Situated in the central mountains o

Situated in the central mountains of Alaska, a peak named Denali rises 20,320 feet above sea level. It is the highest peak in North America and the center of Denali National Park. One of America's greatest wilderness areas, the park has had limited access to visitors, but 5 in spite of this tourism rose from under 6,000 visitors in 1950 to over 546,000 visitors in 1990. The increasing popularity of this park is prompting serious discussions about the future use of Denali as well as how to preserve wilderness areas in general.


10 One important issue of land use arises when parts of National Parks are owned by individuals. In Denali, though most of the land in this vast tract of more than a million acres is owned by the National Park Service, several thousand acres are still privately owned as mining tracts. These mining tracts in Denali were once abundant sources of gold, but they were sources of heavy metals such as arsenic and lead that polluted rivers and streams.


Environmentalists were successful in getting the government to require mining companies to submit statements showing the potential impact 20 of a mining project before they are allowed to begin mining. Because of this requirement, many individuals closed their mines and some sold their land to the National Park Service. Some land owners, however, are wondering if it is better to sell their land to the government or keep it for possible future use. Tourism in this previously remote 25 area is bound to rise, as more roads are built to provide easier access to the park. This increase in the number of visitors creates a demand for hotels and other real estate development. The economic implications of this are of interest to the land owners, but are dismaying to those interested in preserving the wilderness.