Finally! An administration that understands that national parks aren’t a place for nature. They’re refuges for snowmobiles, off-road vehicles, cell phone towers, and lots of artificial lights!

The Interior Department’s proposed changes hinge on what Park Service employees say is a revision of what they have been taught is one of the highest priorities: to do no harm to the park.

Since its inception in 1916, the Park Service has been charged with maintaining parks “unimpaired” for future generations to enjoy. According to current policies, when park officials determine an activity may lead to impairment, officials are authorized to ban the activity.

The proposed changes would alter the definition of impairment from “an impact to any park resource or value [that] may constitute an impairment” to one that can be proved to “permanently and irreversibly adversely [affect] a resource or value.” Critics say the new definition would set a standard that is impossibly high.

It’s also good that the author of these policy changes believes that national parks are the perfect place to subtley give government sponsorship to religious ideas:

Last year, [assistant secretary of the Interior Paul Hoffman] overruled the decision of the superintendent at Grand Canyon National Park to remove religious plaques on display near the South Rim. And he instructed the park to allow a book that espoused a creationist view of the canyon’s formation, which runs counter to the park’s own scientific-based approach and had been criticized by the park’s scientific staff.

And don’t worry. The man has excellent credentials for setting park policy:

Before being appointed, Hoffman “ran the chamber of commerce in Cody, Wyo., a gateway to Yellowstone National Park, where he opposed the park’s attempt to ban snowmobile tourism, opposed reintroduction of wolves, and called for more development of the park” (source). This is hardly enough to qualify someone to work in the Interior. The key, of course, is that Hoffman is a political appointee. His qualifications? “He recieved a bachelor degree in economics and biology at the University of California at San Diego, Revelle College. He is an avid hunter, angler, horseman and skier” states the Administration’s announcement of the appointment. Actually, this bio points out that his BS is in economics and his biological qualification is only a minor…

Commercial interests and national land set aside for nature preservation and the peaceful enjoyment of all citizens: perfect together!