1 00:00:08,031 --> 00:00:10,751 In 1903, the President of the United States 2 00:00:10,751 --> 00:00:15,068 took a three-day camping trip in California’s Yosemite Valley. 3 00:00:15,068 --> 00:00:19,792 President Theodore Roosevelt slept in a grove of towering Sequoia trees, 4 00:00:19,792 --> 00:00:23,322 camped in a snowstorm, and spent hours talking around the campfire 5 00:00:23,322 --> 00:00:27,280 with his host and guide, conservationist John Muir. 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,930 Roosevelt famously loved the outdoors, 7 00:00:29,930 --> 00:00:33,340 but Muir had invited him there for more than just camping: 8 00:00:33,340 --> 00:00:35,680 Yosemite was in danger. 9 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:39,520 Though Yosemite became protected land in 1864, 10 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,260 the valley was still at risk for overdevelopment in 1903. 11 00:00:43,260 --> 00:00:46,340 It was at the heart of a decades-old struggle to set aside land 12 00:00:46,340 --> 00:00:49,250 for both preservation and public use— 13 00:00:49,250 --> 00:00:52,770 two goals that were much easier said than done. 14 00:00:52,770 --> 00:00:57,378 The battle over Yosemite began with the 1849 gold rush, 15 00:00:57,378 --> 00:01:02,365 when miners surged west, seeking gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills. 16 00:01:02,365 --> 00:01:05,415 In 1851, a state-sanctioned militia, 17 00:01:05,415 --> 00:01:09,248 drove the Ahwahneechee tribe from Yosemite Valley. 18 00:01:09,248 --> 00:01:13,168 Those who managed to return witnessed white settlers claiming the land, 19 00:01:13,168 --> 00:01:17,708 felling giant sequoias, and building hotels and saloons. 20 00:01:17,708 --> 00:01:20,891 In response, a small group of concerned Californians 21 00:01:20,891 --> 00:01:25,681 lobbied senator John Conness to protect the valley from private interests. 22 00:01:25,681 --> 00:01:29,391 In 1864, Congress passed Conness’ bill, 23 00:01:29,391 --> 00:01:33,008 granting the Yosemite Valley to the State of California, 24 00:01:33,008 --> 00:01:37,713 marking the first time the U.S. government brought land under public protection. 25 00:01:37,713 --> 00:01:40,813 But the management of that land remained an open question, 26 00:01:40,813 --> 00:01:42,920 one that would only become more complicated 27 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,890 as more lands came under similar protection. 28 00:01:46,890 --> 00:01:49,690 Seven years later, geologist Ferdinand Hayden 29 00:01:49,690 --> 00:01:52,520 led an expedition to the Yellowstone Plateau, 30 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,860 which many Native American tribes used for ceremonies, hunting, and trade. 31 00:01:56,860 --> 00:01:59,889 The expedition’s scientists and artists brought back news 32 00:01:59,889 --> 00:02:02,790 of spectacular geysers and hot springs, 33 00:02:02,790 --> 00:02:06,870 inspiring widespread support to bring Yellowstone under government protection— 34 00:02:06,870 --> 00:02:09,880 and restrict native people’s access to the land. 35 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:14,355 However, unlike Yosemite, Yellowstone couldn’t be granted to a state— 36 00:02:14,355 --> 00:02:18,402 it was part of three U.S. territories that hadn’t become states yet. 37 00:02:18,402 --> 00:02:23,465 Instead, Congress brought Yellowstone under federal stewardship in 1872, 38 00:02:23,465 --> 00:02:27,155 creating the world’s first true National Park. 39 00:02:27,155 --> 00:02:30,165 During his presidency, Teddy Roosevelt was instrumental 40 00:02:30,165 --> 00:02:33,135 in expanding the lands under public protection. 41 00:02:33,135 --> 00:02:37,235 By 1916, there were fifteen national parks. 42 00:02:37,235 --> 00:02:39,992 But the problem of management remained unsolved, 43 00:02:39,992 --> 00:02:43,045 and maintenance of the park was handled haphazardly 44 00:02:43,045 --> 00:02:45,725 over multiple government departments. 45 00:02:45,725 --> 00:02:49,535 Straightforward tasks like building roads and hiring personnel 46 00:02:49,535 --> 00:02:52,915 required inefficient bureaucratic maneuvering. 47 00:02:52,915 --> 00:02:56,045 None of the departments had set rules for conduct in the park, 48 00:02:56,045 --> 00:03:00,087 so hunters killed park wildlife, cattle overgrazed fields, 49 00:03:00,087 --> 00:03:02,945 and visitors vandalized landmarks. 50 00:03:02,945 --> 00:03:05,375 The solution came from Canada, 51 00:03:05,375 --> 00:03:08,635 which had a highly effective centralized park service. 52 00:03:08,635 --> 00:03:12,625 In 1916, the United States established the National Park Service 53 00:03:12,625 --> 00:03:14,505 based on this model. 54 00:03:14,505 --> 00:03:18,215 To this day, the mission for the park service is comprised of two goals 55 00:03:18,215 --> 00:03:20,435 that sometimes conflict: 56 00:03:20,435 --> 00:03:22,575 to conserve the parks for the future 57 00:03:22,575 --> 00:03:25,819 and to allow the public to enjoy them. 58 00:03:25,819 --> 00:03:29,372 That’s a delicate balancing act: roads, trails, and other infrastructure 59 00:03:29,372 --> 00:03:33,022 make the parks accessible to visitors, but also alter the landscape, 60 00:03:33,022 --> 00:03:36,151 while visitors themselves can contribute to pollution, erosion, 61 00:03:36,151 --> 00:03:39,124 and damage of delicate ecosystems. 62 00:03:39,124 --> 00:03:43,706 The very history of preservation can also be at odds with this mission. 63 00:03:43,706 --> 00:03:46,296 Many parks were not, at the time of their founding, 64 00:03:46,296 --> 00:03:50,746 the uninhabited wilderness that’s become the standard for their preservation. 65 00:03:50,746 --> 00:03:54,636 Instead, many were homes or places of worship for native peoples, 66 00:03:54,636 --> 00:03:58,358 who lost access to these lands in the name of public use. 67 00:03:58,358 --> 00:04:00,538 Only recently has the National Park Service 68 00:04:00,538 --> 00:04:04,018 begun to reckon with this legacy and engage Native Americans 69 00:04:04,018 --> 00:04:05,948 in park management. 70 00:04:05,948 --> 00:04:09,307 Around the world, indigenous communities play crucial roles 71 00:04:09,307 --> 00:04:12,777 in land management and preservation. 72 00:04:12,777 --> 00:04:15,987 Today, there are thousands of national parks worldwide, 73 00:04:15,987 --> 00:04:21,310 and each must balance public use with historical and ecological preservation. 74 00:04:21,310 --> 00:04:24,740 Parks in New Zealand, Iceland, Australia, and South Africa 75 00:04:24,740 --> 00:04:29,310 have experienced severe erosion as visitor numbers have skyrocketed. 76 00:04:29,310 --> 00:04:32,930 Some, like Mu Ko Similan National Park in Thailand, 77 00:04:32,930 --> 00:04:37,971 have closed sections to tourists entirely to allow the ecosystem to recover. 78 00:04:37,971 --> 00:04:40,871 National Parks have preserved irreplaceable landscapes 79 00:04:40,871 --> 00:04:43,127 for future generations. 80 00:04:43,127 --> 00:04:46,217 They also force us to reckon with hard questions: 81 00:04:46,217 --> 00:04:50,815 what are our responsibilities to this planet, and to each other?