Preserving the peace of the parks

Think about these words from the new management guidelines being drafted for national parks: Activities must not damage "the atmosphere of peace and tranquility and natural soundscapes."

What could be truer to the original intent of the establishment of those lands?

Those guidelines, explained by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne on Monday, come at a crucial time in deciding the direction of the country's national parklands.

The state of the nation's 390 parks, preserves and historic sites is under scrutiny by supporters who have watched maintenance funds shrinking like glaciers in a heat wave.

A solution proposed last year was to attract more fee-paying visitors by allowing more recreational opportunities in national parks. Think snowmobiles. Think all-terrain vehicles.

The idea was that allowable activities could cause harm, with noise and pollution and impacts on the environment and wildlife, as long as they didn't "irreversibly" harm the parks.

But how could that approach ever harmonize with the intent to set aside public lands and preserve and conserve them for all generations of Americans? What would 100 years of "acceptable harm" in Glacier Park have produced by now? A motocross track near Avalanche Lake?

It is like steel wool on the nerves of park supporters to imagine ATVs tearing through the wild lands of national parks. Any hikers who have had to raise their voices to be heard over the airplanes buzzing above Grand Canyon know that balancing the needs of solitude seekers and those who want noisier pursuits can be tricky, if not impossible.

There are areas, not designated for the purpose of conservation and preservation, where Jet Skis, racing bikes and other recreation are welcome. Northwest Montana is full of them.

But Glacier National Park is a rarity, where visitors can thrill to a mountain goat on a trail by day and a starlit sky at night, while still enjoying the accommodations of Lake McDonald Lodge and the charm of Apgar.

It's been worth preserving that experience for almost 100 years. The new park guidelines, if approved, could extend that cherished experience so that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy it, too.