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The Mather Homestead Essay Contest: Why are the National Parks important for kids? Submission by: Juliet Chattaway, 6th grade, New Canaan Country School The first time I visited a National Park, I remember being awed by water suddenly shooting up into the air from a geyser, a glistening lake that was so still and perfect it seemed unreal, and the enormous mountains that towered over us all. My family fished on the Snake River, swam in translucent lakes, hiked through thick forests with plants and flowers squeezed into every nook and around every corner, and took many, many pictures. My experiences taught me that the National Parks are important for kids because they are special places full of natural wonders where kids can do something fun outdoors with their family, they are a non-hectic and inexpensive travel destination accessible to all, and they help kids learn about nature and inspire them to protect the environment. The National Parks are very important for kids, and the United States would be very different without them. The first reason why National Parks are important for kids is that they are full of natural wonders, such as waterfalls, geysers, lakes, streams, canyons, glaciers and mountains. Kids can experience different landscapes, animals, and plants that they probably do not get to see in their daily lives, and participate in outdoor activities like canoeing, hiking and camping. Kids of all ages and abilities can find something fun to do outside with their families. Also, the National Parks provide destinations for families to travel to in the United States, other than amusement parks, cities, ski resorts and beaches. A visit to a National Park is a much more affordable vacation compared to many other American vacation destinations. Also, activities such as hiking, bird-watching, camping, fishing and looking at the sights in a National Park are not as hectic and overstimulating as shopping and walking around a big city or standing in line and fighting the crowds at an amusement park. Lastly, the existence of National Parks shows kids that adults are committed to protecting the environment. Kids always hear adults saying that we need to protect the environment, but it is difficult to see concrete ways in which adults are actually conserving and caring for the environment. By preserving large areas of nature and not overdeveloping them with houses or buildings, kids can see that adults care about the environment. When kids visit a National Park, they can see how beautiful the world is without buildings and man-made structures, which can inspire kids to protect the environment and conserve land, too. For these reasons and more, the National Parks are really important for kids. I will never forget the time my family and I were fishing on the Snake River, talking and laughing, and a courageous bald eagle started swooping down, trying to take the mountain whitefish that I was reeling in. It was a picture-perfect American moment. All kids should get to experience the National Parks with their families, and we are so lucky to have these beautiful preserved natural areas in the United States.

On the east wall of the dining room of the Mather Homestead hangs a portrait of Edward Walker. Edward Walker is the maternal grand-father of Stephen Tyng Mather. He was the father of Stephen’s mother, Bertha Jemima Walker. As noted in an earlier Memento, Edward Walker was a congregant at St. George’s Church where Stephen Tyng was pastor. Three of Edward’s children, including Bertha, were married at St. George’s. Edward Walker was born 30 October 1803 in England and died 15 January 1879 and is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Edward married Sophia Ann Shedell (1 April 1802-6 Jun 1871) on 16 November 1823. Edward emigrated to New York in 1832 and in 1836 established his own bookbinding concern, the New York Bookbindery. He later renamed the business, E. Walker & Sons, having trained his two sons, Joseph and James, in the business. His was regarded as the largest bookbindery in New York City in the mid-nineteenth century and produced edition binding services for institutional libraries and custom bindings for collectors. In the attic of the Homestead there is a photograph that includes the five children mentioned in the obituary. The photograph, taken from a daguerreotype, is from about 1854. Edward’s wife Sophia (in the picture) died in 1871. The widow mentioned in the obituary was Emily Hogg Walker whom Edward married 6 July 1872. Stephen T. Mather’s mother, Bertha, is at the left in the photograph. By 1854 the two sons were married. Elizabeth (center) married Samuel Turner in 1860 and Sophia (right) married Charles Taylor in 1880. An accompanying note indicates that the grandchildren are blurred because of the exposure time required for the daguerreotype. Edward Walker was born just 25 years after the Homestead was built by Deacon Joseph Mather in 1778. Less than a century later, with the marriage of his daughter, Bertha, to Joseph Wakeman Mather, his enriching contribution to the cultural foundations of the nation would become an enduring part of the history of the Mather Homestead. Note regarding photo 3: Bound by Edward Walker, Bound for Queen Victoria, Sermon Preached before the St. George Society In New York

The question for anyone who has watched the CBS television series NCIS over the years must be, how do you get the boat out of the basement? At the Homestead, it has to be, how do you get a spinning wheel into the attic? And not just one, but two! Two great wheel spinning wheels up a narrow, dimly-lit staircase with turns and into their spaces beneath the eaves. One great wheel is 42” in diameter; the other is 44”. In the appraiser’s evaluation of the contents of the Homestead, it was noted: “The McPhersons collected antique objects for their home not apparently for investment value per se but from the desire to honor the legacy of the 200-plus year history in the Homestead by furnishing rooms period style.” Although these two great wheel spinning wheels were not original to the Homestead, having them extends the Homestead’s ability to more fully share meaningful aspects of colonial life with students and visitors. Now the only remaining question…When the time comes, how do we get them out of the attic?

