Watching Ken Burns' excellent The National Parks: America's Best Idea http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/
"The national park idea, the best idea we ever had, was inevitable as soon as Americans learned to confront the wild continent not only with fear and cupidity but with delight, wonder, and awe. Once started, it grew like the backfire it truly was, burning back upwind against the current of claim and grab and raid...proving that our rapacious society could hold its hand, at least in the presence of stupendous scenery, and learn to respect the earth for something besides its economic value." --Wallace Stegner
"The national park idea, the best idea we ever had, was inevitable as soon as Americans learned to confront the wild continent not only with fear and cupidity but with delight, wonder, and awe. Once started, it grew like the backfire it truly was, burning back upwind against the current of claim and grab and raid...proving that our rapacious society could hold its hand, at least in the presence of stupendous scenery, and learn to respect the earth for something besides its economic value." --Wallace Stegner
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