BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 24, 2025
When Republican President Ulysses S. Grant created the first national park at Yellowstone after the Civil War, he acted to “bind up the nation’s wounds” by creating such a commonwealth in the spirit of democracy, owned by and open to all. I was blessed to grow up camping in national parks and forests, learning from them a citizen’s pride in our country and a desire to protect them. This led to my career in ecosystem protection and renewal. I’ve seen how our national park system is a model internationally. Our national parks and lands are not only the commonwealth of every citizen, but are economic engines for their neighboring communities. To “release” these to private industry would essentially be theft, a betrayal of trust that would wound the spiritual heart of America, diminishing our health and prosperity, our climate and environment, our unity as Americans, all while setting a disastrous example worldwide for those countries that still look to us for leadership. ~ Carol Kamala Kinsey, Stockton Springs