geo000666 24

NPHMSHS H SS HR V* "'s. | & "-T -j* *,M - \vk ;* V' *r g _ _ i*iT,r‘ - s ~*v* * . ' " * BbcmSs s e Is r *t'" ‘ \ t , i * «. *- "^a H SB! GETTING THEIR DUE National parks to be rewarded when scientific discoveries yield profits j^p^'mmZl Mjm $sM§ nm&mm The next time a scientist dips a test tube into a stream in Yellowstone National Park and makes a profitable discovery from it, Yellowstone will benefit too, thanks to a new policy adopt­ed this spring. The idea of benefits shar­ing dates back to 1966, when Thomas Brock took a sampling from a thermal pool in Yellow­stone that yielded the microbe Thermus aquaticus. More than a decade later, scientists extracted an enzyme from that microbe that revolutionized DNA analysis, aiding criminal investigations and advancing the diagnosis and treatment of genetic diseases. A Swiss pharmaceutical company recognized its po­tential, bought the patent for the process, and has since made hundreds of millions of dollars from that patent— but Yellowstone never saw a penny. Since then, the concept of benefits sharing has sparked heated debate in the envi­ronmental community. Critics worry that park superintendents will find themselves in a difficult ethical position, torn between protecting park resources and raising money to pad their own budgets. But researchers take only tiny samples— picture a teaspoon of mud or a beaker-full of water. The new policy also states that any money earned would go directly to resource-protection in the park where the research was conducted, and that the process will be transparent to the public. "While parks can benefit financially from research, we don't want to see research dollars serving as a Band-Aid approach to funding issues," says Patricia Dowd, program manager in NPCA's Yellowstone field office. "Congress should fund our national parks adequately and fully." Besides, says Yellowstone Spokesperson Al Nash— of the hundreds of research proj­ects happening in national parks, only a small percentage are likely to have commercial potential. "The focus is [rarely on] making a profit," he says. "It's all about adding to our understanding of the place, and the planet" —A m y Leinbach M arquis EYE-OPENER kmtrKiA £>**44 C*r« S38lt*fi In April, Audrey Peterman and Frank Peterman published LEGACY ON THE LAND: A BLACK COUPLE DISCOVERS OUR NATIONAL INHERITANCE AND WHY EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD CARE. The book details the couple's cross-country tour of our nation's parks and historic sites and reveals some often-overlooked issues regarding race, diversity, conservation, and the outdoors {see related article, page 32). To learn more about their work or purchase the book, visit www.earthwiseproductionsinc.com ($19.95, 215 pp.). The community, the political be­ings, the county, the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas have all come together for this— that doesn't often happen in the West. Lynn Davis, program manager for NPCA's Ne­vada field office, quoted in f/?ePress-Enterprise on widespread support for the designation of a national monument in Tule Springs (above), just north of the city. Thousands of fossils of mam­moths, horses, camels, lions, and bison are found in the area now controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (see story, page 16). I'd hold up an Etch A Sketch and say the monument is like this drawing. The forces of nature con­trol one knob, the public has the other. Sean Smith, policy director for NPCA's North­west regional office, quoted in National Geo­graphic's May issue, regarding the future of Mount St Helens National Monument, which is now in the care of the Forest Service, but is drawing increasing support as a potential national park unit [This plan] would have a dramatic impact on park resources and em ­bolden other energy companies to do something similar in other parks." Bryan Faehner, NPCA's associate director for park use, quoted in the Daily Record on an energy company's proposal to replace a small power line in Delaware Water Gap with a pri­mary transmission line to include 200-foot tall towers along with new roads and maintenance infrastructure (see story, page 14). SUMMER 2010 THEPRESS-ENTERPRlS