#parksofpa

It is hard to believe this semester is over already! It seems as though it was only last week when I picked my blog topic, Parks of Pennsylvania. Boy have times changed since. I started the semester writing about Local and State parks in Pennsylvania, and I ended the semester writing about the National Park Services policies in Alaska. I find that to be one of the more beneficial parks of my experience with these blogs, the ability to write about different broad aspects of a topic. Over the course of the semester I learned a lot about myself as a writer. I now realize it takes about three to four rough drafts before any of my writing is legible. I also realize that drafting takes an extremely long time, and the only way to truly speed up the drafting process is to have a lot of research to pull from. There were many times while writing my research paper that I thought I would never reach the word count and I would get discouraged. However once I was armed with a bit more research I was able to attack the research essay much more efficiently. I will certainly keep this knowledge in mind going forward. If I have to write an essay in future classes, I will certainly know to get a large head start on it; that way to allow myself enough time for multiple rough drafts and peer reviews. I will also conduct extensive research before the next research essay I need to write, because research is the fuel that drives essay engine.  

While those rules at the surface seem to be simple rules regarding fire safety, in reality they are nothing more than propaganda meant to discourage campers from starting fires. How many fireplaces , grills , and stoves have you seen in the forest recently? I have seen none! They should not be telling us where we can and cannot start fires. Sure some may argue that these rules are just to ensure proper safety and to prevent forest fires, but they could have made the rules more clear if they intended to prevent forest fires. I personally find this to be an obstruction of our basic American rights. After all, what is camping without s’mores? Nothing.

This commercial made by the youtube channel titled visitPAparks is in promotion of Yurts. As you can see in the video above, the man spends a good amount of time touring the yurt and promoting all its amenities. Microwave, stove-top, wood AND canvas wall, Yurts seem like paradise! However I see a major fallacy in this commercial for Yurts. There is a major Lack of Proportion. For someone who may be considering renting a Yurt, wouldn't they like to know the rates of cost to rent one of these? Of course they would! Cost is one of the main thing prospective campers need to know to factor into their decision, that is why this is such a big lack of proportion. Also he only mentions the parks name is Pinchot State Park, but doesn't include any information to the park. All in all, this is still a very persuasive video, and a Yurt is definitely something I will look into for my future adventures. 

T: Bake Oven Knob is the best park within kutztown

Ken Burns documentary, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea", informs us on the development of the national parks system as well as how it affected the lives of many americans along the way. This documentary explains to us the many struggles officials had to go through to develop a national park system. The purpose is to provide a feeling of nationalism as well as remind people why parks are so great. He uses stunning visuals as well as stories of the development of these parks to create a sense of kinship between the reader and the video. The narration speaks to us in a formal, almost story telling mode. This made it more captivating than if he had just been listing facts in an order. Hearing how much work was required to make a park happen, and seeing the beauty of it made you realize that parks aren't just wasted space but actually have a very strong significance in American culture. While Private owners fought over the land near monuments for their personal gains, government officials were more interested in allowing everyone access to the beauty most beautiful places in America. I wish government officials nowadays had the values of the people who established these parks. The creation of this documentary required a ton of research to dig up these records and accounts, and I highly doubt Ken Burns gathered all of it on his own. Most of the people featured in the film are historians or park officials who have been taught the history of these parks, their educated opinions made this a very credible documentary. If Ken Burns had not used experts in this documentary to validate what the narrator was saying, I do not know if I would believe every folk tale told along the way, but with the credible experts adding their two cents it made it much more legitimate. They also used quotes of the people who had been working for the sake of the parks at the time, and they stressed the agony or sadness they felt when they saw a beautiful land being used for commercial use. This created a strong pathos effect as well. Hearing someone speak about something they are truly passionate about makes you respect them and their work a lot more, and you can relate better with their struggles along the way. I would recommend this documentary to anyone who wants to learn about all the hard work that went into developing the amazing parks system we have now. 

In Tioga County, Pennsylvania there are 3 state parks. Colton Point State Park, Hills Creek State Park, and Leonard Harrison State Park all reside in the county. 2 of these parks reside along Pine Creek, while Hills Creek State Park is adjacent to Hills Creek. (Obviously) For those of you who aren't exactly sure, fracking is when they drill into the ground and spray rocks with a high pressure water, sand, and chemical mix. The purpose of it to retrieve the natural gas stored inside the rocks. The reason it so controversial is due to the fact that they are pumping chemicals into the ground, and they could end up contaminating fresh water supplies after one slip up. This photo is disappointing to me. They had a beautiful state park full of lush trees and vegetation, but they have no problem plowing down all of that to build a potentially harmful plant. It only further proves that all human beings care about is money, and they have no regard for nature. While I agree fracking can be beneficial and can also be a positive alternative to oil, I don't agree with tearing down park wildlife to build plants for fracking. Parks are supposed to be places that preserve nature, and are to provide the public with places to explore and experience it. If we continue to let money and "the bottom line" determine how we use the land of mother earth rather than letting what is right determine, we will not be making the right decisions. I think that if fracking is to happen, (let's face it it is) it should not be done on State park land.

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