Why are there National Parks?

That is, why are National Parks National?

The National Park System is another case of one branch of government saying “we know better than you” and “we don’t trust you”.

This is evident in the fact that each state is perfectly capable of managing parks within its borders — yet some parks are more equal than others. The special ones are taken over by the federal government who runs them from afar — never mind the fact that the state government has as great an interest in their proper management as anyone.

National Parks (and Wildernesses and Reserves and Monuments) should be “reverted” to state control immediately. This would allow states to realize economies of scale and to manage them with a view to all citizens and tourists. It would reduce the size of national government and eliminate an entire branch of the bureaucracy.

Some say that federal rangers know “their” park very well, and their loss would be a loss for the park. Common sense would suggest that the states offer to hire all federal rangers and employees directly responsible for a park in the state.

This would also allow contentious policies like forest management to be handled by one group for a state. No more long-distance negotiations with Washington when fire season is approaching.

In case it’s not clear, this would be a big win for the states. They could normalize fees and service, and manage tourism and its benefits completely.

Common sense.

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