Why are the White Mountains a national forest, not a national park – and does it matter?

Today’s the centennial of the National Park Service, which is one of the great things that America has accomplished (we basically got the idea going and plenty of other countries, thankfully, have followed suit).

The Monitor has an interesting localizer – a story that gives a local twist to a national event –  looking into why the White Mountains National Forest isn’t a national park, since it virtually acts as one.

Spoiler alert: It’s due to history rather than geography or politics: It got set aside before the national park system was underway.

Here’s the article, which is well worth a perusal.