Lights in the desert: Anniversaries and celebrations

摘要

In the press of everyday living, we often miss the significance of birthdays, historic celebrations, or events that bear on our lives but somehow do not capture our attention at the moment. Such may be the case with one of the more unusual events of recent history, the establishment in 2015 of the National Park Service's (NPS) Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The mission statement of the NPS, certainly one of the most enjoyable of the services provided to taxpayers by the federal government, is concise and straightforward: "The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.".