The preservation of rich natural diversity is one of the primary reasons for creating national parks. Countries have different definitions of national parks, but they generally need to be natural, semi-natural, or developed areas used for conservation purposes. When specific lands or ecosystems are designated as national landmarks and parks, they benefit from a legal category where their rich biodiversity is protected and conserved.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the main objectives of national parks include:

• Protecting natural biodiversity.

• Providing support for environmental processes.

• Promoting education and recreation to the public.

These areas need to be maintained in their most natural state so their ecosystems can be preserved. Because natural parks contribute to local economies through tourism, the use of the area must be managed to avoid biological or ecological degradation.

Currently, Idaho does not have any national parks. It’s one of 22 states and the only Western state in the US without a national park. However, the state does have seven National Park Service Sites, one being the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, which people have been pushing for conversion into Idaho’s first national park.

Leaders from the Change The Name Coalition are seeking to have Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve shift from the classification of national monument to national park in hopes of revitalizing their “dying community.” 

County Commissioner Rose Bernal said that the city is steadily losing businesses and that the school lacks enrollment. School Board Chairwoman Marie Cummins believes that their 215,000 visitors will increase by 30%, just like other national landmarks that were changed into national parks within the last ten years.

On the other hand, some people are opposed to this change. The Idaho Farm Bureau does not want to entrust the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve to the federal government. Spokesman John Thompson said that they praise the intention of the leaders in Arco to revitalize their town. However, their group fears what the centralization of power in the federal government has the potential to do. He stated further: “Our concern is that it has to go through Congress, and a lot of things can change in that process.”

The question for debate is, should Idaho get a national park in the state?