Call me cynical, but Earth Day and Arbor Day celebrations have become a bit passé. From what I've seen, these celebrations are events where garden clubs, Scouts and elementary school kids come together and learn about recycling, clean up a stream or plant a tree.
That's all well and good, as long as the lessons learned extend beyond a day. All too often, the recycling ends up in the trash the next day and the compost pile rots away from lack of nutrients.
I speak from personel experience. My compost pile consists of a few coffee grounds mixed in with the potting soil, and my recycling leaves much to be desired -- as my co-workers tell me every time a pop can ends up in the trash.
That's why I can get behind National Parks Week, which coincidentally coincides with Earth Day and Arbor Day. A whole week is dedicated to supporting, learning and enjoying the 391 national parks, monuments, historic sites, lakeshores, recreation areas and more our nation protects.
While a week is not nearly enough to fully explore even our closest national park, a week dedicated to one topic has more of a chance of educating the public than a single day.
The education started early for me -- I think I was still in grade school when my family and I took our first trip to Washington, D.C., which boasts 74 national historic landmarks in addition to the numerous memorials, monuments and landmarks. Every summer, it seemed we were going to one national park or another.
Stories of being locked out of a rental van while a herd of bison surrounded us or hiking back to our car before a July 4 snowstorm closed the only road in and out of the park have become part of my family history. We have stared in wonder at the pictographs in Archs National Park and paused in silence as a rainbow arched over the Grand Canyon.
I count my memories of visiting the parks as some of my favorite, whether it is as grand as riding horseback through Glacier National Park or as mundane as hiking a short trail in the valley.
National Park Week arrived April 19 with little fanfare. Yes, there was a presidential proclamation, but many parks opted to do what they've always done -- protecting and sharing the nation's biological, ecological and historical wonders.
Sites such as Yellowstone National Park, whose roaring waterfalls, exploding geysers and bubbling springs became the first national park in 1872, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, its winding trails, cool ledges and twisting river became a national park in 2000, should be preserved.
And while National Park Week ended April 27, the message continues.
Get out and enjoy the national parks. I know I am.
E-mail: lkrupar@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3146