Next to a small wooden cradle in the Homestead attic is a large wooden chest with a hinged lid. The chest is empty except for a few books at the bottom—25 in all. Books written for children and read by children. The books fully represent two generations of Mathers. One book bears the dedication, “Bettie With love and a Happy Birthday from Aunt Maria Walker, August 10th 1912” This was given to Stephen T. Mather’s daughter, Bertha, to mark her sixth birthday. On the inside of four books is written “John and Edward McPherson.” Edward McPherson would become Bertha’s husband; John was his twin brother. Other books have bookplates or inscriptions for each of Bertha and Edward’s three children, Anne, Stephen, and Jane. Among the books are the first three in the Mary Poppins series (of 8). By 1942, the first book, Mary Poppins, was already in its fourteenth printing. Robinson Crusoe, Calvert of Maryland, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, the Indians of the Pueblos and the Bennikins-Bunnies all harmoniously share the comfort of chest. Why do we save certain books or toys? And then in time, wonder why we did? But gratefully, these books were saved and with them we are rewarded with one more glimpse into growing up at the Homestead. Photos: The Bennikins-Bunnies at Camp/ Nibbles Poppelty-Poppett Mary Poppins Comes Back/Mary Poppins/Mary Poppins Opens the Door A Treasury of Tales for Little Folks/Robinson Crusoe/Folk Tales Retold Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens Ruth of Boston/Richard of Jamestown/Calvert of Maryland/Peter of New Amsterdam James Otis (Kaler) American Book Company Series. Copyright 1910

In the Homestead attic there is a large, curved-top, hide-covered trunk. Inside, a small blue book with the simple title: “Autographs.” Written on the flyleaf: “Joseph Mather December 25, 1878.” The book belonged to Stephen Mather’s younger brother, Joseph, who was born 8 January 1869 to Joseph Wakeman Mather and Bertha Jemima Walker Mather. The book has entries from 1879 and 1880. It contains autographs, sentiments, and illustrations from classmates in San Francisco. Today we’d be hard-pressed to find anyone under sixty with such refined cursive handwriting, much less children of ten or eleven! The book has a true San Francisco flavor with sketches of boats—and cable cars. Some wishes are simple, no doubt typical of “yearbook” inscriptions of the era. Some are more personal. Joseph Mather died 4 February 1888, less than eight years after the last entry. The San Francisco Examiner reported: “MATHER-In this city, February 4, Joseph W. Mather, Jr., a native of San Fran-cisco, aged 19 years and 17 days.” According to a biography of Stephen Mather, the cause was spinal meningitis. Robert Grier’s entry of April 2nd 1880 speaks of the hopes we all share: “It only takes a little spot, To write the words forget me not.” Photo 1: Stephen and Joseph Mather

Why are the National Parks Important for Kids? By Benjamin Kelsey National Parks are full of gifts for children. They are spaces where the history of our country gets preserved so we can learn about it in the future. They protect many animal and floral species that could not survive if our cities and fields for growing food keep expanding. They are the best playgrounds to explore, relax, imagine, and connect with the outdoors. I have been very fortunate to visit several national parks and have many others on my wish list. I became a Junior Park Ranger in Montezuma Castle in Arizona. This is a monument that guards Native American history by preserving a really cool group of caves carved into a limestone wall. There are hundreds of birds that nest in holes on this wall and you can spend a very long time watching them come and go in search of food. It is amazing to see how Native Americans built these homes in the stone and survived the hot desert around them. Limestone helps keep the temperature of the caves cool. Another amazing place is Acadia National Park in Maine. We spent several days hiking on trails covered with moss and lichen, and looking for interesting mushrooms. There is an island that you can walk to following a rocky trail, there, you can see many fun shells, jelly fish, and birds, but if you spend too much time, the rocky trail disappears in the water and you will be trapped until the tide goes out again. I also enjoyed watching the sun rising on Cadillac Mountain. It is the first place in the US where the sun shines. We had to be there at 4 am, it was dark as night and very cold. There were other people and their dogs and we were all quiet waiting for the first rays of sun. Another favorite park of mine is the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. We spent a couple of weeks visiting the park and explored many trails with cliffs and waterfalls. I saw a mama bear with her three cubs. She crossed the path right in front of us and two of her cubs followed; we had to wait for the third one who was far behind and had to climb a tree to smell the family and follow them. A park ranger was keeping everyone safe, especially the bears. I like how much rangers and signs teach people to not leave garbage, and definitely not feed the animals, so they don’t learn that humans mean food. Speaking of food, my favorite memory at the Smokey Mountains is seating on top of a very high mountain rock and eating our snack of beef jerky while watching the valley. I hope that all children get to experience the gifts of National Parks and that the grown-ups keep helping protect the parks and teach how great they are. I also hope to explore Utah’s National Parks some day!

