALSO SPELLED
THE END OF A QUESTIONABLE CUSTOM

THAT USED TO DAZZLE CROWDS
IN YOSEMITE VALLEY.

ON SUMMER NIGHTS, THERE WAS
A HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD TRADITION

TO BUILD A BONFIRE
AT THE TOP OF GLACIER POINT.

THEN AT 9 P.M. SHARP,
IT WAS PUSHED OVER THE EDGE,

CREATING A SPECTACULAR FIREFALL

THAT PLUNGED OVER A HALF MILE
TO THE VALLEY FLOOR.

Beasley: IT MUST HAVE BEEN

A VISUALLY STUNNING THING
TO WATCH,

BUT ALSO A REALLY BAD IDEA.

Narrator: IN 1968,
THIS SPECTACLE DIDN'T FIT

THE PARK SERVICE'S
EVOLVING MINDSET.

DIRECTOR GEORGE HARTZOG
FINALLY PUT A STOP TO IT.

HE SAID: "IT WAS
ABOUT AS APPROPRIATE

FOR THE SILENT TRANQUILITY
AND BEAUTY OF THAT GREAT VALLEY

AS HORNS ON A RABBIT."

YOSEMITE, ALONG WITH OTHER
NATIONAL PARKS,

WAS REFLECTING
AMERICA'S EVOLUTION.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT
OF THE 1960s

SEEMED TO VINDICATE
THE PRESERVATION IDEAL

THAT BEGAN A CENTURY EARLIER.

MORE PEOPLE WERE VISITING PARKS
THAN EVER BEFORE.

BUT IN ONE CASE,
THEY WOULDN'T LEAVE.

IN THE SUMMER OF 1970,
ONE MEADOW IN YOSEMITE

BECAME A HUB
FOR THE COUNTER CULTURE.

GETTING BACK TO NATURE
WAS NOW IN VOGUE.

BUT THEY WERE NOT
JUST PASSING THROUGH.

THEY STAYED, CAMPED
WITHOUT PERMITS, AND PARTIED.

THE MEADOW DID NOT LOOK
SO NATURAL ANYMORE.

RANGERS DEBATED THE SITUATION
WITH THE STUDENTS.

Man: YOU LOOK OUT HERE,
IT'S BECOME A LAWN.

NATIONAL PARKS ARE NOT SET ASIDE
TO BE BIG RUSTIC FUN FARMS.

NOW IT'S AN ECOLOGICAL
STRETCHER CASE.

Narrator: THE PARK SERVICE
TRIED TO FIND THE LINE

BETWEEN USE AND ABUSE--

BETWEEN ENJOYMENT BY THE PUBLIC
AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES.

Man: WHY WOULD YOU WANT
A CONFRONTATION IN THE MEADOW?

Narrator: ON JULY 4th,
PARK OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED

THEY WERE GOING TO CLEAR
THE MEADOW.

[CHEERING]

Man: YOU CAN HEAR THE REACTION
OF THE CROWD.

Man: THIS MEADOW IS TO BE
CLEARED AT 7 O'CLOCK...

BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE QUANTITIES

OF LITTER, NOISE, ET CETERA.

Narrator: LIKE MANY OTHER SCENES
FROM THE 1960s,

IT SOON GOT UGLY.

Man: GET THIS ACTION, MAN.

THEY'RE WRECKING PEOPLE.

THE HORSE RAN OVER SOMEONE,
KNOCKED DOWN.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE HURT,

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HURT,
THERE ARE CLUBS AND STICKS.

IT'S NOW A WHOLESALE RIOT.

THE MACE IS BURNING IN MY EYES.

IT'S BURNING
IN EVERYBODY'S EYES.

Narrator: THE PARK SERVICE
LEARNED A LESSON THAT DAY--

AND APPLIED IT TO THE FUTURE.

Beasley: THE STUFF THAT WENT ON
IN THE MEADOWS IN YOSEMITE

WAS WHAT LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT

OF THE PARK SERVICE
LAW ENFORCEMENT RANGER.

Narrator: LATER IN THE 1970s,

THE BATTLE BETWEEN PUBLIC LANDS
AND PRIVATE RIGHTS MOVED NORTH.

ALASKA BECAME GROUND ZERO.

ALASKA IS ON A SCALE
ALL ITS OWN.

SOME SAY IT ALSO HAS
A MINDSET OF ITS OWN.

IN 1978 JIMMY CARTER
USED THE ANTIQUITIES ACT

TO TRY TO CREATE 17 NEW
NATIONAL MONUMENTS IN ALASKA.

Beasley: I DON'T THINK
IT WENT OVER VERY WELL.

I THINK THERE WAS GREAT CONCERN
ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANT.

Narrator:
ALASKANS, WHO HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
FIERCELY INDEPENDENT,

CHALLENGED THE MOVE.

