HISTORY 19 



It is not necessary that, a national park should have a large 

 area. The element of size is of no importance as long as the 

 park is susceptible of efifective administration and control. 



You should study existing national parks with the idea of 

 improving them by the addition of adjacent areas which will 

 complete their scenic purposes or facilitate administration. 

 The addition of the Teton Mountains to the Yellowstone Na- 

 tional Park, for instance, will supply Yellowstone's greatest 

 need, which is an uplift of glacier-bearing peaks; and the ad- 

 dition to the Sequoia National Park of the Sierra summits and 

 slopes to the north and east, as contemplated by pending legis- 

 lation, will create a reservation unique in the world, because 

 of its combination of gigantic trees, extraordina^ canyons, 

 and mountain masses. 



In considering projects involving the establishment of new 

 national parks or the extension of existing park areas by de- 

 limination of national forests, you should observe what effect 

 such delimination would have on the administration of adjacent 

 forest lands, and wherever practicable you should engage in an 

 investigation of such park projects jointly with officers of the 

 Forest Service, in order that questions of national park and 

 national forest policy as they affect the lands involved may be 

 thoroughly understood. 



The fundamental purpose of the park system is stated in the 

 National Park Service Act to be the conservation of the 

 scenery and natural and historic objects and wild life of the 

 parks in such manner as will leave them unimparied for the 

 enjoyment of future generations. This thought was empha- 

 sized by Secretary Lane in his statement of policy quoted 

 above. It is the gist of the national park idea. 



Particular attention is drawn to this matter here because 

 in the few years since the Service has been established events 

 have occurred which indicate that it will be the center about 

 which will be refought, on a much larger scale, the struggle 

 which occurred over the Hetch Hetchy, referred to in the pre- 

 ceding section. Proponents of power, irrigation, and water 

 supply projects want to get in the parks, claiming that local 

 needs along these lines should outweigh other considerations. 