When I was younger, I was afraid of bears. It wasn’t just a vague unease around the topic. No, I had a debilitating phobia. The woods next to my house were no longer safe because they harbored grizzlies. Every clump of leaves hid a bear, and every clump of hair belonged to one. Once in kindergarten, one of my classmates was absent and I mournfully assumed the inevitable had happened. Bear attacks were no joke, after all. Few survived. Every time I look back on this dark part of my childhood, I feel regret. I never needed to fear bears the way I did. I was shielded from reality, not realizing how beautiful and gentle they really are. Now I realize how easy it would have been to understand. All I had to do was go to a national park. National parks are preservations of particularly unique ecosystems. Not only do they protect a certain area, they make it accessible to the public. For most people, this is life changing. We’re often told to love the environment, but there’s no way for us to know exactly why until we see it for ourselves. After hiking through the woods, watching herds of buffalo, and climbing a mountain, you’re pretty much forced to appreciate everything nature has to offer, even bears. It doesn’t stop there. Besides the basic information you’re bound to pick up, the amazingly diverse wildlife of national parks reveals surprising life lessons. The hedgehog cactus, for instance, can endure even the coldest winters, and gray wolves mate for life and protect their young together. There’s value in the quiet things. Everyone can learn from them. The sheer magnificence of national parks carries an even bigger impact on us. Our world is being destroyed by pollution and deforestation, and these places give us reason to care. Seeing our planet firsthand will show us how precious it is. We are the future of a degrading Earth, and it’s more important than ever for us to get educated about conservation and sustainability. Programs in national parks teach us everything we need to know about our role in protecting the planet, and what we can do to fulfill it. I know that many people put meaning in their lives with work, school, and social media. Like a bear-hating toddler, the human world is all they’re familiar with. While it is an important part of our lives, nature is worth it, too. Don’t shelter yourself from Earth’s wonders, everyone. Open your eyes and go to a national park. There’s no way to know how far it’ll take you or the planet.

National Parks: Our Nation's Treasure by Pavana Attonito, grade 6 Filtered sunlight seeps in through a thick canopy of spruce trees and rests its sleepy fingers on carpets of plush moss and ferns. Waves crash against the rocks, spraying foam into the faces of playful otters resurfacing with a shiny fish in their paws, and sea stars and anemones flourish in tide pools. Waterfalls roar as they tumble down from majestic heights, surrounded by snowcapped mountains. These magical treasures and more can be found in our country’s national parks. National parks are pieces of land chosen for their natural, historic and cultural values. They are protected by the federal government for the preservation of wildlife and public enjoyment, and are an important part of our country’s history and future. One reason why national parks are so important is because they preserve and protect wildlife and their habitats. National parks are full of diverse species, many of which can only be found in these parks, such as the Olympic Marmot, an adorable, fluffy rodent, and the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, a rare tree that can be more than 4,000 years old. Additionally, more than 600 endangered species can be found in national parks. The federal protections given to national parks help ensure that their habitats are protected and that these species do not become extinct. National parks are also important because they provide accessible, open spaces for the enjoyment of people from all walks of life. When people visit the parks, they can learn so much about the surrounding wildlife and trees. As the oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle once said, “With knowing comes caring.” If we learn more about something, then we can understand and better care for it. In turn, people who otherwise might not care may want to protect our environment. The protections given to national parks can also help fight against the impacts of climate change. Higher ocean levels can flood parks with seawater, pushing out animals who cannot survive salt water, particularly in places like the Everglades, Olympic National Park and Dry Tortugas. Some parks may face stronger storms and flooding, and others may face frequent droughts and wildfires. Due to warming temperatures, snow and ice are melting at a faster rate and spring flood cycles are changing. Trees are homes for many animals, but deforestation can displace these animals. Without the protections of national parks, the effects of climate change on these areas would be much worse. National parks are important because they are home to so many plants and animals that rely on their protected environments. No matter what you look like or what you believe, visiting our country’s national parks can bring us together. When we visit national parks, we can truly appreciate the natural beauty that Earth provides, and when learning about the remarkable wonders, we will care about our planet and its fragile friends. Climate change may try to tear our planet apart, but with national parks, we have hope to sustain the incredible species on our planet for future generations. Works Cited National Park Service. “NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service).” Nps.gov, 2017, www.nps.gov/index.htm.