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October 26, 2006
u.s. national parks
Why I'm asking the poll question is hidden in the extended entry, please don't read it until you've responded. Thanks for your help.
In my human ecology course one of our many assignments this week is to look at a list of national parks and pick a _lesser known_ park we'd like to visit and why. Then we are to post in the public discussion board.
One of the students definitely picked a well known national park, The Everglades, for crying out loud. The teacher publicly asked her to pick a different park as it's definitely not a lesser known one.
I then noticed that someone posted about Carlsbad Caverns and that the professor had responded to it. Clicking on the professors response, I expected another "please pick a lesser known park, this one isn't" response, but instead it was "can't wait to hear about your trip after next week!" (the person is actually going to Carlsbad next week).
I've ALWAYS known about Carlsbad Caverns. Maybe it's because I'm from the west coast. But it got me thinking: Do others know about it? Am I really all _that_ savvy on the national park scene?
Hence the poll.
I did look it up and The Everglades (which is bigger than Carlsbad and covers a LOT of land) has over 1 million visitors a year, and Carlsbad Caverns (nowhere near the amount of land as The Everglades) half a million. I've asked my teacher if there's a number she's looking for with regards to visitors and her definition of a "lesser known" park....I wonder what she'll say.
Posted by jennj at October 26, 2006 02:31 PM
Clue-ments:
I have to admit, I have heard of Carlsbad Caverns from somewhere in the recesses of the blackness in my head, but didn't realize it was a national park, so I didn't check it off. Maybe your instructor just wants reports on places he/she (?) hasn't been.
Posted by: Headpigeon at October 26, 2006 04:38 PM
Yeah, can't help you about how well known Carlsbad Caverns are off the left-coast, since I can't remember if my awareness of them dates as far back as when we lived in Rochester.
I didn't realize Death Valley had been promoted. Last time I was there, I'm pretty sure it was still a National Monument.
Posted by: Ulrika O'Brien at October 26, 2006 04:46 PM
I know I must have been quite young when I first heard about the Caverns, tho, since I remember being disappointed at quite an early age to discover that the caverns are nowhere near Carlsbad, California, 'cause they seemed so cool. Best I've managed is Lava Beds.
Posted by: Ulrika O'Brien at October 26, 2006 04:58 PM
HP - Ah, a sign that I could have written the survey question a little better. The thing with the instructor is, she's very clear in her posts that it's supposed to be "lesser known". Now, maybe to her "lesser known" means "parks I haven't visited"....hmm.....
Posted by: cf at October 26, 2006 05:37 PM
Ulrika - Yup, all of the choices listed are now (or always were) national parks. Okay, so potentially there is no regional reason for why one wouldn't or would have heard of Carlsbad Caverns - headpigeons is from Georgia.
Course, these are few data points and not scientific. :-)
Aw, I can see why you'd be disappointed finding out they aren't in Carlsbad, CA.
Posted by: cf at October 26, 2006 05:42 PM
I've heard of them all except Voyaguers National Park. I only voted for Yosimete because it was the only one I thought was "well-known". I guess I was thinking that "well-known" would be something that people from other countries would know of and want to come visit.
Posted by: Kristin at October 26, 2006 05:56 PM
Kristin - That makes sense and is a part of my frustration with the subjective "lesser known". If we use why you picked Yosemite and none of the others, then Carlsbad and the Everglades would count equally as "lesser known". And then the student could have kept their original post and not have been publicly chastised.
I've asked her for clarification and if the park I picked is considered by her to be "lesser known". :-)
Posted by: cf at October 26, 2006 06:13 PM
Hmmm, I have heard of all of these though I might not have immediately known whether or not they were Nat'l Parks (as opposed to State Parks, Nat'l Monuments, etc.) However, I only picked Yosemite because I read the question as "parks that the majority of US citizens would know about". Given past experience with people's dismal knowledge of geography, I figured that a lot of them would NOT be considered well-known by that standard.
-Donna
Posted by: Donna at October 26, 2006 11:38 PM
Donna - Yeah, I've already learned that I should have worded the survey question differently (and if you read through the comments, you'll see that all of them are now national parks, fyi). I didn't even think about the whole geographic ignorance angle.
I did find out that the teacher does think that Carlsbad caverns are well known, however, she gave special dispensation because she didn't know anything specific about the park. I think HP nailed it.
Posted by: cf at October 27, 2006 06:49 AM