Our national parks are places where we learn to appreciate wildlife, rivers, canyons and mountains. They are places where we see our history come alive, enjoy family vacations and find a place for recreation or solitude, often in the heart of an urban area.

St. Louis is home to one of the great, and one of our first, urban national parks: the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, which houses the Gateway Arch. This park provides tremendous opportunity for area residents and visitors, especially young people, by giving them their first experience in a national park.

The recent announcement of the final five concepts for the City + Arch + River international design competition will help connect the Gateway Arch with downtown St. Louis and Illinois by linking both sides of the Mississippi River. Any one of the outstanding concepts on display in the Arch museum undoubtedly would attract hundreds of thousands of new visitors to experience the national park each year.

The competition has brought together some unlikely partners in pursuit of a better, more vibrant Mississippi riverfront. Transportation, business, local governments from both Illinois and Missouri, non-profits, community leaders, preservationists and a variety of federal agencies are working together on a shared vision with this urban national park as the catalyst for change.

Bringing something with a positive impact to communities is something national parks do very well. Every federal dollar invested in national parks generates at least four dollars of economic value in return, and collectively our national parks create more than $13.3 billion of local private-sector economic activity. The Gateway Arch already is a major tourist destination that boosts the St. Louis economy and once the winning concept is completed, this national park will undoubtedly drive even stronger economic development and support in both Missouri and Illinois.

Many people have put their faith — and their funds — behind the collective vision for this transformative project at St. Louis' neighborhood national park. As the designs travel around the region to schools and museums, people young and old will see how the park can provide renewed opportunities for hiking, entertainment and learning about our national heritage.

This summer, as American families visit the Gateway Arch and other national parks across the country, we have been reminded of the important role they play in preserving America's great outdoors. Protecting the places we love is the topic of a national conversation that Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar recently brought to the St. Louis area.

The America's Great Outdoors Initiative launched this summer to develop a new conservation and recreation agenda. The secretary and staff from several federal agencies have been touring the country to listen and gain a better understanding of how we want our lands, waters, and wildlife managed and the important role that places like the Gateway Arch play in the well-being of our families, local communities and economies.

During his Aug. 20 visit to St. Louis, Salazar said that the power of partnerships found in the City + Arch + River process and competition could serve as a model for other urban national parks throughout the country.

Americans want to leave our country to the next generation in better shape than we received it, and that surely will be the case here in St. Louis. Tell the president about the importance of preserving and revitalizing urban national parks like the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and the Gateway Arch for future generations to enjoy at www.npca.org/americasgreatoutdoors.

Lynn McClure is Midwest Regional Director of the National Parks Conservation Association based in Chicago.