"I think that when people go to a national park, they’re provided a compass to history. And so the parks become a mirror of who we are, of our own identity, not just as American, our identity as human beings, as a species, as how we fit in to everything else around us." -Shelton Johnson, Park Ranger
Filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature’s most spectacular locales – from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska – THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA is nonetheless a story of people: people from every conceivable background – rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy. It is a story full of struggle and conflict, high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration – set against the most breathtaking backdrops imaginable. THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA is a six-episode series directed by Ken Burns and written and co-produced by Dayton Duncan. Airing nationally beginning Sunday, September 27th.
For more information, please visit: www.pbs.org/nationalparks
