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Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: National

Media Credit: National Park Service The famous Delicate arch at Arches National Park in Southwestern Utah.

Media Credit: Jenny Anzelmo A bison walks in front of the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park.

The 84 million acres of natural landscapes that serve as a final refuge for animal and plant species are America's National Parks. These environments serve as a refuge for the plant and animal species threatened by habitat loss and degradation and embody the democratic idea that such unique places should be available not just to a privileged few, but to every citizen.

There are 391 National Park System Units, which include parks, national monuments, seashore sites, battlefields and other recreational and cultural sites. Located in the United States and its territories, these designated areas attract over 270 million visitors each year, according to the National Park Service website.

International student Shayvonne Moxey-Bonamy said National Parks, both in the United States and the Bahamas, are important for a variety of reasons and said she is proud of the proactive approach that her native country has taken by creating National Parks.

"National parks are important to our environment, as they help to keep it productive and healthy. Parks help in maintaining clean water supplies, preserving native vegetation and they attract many tourists and locals. Parks are historic landmarks that cannot be replaced. The intrinsic value they provide cannot be measured or counted," Moxey-Bonamy said.

Moxey-Bonamy visited Lucuyan National Park on Grand Bahama Island, the second most populated island in the Bahamas.

"Lucuyan National Park was serene, peaceful and for a moment I truly felt one with nature… The park is unique in that it encompasses both forest and other types of vegetation along with wetlands and mangroves. There are so many species of fishes and marine life along with birds that depend on the mangroves," Moxey-Bonamy said.

Senior Environmental Science major Buddy Dailey has visited 12 different National Parks and said he thinks that they are monumentally important in allowing individuals to see the beauty of nature and thus be more inclined to advocate for its protection and preservation.

"I sometimes forget not everybody loves nature and many don't ever see nature's vast and radiant beauty until they go to a National Park. There they experience that child-like wonder and amazement, that indiscriminate feeling deep inside or the voice calling from a distant past saying 'this is where I should be,'" Dailey said.

Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Dr. Jamey Pavey worked as a back country ranger at Nancy Lake State Recreation Area in Willow, Ala., and said she believes that some National and State Parks are actually being "loved to death."

"There are some parks that attract so many visitors that they have problems with emissions from vehicles and crowds so they have had to limit public access by requiring public transit within the park boundaries and increasing the entrance fees…The lack of maintenance due to budget and the bureaucratic nature of the state government was often frustrating since it often took forever to get something as simple as a motorboat repaired. Some parks have better management than others, it really all goes back to politics," Pavey said. Pavey said she is thankful for her experience of working in a remote area with beautiful aesthetics and wildlife such as black bears, moose and porcupine.

Director and producer Ken Burns' latest documentary, a 12-hour feature on "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," presented the parks as the soul-saving antidote to the ruthless nature of capitalism and American ambition, not just places of natural beauty and refuge.

One of the main goals of Burns appears to be coaxing individuals off of their backsides and into the wilderness to rediscover the parks, according to a New York Times article.

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