An article protective national treasure
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America's third national park, Yosemite, the home of spectacular waterfalls, silent groves of ancient trees and an unequaled alpine wilderness, celebrated its 120th birthday this month. The place John Muir considered "nature's temple" was arguably where the national park idea was born — a uniquely American idea whose enduring meaning is being proved again in the midst of an economic downturn, as millions of families have flocked to Yosemite and other parks to make memories that will last their lifetimes, to reconnect with nature and our shared history.
It is no surprise that our parks have seen record attendance during these tough times. The same thing happened during the Depression, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a series of highly publicized park visits and encouraged citizens to do the same. "There is nothing so American as our national parks," Roosevelt told the nation, and the fundamental idea behind them is "that the country belongs to the people."
Together, we own some of the most spectacular scenery on Earth — from its grandest canyon to its greatest collection of geysers, from giant sequoias to active volcanoes in the midst of creating new land, from the majestic peak of Alaska's Denali to the saw grass marsh of Florida's Everglades.