1
00:00:35,830 --> 00:00:33,990
hello my name is jeff williams speaking

2
00:00:38,549 --> 00:00:35,840
to you from the orbital outpost we call

3
00:00:40,630 --> 00:00:38,559
the international space station

4
00:00:42,869 --> 00:00:40,640
space explorers are drawn into the

5
00:00:45,270 --> 00:00:42,879
heavens but it seems once we get here

6
00:00:47,430 --> 00:00:45,280
our attention is drawn back to earth

7
00:00:49,590 --> 00:00:47,440
this unique vantage point brings an

8
00:00:51,270 --> 00:00:49,600
endless panorama of natural beauty and

9
00:00:53,110 --> 00:00:51,280
awesome grandeur that is found in the

10
00:00:55,110 --> 00:00:53,120
world below

11
00:00:57,270 --> 00:00:55,120
our national park system is often called

12
00:00:58,869 --> 00:00:57,280
america's best idea

13
00:01:00,869 --> 00:00:58,879
and from low earth orbit it's not

14
00:01:02,950 --> 00:01:00,879
difficult to understand why

15
00:01:05,109 --> 00:01:02,960
many of the large-scale parks are easily

16
00:01:07,429 --> 00:01:05,119
seen from the space station their rugged

17
00:01:09,990 --> 00:01:07,439
beauty and unspoiled terrains reveal a

18
00:01:11,590 --> 00:01:10,000
geographical landscape as diverse as

19
00:01:13,910 --> 00:01:11,600
america itself

20
00:01:15,830 --> 00:01:13,920
and the smaller parks although often

21
00:01:17,830 --> 00:01:15,840
unseen from space are every bit as

22
00:01:20,550 --> 00:01:17,840
significant and crucial to the overall

23
00:01:22,950 --> 00:01:20,560
landscape and time scale of american

24
00:01:24,630 --> 00:01:22,960
history and culture

25
00:01:26,469 --> 00:01:24,640
my affection for the national parks

26
00:01:29,030 --> 00:01:26,479
began when i was a child

27
00:01:31,190 --> 00:01:29,040
my father a high school history teacher

28
00:01:33,350 --> 00:01:31,200
was also a seasonal park ranger for the

29
00:01:35,510 --> 00:01:33,360
national park service and he would move

30
00:01:37,590 --> 00:01:35,520
our family from wisconsin to wyoming in

31
00:01:39,510 --> 00:01:37,600
the summers where he served at devils

32
00:01:40,950 --> 00:01:39,520
tower national monument

33
00:01:43,109 --> 00:01:40,960
while living at devil's tower and

34
00:01:45,030 --> 00:01:43,119
several times in subsequent years we

35
00:01:47,910 --> 00:01:45,040
traveled to some of america's other

36
00:01:51,670 --> 00:01:47,920
majestic parks including the stark

37
00:01:54,630 --> 00:01:51,680
badlands of south dakota

38
00:01:55,749 --> 00:01:54,640
montana's spectacular glacier national

39
00:01:59,030 --> 00:01:55,759
park

40
00:02:00,870 --> 00:01:59,040
and the magnificent yellowstone

41
00:02:02,789 --> 00:02:00,880
it was in these parks where my father

42
00:02:05,590 --> 00:02:02,799
encouraged us to explore the world

43
00:02:08,309 --> 00:02:05,600
around us learn from it and gain an

44
00:02:10,389 --> 00:02:08,319
appreciation for all its wonders the

45
00:02:12,630 --> 00:02:10,399
national parks became a classroom a

46
00:02:14,550 --> 00:02:12,640
generation later i followed in my

47
00:02:16,390 --> 00:02:14,560
father's footsteps and introduced my own

48
00:02:18,630 --> 00:02:16,400
family to the wonders found within the

49
00:02:20,869 --> 00:02:18,640
parks visiting not only those

50
00:02:23,750 --> 00:02:20,879
experienced in my childhood but many

51
00:02:25,990 --> 00:02:23,760
others including the grand canyon

52
00:02:27,270 --> 00:02:26,000
sequoia in king's canyon

53
00:02:29,430 --> 00:02:27,280
yosemite

54
00:02:31,670 --> 00:02:29,440
and other historical parks in places

55
00:02:33,270 --> 00:02:31,680
like boston massachusetts and washington

56
00:02:35,589 --> 00:02:33,280
d.c

57
00:02:38,229 --> 00:02:35,599
the national park system reveals some of

58
00:02:40,309 --> 00:02:38,239
the very best that america has to offer

59
00:02:42,229 --> 00:02:40,319
and reflects the democracy under which

