Ken Burns' National Parks Documentary on PBS

[FlyingPhotog]

Are you watching it this week? Impressions so far?

[tigerotor77w]

I wish it were a sweeping overview of all fifty-some parks.

And I wish there were more focus on Rainier, because I looooove Rainier.

But I did enjoy today's episode -- I think it's beginning to get interesting. That being said, I won't have much time to watch tomorrow's or Friday's, so I might end up buying the DVD set.

[sparker1]

I've enjoyed the series so far, but it seems slow=paced for my taste. The same photos are shown repetitively, would like to see different ones. I am glad to hear some of the history, it just seems to repeat too much. The narrator says it, then one writer says much the same, then another without much new. I have professionally-made videos of most of the parks and prefer watching them since they cover so much more in a given time period.

Early on, I felt they were preaching environmentalism too strongly, but that is to be expected, I suppose. There is still an active movement to restore Hetch Hetchy, so this series won't hurt that effort. I wonder if we can ever find the middle ground between those who want inaccessible wilderness and those who would exploit our land for their own gain. Maybe it will continue to be a constant battle.

[5Dmaniac]

I've been watching all of them so far. I think it is very well done. It is very interesting to learn more about the history of the parks and the very ideas behind them. I am seriosuly thinking about ordering the DVD set. We spend a lot of time in NPs all over the country and it is easy to see the constant conflict between conservation of the wilderness and access to the parks. As someone said: we love the parks to death - just look at Yosemite. IMHO environmentalism cannot be stressed enough when it comes to NPs and even the country in general.

[Win]

I've watched all the episodes so far and pretty much agree with what Stan said. I love the history and human interest stories but too much is repetitive.

I was amazed at the amount of private money that got the parks jump started. Seems the private money today is used to exclude many from the land, through lobbying for "wilderness" designations.

The story last night about the Tetons reminds me of what is going on right now in Utah. The BLM and the state /counties are constantly at odds over control of roads in many areas.

Win

[airfrogusmc]

So far its amazing. Last night they moved into the 1940s and showed how Adams photographs helped get Kings Canyon finally saved as a National Park.

"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment."
Ansel Adams

[sparker1]

I've watched all the episodes so far and pretty much agree with what Stan said. I love the history and human interest stories but too much is repetitive.

I was amazed at the amount of private money that got the parks jump started. Seems the private money today is used to exclude many from the land, through lobbying for "wilderness" designations.

The story last night about the Tetons reminds me of what is going on right now in Utah. The BLM and the state /counties are constantly at odds over control of roads in many areas.

Win

Seems that Stephen Mather and John D. Rockefeller personally made the system what it is. Wonder why the Bill & Melissa Gates Foundation doesn't choose to donate in this arena. Or Warren Buffet.

[irishman]

Seeing this makes me wonder why the hell no one bought up the area around Sedona, AZ, and pushed it for Park status, saving it from the monstrosity it has become. In just the 12 years I've lived here the place has been degraded almost beyond recognition and certainly beyond enjoyment. A true tragedy.
(End of rant).

[FlyingPhotog]

Seeing this makes me wonder why the hell no one bought up the area around Sedona, AZ, and pushed it for Park status, saving it from the monstrosity it has become. In just the 12 years I've lived here the place has been degraded almost beyond recognition and certainly beyond enjoyment. A true tragedy.
(End of rant).

I hear where you're coming from but for someone like me, an urban, desert, flatlander, Sedona is still a very magical and enoyable place to visit whether by air or by car.

I've seen the changes wrought there as well. Not all are for the better but when I go to West Fork or Grasshopper Point, well, I still like coming up.

If Sedona ever was on Mather's radar, he probably faced the same developmental pushback that occured at many other locations. IIRC, there were established farming and orchard operations all around Sedona from a fairly early time.

[irishman]

I hear where you're coming from but for someone like me, an urban, desert, flatlander, Sedona is still a very magical and enoyable place to visit whether by air or by car.

I've seen the changes wrought there as well. Not all are for the better but when I go to West Fork or Grasshopper Point, well, I still like coming up.

If Sedona ever was on Mather's radar, he probably faced the same developmental pushback that occured at many other locations. IIRC, there were established farming and orchard operations all around Sedona from a fairly early time.

Oak Creek Canyon has been spared the worst vestiges of institutional tourism that downtown and west Sedona (Cathedral Rocks) receives, but unfortunately the fire a couple of years ago has ruined the great back country areas I enjoyed most. I pretty much avoid the whole mess anymore during the "season."

[argyle]

I enjoy shooting in and around Sedona. About the only thing I do in Sedona proper is grab a meal. Plenty of photo spots that are off the beaten path, and some that aren't. You can get some great falls shots at Slide Rock State Park (luckily, the golden hours are well before the swimmers arrive). Across the road, if you scramble down the hill, there's the Slide Rock Narrows, etc. If shooting Cathedral Rock at the crossing bores you, shooting it from the mesa is always rewarding, especially if the reflecting pools have rainwater in them. Takes a little bit of an effort to get there, but it can be very worthwhile.

[sparker1]

I wish some of the canyons around Sedona had been set aside. Who cares about the town itself? Even Sycamore Canyon should be preserved (if it hasn't been), and definitely West Fork of Oak Creek.

[WaltA]

I have recorded it on PVR and am watching it (on Episode 4 now) but I'm finding it very repetitive - as was posted earlier. They play the same photos back over and over and even somne of the same interviews.

I was REALLLY looking forward to it but they could have made it in 3 or 4 hours rather than 15 or 20 or whatever it is. I think they may have over-done some aspects of it to make it longer.