File:The Canadian field-naturalist (1973) (20526775501).jpg

Title: The Canadian field-naturalist
Identifier: canadianfieldnat1973otta (find matches)
Year: 1973 (1970s)
Authors: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
Subjects:
Publisher: Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
Contributing Library: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
1973 Sheard and Blood: National Parks in Canada 215
Text Appearing After Image:
Figure 1. The tranquility of many park vistas is due not so much to their solitude as to the fact that they appear to the visitor as stable and permanent in contrast to his usual urban environment. Bow River Valley, Banff National Park. J. W. Sheard, photographer. capable of maintaining itself indefinitely. What better facility could there be than the national parks, with a captive audience surrounded by a steady-state enivronment, to bring to public attention some of the limitations of a tech- nological society? Nor should it be surprising to find that the principles which govern plant and animal communities can also be applied to human society although man's egocentricity has not allowed him to look to natural systems for guidance in his endeavours. Margalef (1963) has observed that energy usually flows from simple to more diverse communities. The de- population of rual areas might therefore be seen as predation by urban centers which have a greater diversity of job opportunities and econ- omy biit which become progressively less man- ageable with their growth. If we wish to main- tain rural communities as a part of our culture then we must build diversity into them and re- verse the trend toward centralization, accepting some loss of economic efficiency to ensure their survival. It is hoped that some of the thoughts in the previous paragraphs will suggest the direction in which educational processes might be guided to create a situation in which an environmental ethic can evolve. In view of the educational objective of the parks as stated in the National Parks Act it is disturbing to note the NHPB statement that "it is not properly a part of its function to undertake the writing of textbooks" (NHPB 1971). This may not be the best way of fulfilling its educational responsibilities but some type of relatively novel publications will certainly be necessary as part of the educational program that is required. The United States National Parks Service is already leading the

Note About Images