MANY CONSIDERED IT
FEDERAL OVERREACH--

A THREAT TO THEIR WAY OF LIFE.

THE LEGAL DUST SETTLED BY 1980.

CARTER'S MOVE STOOD,

WITH A UNIQUE COMPROMISE
ON HOW THE LANDS COULD BE USED.

Beasley: IT DID MAKE PROVISION
FOR HUNTING

AND SUBSISTENCE AND FISHING

THAT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWABLE
IN THE LOWER 48.

Narrator: THE LEGISLATION TURNED
MORE THAN 73,000 SQUARE MILES

INTO PUBLIC LAND--

VIRTUALLY DOUBLING THE SIZE
OF PARK SERVICE PROPERTIES.

IT WAS THE SINGLE LARGEST STROKE
OF CONSERVATION

IN WORLD HISTORY.

MOUNT McKINLEY NATIONAL PARK

OFFICIALLY REVERTED BACK
TO ITS NATIVE ALASKAN NAME--

DENALI, MEANING
"THE GREAT ONE"--

AND THE PARK SERVICE LAND
AROUND IT TRIPLED.

BUT IT STILL DOESN'T
APPROACH THE SIZE

OF THE BIGGEST NATIONAL PARK
OF THEM ALL.

Lynn Ellis:
WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID

MY DAD TOOK ME
ON MY FIRST AIRPLANE RIDE.

I WAS PROBABLY, WHAT,
7 YEARS OLD MAYBE?

AND I NEVER HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT.

Narrator: LYNN ELLIS IS
A SECOND GENERATION BUSH PILOT

IN WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS
NATIONAL PARK.

HE FLIES
SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSIONS,

SHUTTLES RANGERS IN AND OUT,
AND CONDUCTS WILDLIFE SURVEYS.

Ellis: SO MUCH FREEDOM HERE
AND SO MUCH BEAUTY.

AND IT NEVER GETS OLD.

IT'S JUST AWESOME.

Narrator: SPREADING OVER
AN ENTIRE CORNER OF ALASKA,

WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS
IS BEYOND BIG.

IT'S THE SIZE OF YOSEMITE,
YELLOWSTONE, AND SWITZERLAND...

COMBINED.

JUST ONE OF ITS GLACIERS

WOULD EASILY COVER
THE ENTIRETY OF DELAWARE.

FOR VISITORS, IT'S A TASTE
OF UNSPOILED WILDERNESS.

HOWEVER, THERE AREN'T
THAT MANY VISITORS.

WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS
IS ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE PARKS

IN THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.

ONLY ABOUT 75,000 PEOPLE
MAKE THE TREK EACH YEAR.

BUT MILLIONS OF AMERICANS COME
TO THIS PARK EVERY YEAR.

IT'S HIDDEN INSIDE
AMERICA'S BIGGEST CITY.

Neil Allicock:
WHEN I SAY THAT I'M WORKING
IN A NATIONAL PARK,

THEY'RE LIKE WHERE, LIKE,
HOW DO YOU GET THERE?

I'M LIKE I TAKE THE 2 TRAIN.

I WORK IN BROOKLYN,

THERE'S A NATIONAL PARK
RIGHT HERE.

Narrator: GATEWAY IS A PATCHWORK

OF GREEN SPACES AND SHORELINES

IN GREATER NEW YORK CITY--

A PLACE NOT OFTEN ASSOCIATED

WITH PEACE AND QUIET.

Sheridan Roberts:
GATEWAY IS A BIT OFF THE GRID

FOR MOST NEW YORKERS.

WE TEND TO LIVE AND WALK
ON SOLID GROUND,

ON CONCRETE, ON SIDEWALKS.

WE FOLLOW SORT OF GRIDLIKE
PATTERNS MOST DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

AND GATEWAY REALLY HAS
THAT KIND OF OUTBACK FEEL.

♪

Allicock: EVERYTHING IS STILL.

YOU JUST FEEL THE BREEZE,
YOU SEE THE TREES,

YOU SEE, LIKE, THE BUTTERFLIES
AND BIRDS FLYING AROUND,

BUT THERE AREN'T,
LIKE, CARS HONKING

AND THE SUBWAY SCREECHING,

SO FOR ME, IT'S LIKE A PLACE
WHERE YOU CAN BREATHE.

Narrator: NEIL IS ONE OF THE
MANY YOUNG INTERNS AT GATEWAY.

Allicock: WE HAVE PEOPLE
FROM, LIKE, INDIA AND RUSSIA,

MYSELF FROM GUYANA, ECUADOR,
ALL OVER THE WORLD.

Roberts: THE MISSION WAS REALLY

TO BRING THE NATIONAL PARK
EXPERIENCE CLOSER

FOR PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T
NECESSARILY TRAVEL.