60
00:02:44,470 --> 00:02:42,239
it was developed

61
00:02:45,990 --> 00:02:44,480
in many ways it is a centerpiece of

62
00:02:48,869 --> 00:02:46,000
americana

63
00:02:51,270 --> 00:02:48,879
from its inception over 100 years ago

64
00:02:53,670 --> 00:02:51,280
the national park service has grown from

65
00:02:55,830 --> 00:02:53,680
one park poorly funded and threatened by

66
00:02:58,869 --> 00:02:55,840
other interests to a vast system of

67
00:03:01,190 --> 00:02:58,879
protected national parks monuments

68
00:03:04,149 --> 00:03:01,200
seashores wildlife preserves

69
00:03:06,790 --> 00:03:04,159
recreational areas and historical sites

70
00:03:09,190 --> 00:03:06,800
spanning over 84 million acres

71
00:03:11,350 --> 00:03:09,200
the first park yellowstone was in fact

72
00:03:13,830 --> 00:03:11,360
the very first of its kind in the world

73
00:03:15,589 --> 00:03:13,840
a national park established exclusively

74
00:03:17,509 --> 00:03:15,599
for the benefit and enjoyment of the

75
00:03:19,509 --> 00:03:17,519
people

76
00:03:21,589 --> 00:03:19,519
from low earth orbit i've had the unique

77
00:03:23,270 --> 00:03:21,599
opportunity to observe and extensively

78
00:03:26,070 --> 00:03:23,280
photograph a number of the visually

79
00:03:28,630 --> 00:03:26,080
prominent parks denali national park

80
00:03:31,350 --> 00:03:28,640
which cradles its namesake the high one

81
00:03:32,470 --> 00:03:31,360
also known as mount mckinley at over 20

82
00:03:34,309 --> 00:03:32,480
000 feet

83
00:03:35,990 --> 00:03:34,319
a mountain so high that it creates its

84
00:03:38,149 --> 00:03:36,000
own weather system

85
00:03:40,710 --> 00:03:38,159
overwhelming in scope and beauty the

86
00:03:43,270 --> 00:03:40,720
grand canyon exposes a majestic gash

87
00:03:46,550 --> 00:03:43,280
into the earth up to 18 miles wide a

88
00:03:47,670 --> 00:03:46,560
mile deep and an incredible 270 miles

89
00:03:49,750 --> 00:03:47,680
long

90
00:03:51,190 --> 00:03:49,760
the grand teton national park provides

91
00:03:53,190 --> 00:03:51,200
us with one of the most striking

92
00:03:56,470 --> 00:03:53,200
mountain ranges in the world rising

93
00:03:58,869 --> 00:03:56,480
above the valley of jackson hole

94
00:04:00,789 --> 00:03:58,879
the national mall in washington dc and

95
00:04:03,030 --> 00:04:00,799
its own spectrum of unique sites and

96
00:04:04,550 --> 00:04:03,040
memorials gives preservation to our

97
00:04:05,750 --> 00:04:04,560
culture and the history of our great

98
00:04:07,670 --> 00:04:05,760
nation

99
00:04:09,670 --> 00:04:07,680
the enormous wrangle saint elias

100
00:04:12,309 --> 00:04:09,680
national park which includes nine of the

101
00:04:14,630 --> 00:04:12,319
16 highest peaks in the united states

102
00:04:17,189 --> 00:04:14,640
where glaciers and volcanoes lie side by

103
00:04:19,110 --> 00:04:17,199
side across a 13 million acre landscape

104
00:04:20,789 --> 00:04:19,120
and rivers of ice flow into the gulf of

105
00:04:23,270 --> 00:04:20,799
alaska

106
00:04:25,189 --> 00:04:23,280
hawaii volcanoes national park where

107
00:04:27,670 --> 00:04:25,199
active volcanoes produce rivers of

108
00:04:29,749 --> 00:04:27,680
molten lava and ecosystems range from

109
00:04:31,189 --> 00:04:29,759
fertile tropical forest to barren

110
00:04:33,510 --> 00:04:31,199
deserts

111
00:04:35,990 --> 00:04:33,520
death valley national park one of the

112
00:04:37,909 --> 00:04:36,000
lowest driest and hottest places on

113
00:04:39,990 --> 00:04:37,919
earth with the surprising beauty and

114
00:04:42,550 --> 00:04:40,000
grandeur of its own

115
00:04:44,550 --> 00:04:42,560
crater lake national park featuring a

116
00:04:47,350 --> 00:04:44,560
distinctive lake formed in a collapsed

117
00:04:49,110 --> 00:04:47,360
volcano at approximately 2000 feet deep

118
00:04:51,510 --> 00:04:49,120
