DAVID GUY: National parks are a blessing

Published online on Saturday, Sep. 26, 2009

Look around! Fresno and its communities are surrounded by something truly unique and special -- the most magnificent and cherished landscape in the world.

As you look east and north to the Sierra Nevada, Fresno is the metro-way to the most awe-inspiring public landscape on earth: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. People come from all over the world to enjoy and experience these special places that are in Fresno's backyard.

These national treasures offer tremendous diversity, ranging from the Yosemite Valley, which is adorned by the Merced River, the iconic views of Half Dome, the sheer magnitude of El Capitan, and the rustic opulence and wonderful food at the Ahwahnee Hotel and Mountain Room.

Areas outside the Valley are equally stunning with the massive Sequoia groves, the rugged wilderness peaks and the bucolic alpine meadows.

Fall is a wonderful time to visit your national parks. Eminent film-makers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan will also be bringing National Parks to your living room starting tomorrow evening with the premiere of "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

This six-part series, which airs on Public Television (KVPT) at 8 p.m. on Sunday, showcases our national treasures with emphasis and considerable attention devoted to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, as well as the diverse people who have drawn attention to these places and have preserved them for future generations.

When Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan visited Yosemite earlier this year, they both called out Yosemite and the seminal work of Fredrick Law Olmsted as the major inspiration and influence for the National Park series.

They refer to Olmsted's 1865 report on "Yosemite and the Mariposa Grove" as "remarkable and prescient" in reminding us that "the National Park idea, born in the United States, is as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical; that a nation's most magnificent and sacred places should be preserved, not for royalty or rich, but for everyone and for all time." Thus, the national park ideal was born in Yosemite.

Downstream from our national parks are the subtle and yet equally impressive lands that grace the San Joaquin Valley floor and the foothills surrounding Fresno. These private lands produce the most diverse agricultural bounty in the world and provide open space and pastoral values that are increasingly valued in California's great Central Valley.

Farmers and ranchers in Fresno County bring ingenuity to these lands to produce more than 350 different crops that directly contribute more than $5.3 billion to the California economy.

To be sure, people throughout the world salivate and clamor for these diverse, high quality fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products, flowers and fiber. Like our public lands to the northeast, our region should equally embrace and celebrate these working lands and the farmers and ranchers who help define this landscape with their tremendous skill and passion.

As Fresno and its leaders look to the future, this magnificent landscape serves as the cornerstone for telling a world-class story about our region. Fresno is surrounded by a world-renowned landscape and as the metro-way to these unique places; it has an opportunity to showcase our national parks and the importance of agricultural lands for both current and future generations.

There are many opportunities to celebrate these places close to home, to share our collective passion for this landscape and to help connect people to these special places. The region's leaders can help people enjoy and experience their national parks and encourage people to buy local agricultural products and fully appreciate the diverse bounty that is produced by farmers and ranchers in this region.

By connecting people to this magnificent landscape, we will also help protect and preserve these lands and the water that has shaped these lands for future generations.