I THINK FOR SOME PEOPLE,

ESPECIALLY NEWCOMERS
TO THIS COUNTRY,

THE IDEA OF GOING AND
SLEEPING OUT UNDER THE TREES

IS STRETCHING THE COMFORT ZONE
A LITTLE BIT.

Narrator: THE PARK SERVICE
IS TRYING TO SERVE

A BROADER CROSS SECTION
OF AMERICANS THAN EVER BEFORE.

Roberts: GATEWAY IS MEANT TO BE
AN INTRODUCTION, AN ENTREE

INTO THE NATIONAL PARK
EXPERIENCE.

Narrator: SMALL PARKS
CLOSE TO BIG CITIES

MAY BE A NEW FOCUS
OF THE PARK SERVICE.

BUT THERE'S STILL ROOM IN THEIR
PORTFOLIO FOR BIG LANDSCAPES.

RIGHT OUTSIDE THE NEON GLOW
OF LAS VEGAS

LIES A BRAND NEW PARK.

TULE SPRINGS FOSSIL BEDS
NATIONAL MONUMENT

WAS CREATED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA
IN 2014.

Jon Burpee:
SO WE'RE AT THE EDGE OF A CITY

THAT HAS 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE.

JUST 30 MINUTES FROM
THE CRAZINESS OF LAS VEGAS

IS A PLACE
THAT YOU CAN ALMOST FEEL

LIKE YOU'RE A LONG WAYS AWAY
FROM LAS VEGAS.

Narrator: JON BURPEE
IS THE SUPERINTENDENT.

FOR NOW, HE'S THE ONLY EMPLOYEE.

HE OVERSEES
MORE THAN 35 SQUARE MILES.

MOST OF IT IS CLASSIC DESERT.

BUT TUCKED INTO THIS LANDSCAPE
ARE WASHES

THAT ARE LIKE TIME TUNNELS
BACK TO THE LAST TWO ICE AGES.

Joshua Bonde: THESE REPRESENT
DISCRETE MOMENTS

IN EARTH'S PAST.

AND SO BEING ABLE
TO INTERPRET THESE,

THIS IS LOOKING AT THE HISTORY
OF ONE SPOT THROUGH TIME.

Narrator: LOCALS CAN STILL HIKE
IN TULE SPRINGS,

BUT MORE DESTRUCTIVE ACTIVITY
IS BANNED.

THAT'S BECAUSE RIGHT WHERE KIDS
USED TO RIDE DIRT BIKES

ARE FOSSILS THAT COULD END UP
IN THEIR TEXTBOOKS.

Bonde: THE ROCK STARS OUT HERE,
AS FAR AS THE FOSSILS GO,

ARE THE COLUMBIAN MAMMOTHS.

USUALLY EVERY SINGLE TIME
WE'RE OUT HERE

WE FIND SOME BITS AND PIECES
OF THESE ANIMALS

WHICH WOULD HAVE STOOD

18 FOOT TALL AT THE SHOULDER
AT THE MOST.

THE RECORD TUSK
IS ABOUT 18 FEET LONG.

Narrator: TULE SPRINGS
IS WRITING NEW CHAPTERS

OF NEVADA'S SURPRISING PAST--

WHICH WAS MORE WILD
AND MORE WET.

Bonde: DURING THE LAST ICE AGE

WE WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN
SITTING UNDERWATER RIGHT NOW.

SO THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN
ONE OF THESE ACTIVE SPRINGS.

THE WHOLE STORY
OF TULE SPRINGS UNFOLDS.

Narrator:
THE STORY OF TULE SPRINGS
WILL CONTINUE TO UNFOLD.

Burpee: WE DON'T HAVE
A VISITOR CENTER YET,

WE DON'T HAVE MARKED TRAILS.

ALL THAT WILL COME
IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

BUT WHAT YOU HAVE
IS A NATIONAL PARK

THAT'S JUST BEEN BORN.

Beasley:
WE'RE IN THE PERPETUITY BUSINESS

IN THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

THAT'S WHAT WE DO.

PARKS LIKE TULE SPRINGS
ARE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US

TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE GET IT RIGHT.

Narrator:
100 YEARS OF LESSONS LEARNED.

400 SITES AND GROWING.

THE PARK SERVICE HAS
A BUSY CENTURY AHEAD.

WHAT WILL TULE SPRINGS BECOME?

WHAT WILL
THE NATIONAL PARKS BECOME?

WHAT STORIES WILL THEY TELL?

Behrensmeyer: THEY'RE RESERVES
FOR THE IMAGINATION.

AND THEY'RE PLACES
WHERE EVERYONE CAN FEEL

THAT THEY ARE EXPLORERS.

Stanton: NATIONAL PARKS
ARE PLACES TO TEACH US

HOW WE RESPECT EACH OTHER.

Beasley:
THE NATIONAL PARKS ARE US--

YOU, ME--THEY'RE US.