crater lake is the deepest lake in the

119
00:04:54,469 --> 00:04:51,520
united states with arguably some of the

120
00:04:57,030 --> 00:04:54,479
most pristine water found on earth

121
00:04:59,670 --> 00:04:57,040
as a young boy i traveled with my father

122
00:05:02,230 --> 00:04:59,680
to isle royal national park containing

123
00:05:03,830 --> 00:05:02,240
the largest island in lake superior my

124
00:05:06,550 --> 00:05:03,840
memories of that trip include the

125
00:05:08,390 --> 00:05:06,560
presence of moose wolves and large lake

126
00:05:11,029 --> 00:05:08,400
trout off the pier

127
00:05:13,189 --> 00:05:11,039
the apostle island national lakeshore a

128
00:05:15,430 --> 00:05:13,199
collection of 21 islands located in

129
00:05:17,670 --> 00:05:15,440
northern wisconsin on the shores of lake

130
00:05:20,230 --> 00:05:17,680
superior known for their historic

131
00:05:23,189 --> 00:05:20,240
lighthouses and offshore shipwrecks as

132
00:05:26,150 --> 00:05:23,199
well as ancient sandstone ice caves and

133
00:05:28,550 --> 00:05:26,160
abundant wildlife

134
00:05:31,670 --> 00:05:28,560
the national park system is truly one of

135
00:05:33,749 --> 00:05:31,680
america's greatest ideas these unique

136
00:05:36,070 --> 00:05:33,759
and diverse parks monuments and

137
00:05:38,710 --> 00:05:36,080
historical and cultural sites have made

138
00:05:40,950 --> 00:05:38,720
a tremendous impact on my life as well

139
00:05:43,110 --> 00:05:40,960
as the lives of my family and millions

140
00:05:45,189 --> 00:05:43,120
of people across the globe their

141
00:05:47,350 --> 00:05:45,199
contributions to america cannot be

142
00:05:50,550 --> 00:05:47,360
overstated they provide a source of

143
00:05:53,590 --> 00:05:50,560
recreation relaxation education and

144
00:05:55,670 --> 00:05:53,600
inspiration to countless of individuals

145
00:05:58,230 --> 00:05:55,680
they also preserve and protect america's

146
00:05:59,670 --> 00:05:58,240
most beautiful natural landscapes and

147
00:06:01,189 --> 00:05:59,680
cultural history

148
00:06:02,790 --> 00:06:01,199
as an astronaut one of my favorite

149
00:06:05,110 --> 00:06:02,800
efforts supported by the national park

150
00:06:07,189 --> 00:06:05,120
service is the night skies initiative

151
00:06:09,350 --> 00:06:07,199
which focuses on preserving areas within

152
00:06:11,110 --> 00:06:09,360
the national parks that are devoid of

153
00:06:12,870 --> 00:06:11,120
artificial light so that people may

154
00:06:15,670 --> 00:06:12,880
appreciate and learn about the

155
00:06:18,070 --> 00:06:15,680
miraculous cosmos surrounding us as john

156
00:06:19,990 --> 00:06:18,080
murray once said the clearest way into

157
00:06:22,710 --> 00:06:20,000
the universe is through a forest

158
00:06:25,029 --> 00:06:22,720
wilderness on the centennial anniversary

159
00:06:26,790 --> 00:06:25,039
of our national park service i would

160
00:06:29,350 --> 00:06:26,800
like to take this opportunity to

161
00:06:31,430 --> 00:06:29,360
congratulate those who serve in it as

162
00:06:33,990 --> 00:06:31,440
well as those who support it and enjoy

163
00:06:37,029 --> 00:06:34,000
its benefits and express my sincere

164
00:06:39,430 --> 00:06:37,039
appreciation for educating and inspiring

165
00:06:41,749 --> 00:06:39,440
this and every generation

166
00:06:44,390 --> 00:06:41,759
your stewardship is preserving a

167
00:06:46,390 --> 00:06:44,400
critical and integral part of america

168
00:06:48,469 --> 00:06:46,400
and american culture

169
00:06:50,309 --> 00:06:48,479
and i encourage all present and future

170
00:06:52,870 --> 00:06:50,319
explorers to take this incredible

171
00:06:55,270 --> 00:06:52,880
opportunity that is available to you and

172
00:06:57,589 --> 00:06:55,280
your families to find your park explore

173
00:06:59,110 --> 00:06:57,599
your park and most importantly to