National Park Centennial, The Art of Forgery

National Parks Guest: Jeremy Barnum, Public Affairs Specialist for the National Park Service; David Quammen, Writer of the May issue of National Geographic on Yellowstone National Park  It’s been 100 years since President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the National Park Service. At the time, there were 35 national parks and monuments. Yellowstone was the first – it had already been a national park for 44 years by that time, so clearly, Americans had an inkling that wild spaces and historical places mattered enough to give them special attention – special protection. As the National Park Service turns 100, there are some 400 national parks and 20,000 employees looking after them. Then we'll explore the vastness of Yellowstone with writer David Quammen who wrote the May issue of National Geographic. He says one of the greatest threats to America’s wild places is us – the millions of people who visit them every year.  PODCAST EXTRA: Battling Noise Pollution in National Parks Guest: Kezia Nielsen, Environmental Protection Specialist at Zion National Park One of the problems that plagues many of our most popular national parks is noise.  Take Zion National Park in Southern Utah – over 2 million people visit it each year to take in the breathtaking views and peaceful sounds of nature. But increasingly, peaceful sounds have been interrupted by manmade noises.  So, in 2010, Zion became the first national park in the U.S. to create a Soundscape Management Plan intent on eliminating noise pollution. Student producer Brandi Bronson prepared this report on the plan, which first aired on BYUradio in December 2014. The Art of Forgery  Guest: Noah Charney, author, art historian found of ARCA – the Association for Research into Crimes against Art  Art forgery is among the most romanticized of crimes and often considered victimless, unless you’re inclined to feel bad for the uber-rich or the supremely-snobbish folks suckered by an imposter’s canvas. Forgery is a crime, though – and a difficult one to prosecute, according to Noah Chaney’s new book “The Art of Forgery.”  Among the most surprising revelations in his book about the greatest art forgers of all time is his suggestion that rarely is the forgery motivated by money. Rather, the most successful forgers are out to prove their artistic genius or to exact revenge on the art houses that fail to see that genius. In some incredible cases, the forger does it all for fame – even leaving clues in the forged work, hoping to be discovered.