OCR Text |
Show at convenient distance is still important, but scenic qualifications and recreation potentialities should be tlie best available within the limits de- termined by accessibility. For vacation use, location will be secondary to the qualities the recreation area can provide. Our national parks and many of the national forest recreation areas are outstanding examples of areas of superb vacation quality. Quality requirements cannot be enumerated exactly. The majority of people who use out- door recreation areas for swimming, fishing, camping, hiking, nature study, or for rest and relaxation, prefer to undertake those activities in surroundings which possess qualities of natural beauty, of remoteness or the impression of remote- ness, and o»f unusual or spectacular physical char- acteristics. These qualities include such things as rolling or rugged terrain, clear lakes and streams, forests or groves of trees, vistas from forested heights, and similar features. While no one would question the desirability of highest possible recreation quality, our people are distributed without orderly relationship to natural recreation resources, and quality and location values must be carefully balanced in planning for recreation areas. A Positi-ve Program To assu_re the provision of outdoor recreation opportunity for all, a positive recreation program is needed. First steps in such a program include the following: (a) Compilation of a complete catalog of present recreation areas and facilities; (b) ex- amination., in cooperation with State and local governments, of Nation-wide recreation needs and trends; and (c) development of a national plan or pattern of recreation areas. This pattern of recreation areas should be flexible bxit should provide a definite guide to the planning of recreation programs in terms of long-range values. Such a positive program will continue to re- quire the combined efforts of local, State, and Federal governmental agencies, as well as private industry. Local communities have in the past provided and should continue to provide recrea- tion opportunities for the people within their po- litical subdivisions. Some State governments have accepted their responsibility to assist com- munities by establishing advisory and information services and providing additional recreation areas. Federal participation in recreation dates back to 1864, when Yosemite Valley was granted to the State of California for recreation use. In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was created as a "public park or pleasuring ground for the bene- fit and enjoyment of the people." The National Park Service was formally established in 1916 and since that time Congress has indicated a Federal interest in the over-all national program of recre- ation through legislation and appropriations for this service and other Federal agencies. The act of June 23, 1936 (49 Stat. 1894), authorized the National Park Service to make a comprehensive study of public park, parkway, and recreation area programs in the United States, to provide data that would be helpful in developing a plan for a coordinated and adequate public park, parkway, and recreation area facil- ities for the people of the United States. This same act authorizes the National Park Service to furnish advisory and consultative assistance to States, local communities, and other Federal agencies in planning for their park, parkway, and recreation area programs. Need ior a National Policy Although recreation programs are carried on by some 16 different Federal agencies, substantial sums of money have been appropriated for rec- reation by Congress, and recreation benefits have been included in justifying water-control projects, there exists no general statement of policy regard- ing the extent of Federal interest in this field. Congress has stated policies and has made deci- sions concerning many issues at different times and in different contexts, but these need reexami- nation with a view to their proper coordination. There is need for a study of the whole subject of the national interest in and responsibility for pro- 250 |