Elyse Cox: Who owns the "wilderness"?

Recorded atOctober 06, 2020
EventTED-Ed
Duration (min:sec)04:50
Video TypeTED-Ed Original
Words per minute161.34 slow
Readability (FK)29.37 very difficult
SpeakerElyse Cox

Official TED page for this talk

Synopsis

In 1903, US President Theodore Roosevelt took a camping trip in California's Yosemite Valley with conservationist John Muir. Roosevelt famously loved the outdoors, but Muir had invited him for more than just camping: Yosemite was in danger. It was part of a struggle to set aside land for both preservation and public use. Elyse Cox details the delicate balancing act of creating a national park. [Directed by Boniato Studio, narrated by Alexandra Panzer, music by Inés Mirás Vieites].

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100:08 In 1903, the President of the United States
200:10 took a three-day camping trip in California’s Yosemite Valley.
300:15 President Theodore Roosevelt slept in a grove of towering Sequoia trees,
400:19 camped in a snowstorm, and spent hours talking around the campfire
500:23 with his host and guide, conservationist John Muir.
600:27 Roosevelt famously loved the outdoors,
700:29 but Muir had invited him there for more than just camping:
800:33 Yosemite was in danger.
900:35 Though Yosemite became protected land in 1864,
1000:39 the valley was still at risk for overdevelopment in 1903.
1100:43 It was at the heart of a decades-old struggle to set aside land
1200:46 for both preservation and public use—
1300:49 two goals that were much easier said than done.
1400:52 The battle over Yosemite began with the 1849 gold rush,
1500:57 when miners surged west, seeking gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
1601:02 In 1851, a state-sanctioned militia,
1701:05 drove the Ahwahneechee tribe from Yosemite Valley.
1801:09 Those who managed to return witnessed white settlers claiming the land,
1901:13 felling giant sequoias, and building hotels and saloons.
2001:17 In response, a small group of concerned Californians
2101:20 lobbied senator John Conness to protect the valley from private interests.
2201:25 In 1864, Congress passed Conness’ bill,
2301:29 granting the Yosemite Valley to the State of California,
2401:33 marking the first time the U.S. government brought land under public protection.
2501:37 But the management of that land remained an open question,
2601:40 one that would only become more complicated
2701:42 as more lands came under similar protection.
2801:46 Seven years later, geologist Ferdinand Hayden
2901:49 led an expedition to the Yellowstone Plateau,
3001:52 which many Native American tribes used for ceremonies, hunting, and trade.
3101:56 The expedition’s scientists and artists brought back news
3201:59 of spectacular geysers and hot springs,
3302:02 inspiring widespread support to bring Yellowstone under government protection—
3402:06 and restrict native people’s access to the land.
3502:09 However, unlike Yosemite, Yellowstone couldn’t be granted to a state—
3602:14 it was part of three U.S. territories that hadn’t become states yet.
3702:18 Instead, Congress brought Yellowstone under federal stewardship in 1872,
3802:23 creating the world’s first true National Park.
3902:27 During his presidency, Teddy Roosevelt was instrumental
4002:30 in expanding the lands under public protection.
4102:33 By 1916, there were fifteen national parks.
4202:37 But the problem of management remained unsolved,
4302:39 and maintenance of the park was handled haphazardly
4402:43 over multiple government departments.
4502:45 Straightforward tasks like building roads and hiring personnel
4602:49 required inefficient bureaucratic maneuvering.
4702:52 None of the departments had set rules for conduct in the park,
4802:56 so hunters killed park wildlife, cattle overgrazed fields,
4903:00 and visitors vandalized landmarks.
5003:02 The solution came from Canada,
5103:05 which had a highly effective centralized park service.
5203:08 In 1916, the United States established the National Park Service
5303:12 based on this model.
5403:14 To this day, the mission for the park service is comprised of two goals
5503:18 that sometimes conflict:
5603:20 to conserve the parks for the future
5703:22 and to allow the public to enjoy them.
5803:25 That’s a delicate balancing act: roads, trails, and other infrastructure
5903:29 make the parks accessible to visitors, but also alter the landscape,
6003:33 while visitors themselves can contribute to pollution, erosion,
6103:36 and damage of delicate ecosystems.
6203:39 The very history of preservation can also be at odds with this mission.
6303:43 Many parks were not, at the time of their founding,
6403:46 the uninhabited wilderness that’s become the standard for their preservation.
6503:50 Instead, many were homes or places of worship for native peoples,
6603:54 who lost access to these lands in the name of public use.
6703:58 Only recently has the National Park Service
6804:00 begun to reckon with this legacy and engage Native Americans
6904:04 in park management.
7004:05 Around the world, indigenous communities play crucial roles
7104:09 in land management and preservation.
7204:12 Today, there are thousands of national parks worldwide,
7304:15 and each must balance public use with historical and ecological preservation.
7404:21 Parks in New Zealand, Iceland, Australia, and South Africa
7504:24 have experienced severe erosion as visitor numbers have skyrocketed.
7604:29 Some, like Mu Ko Similan National Park in Thailand,
7704:32 have closed sections to tourists entirely to allow the ecosystem to recover.
7804:37 National Parks have preserved irreplaceable landscapes
7904:40 for future generations.
8004:43 They also force us to reckon with hard questions:
8104:46 what are our responsibilities to this planet, and to each other?
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