Should More Utah Locations Become National Parks?

National Parks Traveler has this interesting article discussing the merit of converting some national monuments into national parks. It discusses two Utah monuments, Cedar Breaks and Dinosaur, and allows readers to comment.

The article itself is informative, and the reader comments are supportive. Below are excerpts from some of the comments.

D Staniforth - I visited Cedar Breaks National Monument in October 2008 and was amazed by it... As a foreign visitor (British) I'm always eager to see the diverse areas of the US National Park system, and even though it's not a National Park in name, I do believe Cedar Breaks and its amphitheater definitely has what it takes - and it also deserves more attention.

R Tipton - It has been our consistent position at NPCA that we will support existing Monuments being re-designated and "upgraded" to Nationla Parks if sufficient land is added to the current boundaries to meet the diversity of resources and attractions test that is set forth by the Park Service in the National Parks Index. It is clear the brand of "national park" has real value to attract greater numbers of visitors, and we are happy that is the case. At the same time, we shouldn't cheapen the brand by automatically converting National Monuments to National Parks. There are cases-- and Dinosaur is a good example-- where a ver y good argument can be made that existing Monuments already meet the criteria for being National Parks.

Jeanie - I'm in total agreement with making Dinosaur a National Park. My daughter and son-in-law worked there for around three years and we made a couple of trips out there, and it is an awesome place. From the rivers to the mini-grand canyon area on the Colorado side, and then the dinosaur bones themselves....it is beautiful, and so unexpected in such a remote location. I hope it gets its designation.