“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” —John Muir
Andrea here, The Summer Solstice took place this past Saturday where I live (those of you in the Southern hemisphere had, of course, the Winter Solstice.) I always love the longest day of the year, and the golden glow of sunset stretching into the evening. It got me to thinking about Nature, and how aside from the four dates marking the change in season, we rarely stop and think about our connection to the rhythms and cycles of the natural world.
My musings were also sparked by the PBS series by Ken Burns on the history of the American National Parks, which I have been streaming over the last week. (you can see it here) In this troubling time of ills, both natural and man-made, I found it to be incredibly uplifting and inspiring.
“Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”
—John Muir
Americans are polarized about so many things these days, so it’s heartening to watch a show about what writer Wallace Stegner has called “the best idea we (Americans) ever had.” The idea of setting aside grand swaths natural beauty for posterity first took shape within another time of great conflict for America. In 1864, during the midst of the Civil War, President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Land Grant bill, giving the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia trees to the state of California “upon the express conditions that the premises shall be held for public use, resort, and recreation.”
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.” —John Muir
The sublime beauty of the new state park was recognized by the intrepid people who managed the arduous trek to visit it. But it took the lyrical writing of Scottish-born naturalist, John Muir, who lived in the valley for many years, to bring the idea of the importance of Nature to the human spirit to a broader audience all around the country. Like Thoreau before him, Muir penned poetry and essays that inspired Americans to look around them, and realize that they are part of something so much greater than themselves.
“The power of imagination makes us infinite.”
—John Muir
The novel idea of preserving majestic land for the public to enjoy took another step forward in 1871. Word-of-mouth reports from trappers and explorers about an amazing stretch of wilderness in Wyoming territory with geysers, boiling mud and thermal pools led the U. S. government to dispatch a geological survey expedition to the area. Among the members were the photographer William Henry Jackson and the artist Thomas Moran. The images they brought back to Washington created a sensation, and Congress passed a bill creating Yellowstone National Park, preserving the wildness in perpetuity for the American people. (The wonderful paintings of Albert Bierstadt also helped spark the public’s imagination and create support for preserving the land.) President Ulysses Grant signed the billed in 1872, creating the very first national park in the world.
No nation before had ever created such an oasis for its people. What’s wonderful about the national parks is that we, the people of the United States, own them. Their awesome beauty is open to ALL of us. They are places where one can seek solace and rejuvenation—where one can reconnect with the wind, the stones, the water and trees; where one can hear rivers sing and leaves whisper; where one can converse with flora and fauna and feel a part of the majesty of Nature.
Muir left Yosemite to visit Alaska, and then to start family. When he returned after some years for a visit, he was appalled that commercialism had crept into the parkland and was destroying some of the natural beauty. Teaming up with the editor of Collier’s magazine, he started writing essays and lobbying for the surrounding lands and rivers that fed into the original Yosemite Land Grant to be protected from development. His passion sparked a national letter-writing campaign to Congress, which passed a bill in 1890 making a huge tract of land adjoining his beloved Land Grant mountains and valleys the second national park.
Today we have 419 National Parks, and while—as in the past—there are forces seeking to whittle away at the safeguards to keep them pristine and preserved for future generations, most Americans agree that they are national treasures.
"Earth has no sorrow that earth cannot heal.” —John Muir
I love being in Nature, and really do find it restores and rejuvenates the spirit. I walk down through meadows and tidal pools by Long Island Sound every day, and love all the infinite simple beauties of the wind ruffling through the grasses, the sunlight on the water, the vaiety of wildlife and bird species—a bald eagle has shown up this year, which is very exciting! (photos of the national parks and John Muir from wikicommons)
So, what about you—do share Muir’s love and sense of connection to Nature. Have you visited a national park? And do you have a favorite local spot where you enjoy communing with nature?
