Iowa's State Parks: A Various Language

Authors

Rebecca Conard, Wichita State University

Document Type

Research

Keywords

Iowa state parks, history; conservation, Jay N. "Ding" Darling, Ada Hayden, Thomas Macbride, G. B. MacDonald, Louis Pammel, Louise Parker

Abstract

Iowa's state park system is distinctive because academically based natural scientists were instrumental in drafting the 1917 State Park Law, in shaping the initial policies, and in establishing the first parks. The mandate of the 1917 law was broad, but its original intent was to preserve and conserve natural resources; providing recreational enjoyment was secondary. Between 1920 and mid-century the founding vision was recast time and again by compromises that sprang from economic necessity, competing interests, and changing societal values. The ideal of resource protection has remained a guiding principle, however, in large part because strong personalities provided continuity of leadership from one generation to the next.

Publication Date

June 1997

Journal Title

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

104

Issue

2

First Page

32

Last Page

38

Copyright

© Copyright 1997 by the Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

EN

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Conard, Rebecca (1997) "Iowa's State Parks: A Various Language," Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS, 104(2), 32-38.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/jias/vol104/iss2/4