I think using national parks just gives a convenient "marker" by which to designate valid activation zones, and ensures public access, thus making the program a

I think using national parks just gives a convenient "marker" by which to designate valid activation zones, and ensures public access, thus making the program available to anyone. Same deal with Summits on the Air, the whole idea is creating a fun "game-ified" program around getting on the radio in the great outdoors. Because contesting and "achievements" are such a big thing for many amateur radio operators (or at least it's one big facet of the culture), this is just another tangent by which one could partake in the hobby. I mean, honestly the simplest explanation is "because it's fun". It's cool to go out to a park and contact people all over the world and also have a comprehensive system around it, where people want to "chase" you because theyll get points for it, and it all goes into a public log/database, and certain milestones are recognized by little auto-generated certificates/awards. Again, it's just fun. Maybe not for everyone, but it's a hobby -- there's no big stake in the game here. As for why it's "important" - it's not especially, except maybe for motivating people to stay familiar with their gear, and radio communication procedures. I don't think anyone portrays POTA/SOTA as particularly "important", though they are pretty fun and awesome.