"To everyone, especially to those who live in narrow streets where automobiles are thicker than ants in an ant hill and where trolleys clang, sirens screech, and people rush about, we say, come to this beautiful Blue Ridge area for recreation and interesting knowledge...; come, and enjoy tranquillity in the canyons where streams ripple over rocks and waterfalls...; come, and feel the stimulation of the strong wind on some lofty peaks. Do these things, and you will not be disappointed; you will carry away a memory of beautiful and interesting places and a little more strength, a little more wisdom, a little more happiness than you brought with you." -- James R. Lassiter, "Shenandoah National Park," reprinted from The Commonwealth, July 1936, Spec. Coll., U.Va.
I woke up this morning to a doe and fawn eating leaves outside my bedroom window. In Shenandoah National Park I am surrounded by forest and wildlife, but the "wilderness" area surrounding me was not always so.
Until Shenandoah became a national park in 1936, the area was largely farmland and orchards. After the state acquired private lands and removed local inhabitants, forests filled the hillsides once again to create the scenic landscapes present today. As James R. Lassiter eloquently expressed, in our present day world with disappearing natural areas we become reliant upon parks and protected oases of nature as a retreat for the soul; a respite for recharge from our busy work lives in the city. Beyond the meditative effect that nature can provide, parks and protected areas are essential to sustain wildlife populations in a world dominated by humans and their expanding footprint of pavement and cultivated land. And thus, we must remember to plan our landscapes and allot areas for nature, not only for the benefit of wildlife, but for both present and future generations of people to enjoy.
