96 A Gift to the People

Many Americans take national parks for granted. Few people realize how these beautiful sites became public property.

Early in the country’s history, federal policymakers began to recognize the importance of setting aside land. They saw more and more people moving west. They feared that this movement would cause some of our most beautiful scenery to be destroyed. In 1832, the government chose the first natural area to be legally protected. This was the Hot Springs region in Arkansas. It was a spot that many people had been visiting to seek cures for arthritis.

The first actual national park was Yellowstone. It was established in 1872. For years, people in the East had heard stories of this area. In it were places where hot water and steam supposedly spouted out of the earth. Then explorers returned with photographs showing that such an area really existed. And Congress was ready to protect it. They set the land aside “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” A second national park, Yosemite, was established in 1890. Its purpose was to protect a beautiful area of California from overdevelopment.

In 1901, conservationist Theodore Roosevelt became president. The number of national parks began to grow rapidly. Today there are over fifty of them, and people visit in great numbers. In fact, many parks are almost too popular. There is sometimes serious overcrowding. Also, too many people use the parks carelessly. As a result, some are experiencing serious damage. Lands set aside for all generations of Americans now run the risk of being destroyed.

96 给民众的礼物

许多美国人把国家公园视为理所当然，很少有人知道这些美丽的地方是如何成为公共财产的。

在美国历史早期，联邦政策制定者就开始认识到预留土地的重要性。他们看到越来越多的人向西部迁移，担心这一趋势会导致一些最美丽的风景遭到破坏。1832年，政府选定了第一个受法律保护的自然区域——阿肯色州的温泉区。许多人曾前往这里寻求关节炎的治疗方法。

第一个真正的国家公园是黄石公园，建于1872年。多年来，东部的人们一直听说这个地区的故事：据说那里有热水和蒸汽从地下喷涌而出。后来探险家带回了照片，证明这样的地区确实存在，国会也准备保护它。他们将这片土地预留出来“供民众受益和享受”。第二个国家公园优胜美地建于1890年，目的是保护加利福尼亚的一片美丽区域免受过度开发。

1901年，环保主义者西奥多·罗斯福成为总统，国家公园的数量开始迅速增加。如今，这样的公园已有五十多个，游客数量众多。事实上，许多公园人气过高，有时会出现严重的拥挤。此外，太多人随意使用公园，导致一些公园遭到严重破坏。原本为美国世世代代预留的土地，现在面临着被摧毁的风险。