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National parks were meant for preservation, Yale professor says.
By Mark Grossi
The Fresno Bee - October 4, 1998
Yale professor Robin Winks rates Yosemite National Park among the top 10 parks
in the nation, but he'd like it better if Yosemite's golf course and downhill
skiing took a hike.
Winks, who has visited all 376 U.S. national park units, says golfing and
downhill skiing are not big activities in national parks.
"I understand why people love them," he said. "But national parks were meant
for preservation, not for these activities. Golfing and downhill skiing should
not be in Yosemite.
Winks' views and vast background serve him in his role as a board member on
the National Parks and Conservation Association, a long-established parks
advocacy group. The group held a board meeting Saturday in Fresno before getting
a guided tour of the park today and Monday.
Winks, 67, a Colorado native who has taught history at Yale for 41 years,
had planned to make the trip but had to cancel. He wouldn't need a guide in
Yosemite or most other national parks. In addition to the U.S. parks, he has
visited those in dozens of countries.
Winks completed his visits to the nation's parks in June when he toured the
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve in eastern Alaska. He began counting
his national park sojourns in 1970 when he visited the Petrified Forest National
Park in Arizona.
He has seen the sights in all 22 categories of lands protected by the National
Park Service, including preserves, cemeteries, seashores and monuments. He
started visiting Yosemite decades ago.
The Central California park stands out among U.S. parks for more than the
Wawona Golf Course or the Badger Pass Ski Area, he said. When Yosemite is
not crowded, it is one of the most spectacular landscapes he has seen.
But crowding problems sometimes get more attention than the fabled cliffs
and waterfalls.
"It has become almost an urban park for San Francisco," he said. "National
parks were never envisioned as spur-of-the-moment experiences. But there's
another great reality working here as well: Californians use their out-of-doors
more than people in other states."
He also added he recognizes that Yosemite is an international center of attention
for tourism, perhaps putting it in a class by itself. He said he understands
why many people want to preserve the golf course and skiing, along with such
historic sites as the Ahwahnee Hotel.
"I don't think there's any other park in the system which better represents
the dilemma of the Park Service than Yosemite," he said.
"Every time a significant action must be taken, you hear the debates and the
clatter of those with a vested interest. At times, I despair."
The current discussion about a proposed parking lot in the valley is an example
of the conflict, Winks said.
Most advocacy, conservation and environmental groups have opposed the idea,
but not the National Parks and Conservancy Association. The park is reviewing
the plan after hearing public comments.
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