National Park Service

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National Park Service
National Park Service Arrowhead
Agency overview
Formed	August 25, 1916
Jurisdiction	Federal Government of the United States
Headquarters	Main Interior Building (MIB), Washington, D.C.
Employees	15,000 permanent, 5,000 seasonal
Annual budget	$2.256 billion (FY06)
Agency executive	Dan Wenk (Acting), Director of The National Park Service
Parent agency	US Department of the Interior
Website
nps.gov

The National Park Service (NPS) is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations.^[1] It was created on August 25, 1916, by Congress through the National Park Service Organic Act.^[2]

It is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior, a federal executive department whose head, the Secretary of the Interior, is a Cabinet officer nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Most of the direct management of the NPS is delegated by the Secretary to the National Park Service Director, who must now also be confirmed by the Senate.

The 21,989 employees NPS oversee over 391 units, of which 58 are designated national parks.^[3]

Contents 1 History 2 Directors 3 National Park System 3.1 National Parks 3.2 National Park Service holdings 3.3 Criteria 4 Nomenclature of the National Park System 5 Visitors to the National Parks 6 Concessions 7 Cooperators, i.e., Bookstores 8 Offices 9 Working in a National Park Unit 9.1 Employees of the National Park Service 9.2 Volunteers in Park (VIP) 9.2.1 Types of work Performed 9.2.2 Appling as a VIP 9.3 Concessions 10 Special divisions 10.1 Park Police 10.2 Centers 10.3 Preservation programs 10.3.1 Historic American Building Survey 10.3.2 Historic American Engineering Record 10.4 Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program 10.5 National Trails System 10.6 National Heritage Areas 11 World Heritage Sites 12 Initiatives 13 Controversy 14 Regulatory Impacts 15 See also 16 Notes 17 References 18 External links

[edit] History

National parks and national monuments in the United States were originally individually managed under the auspices of the Department of the Interior. The movement for an independent agency to oversee these federal lands was spearheaded by business magnate and conservationist Stephen Mather, as well as J. Horace McFarland. With the help of journalist Robert Sterling Yard, Mather ran a publicity campaign for the Department of the Interior. They wrote numerous articles that praised the scenic qualities of the parks and their possibilities for educational, inspirational, and recreational benefits.^[4] This campaign resulted in the creation of a National Park Service. On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill that mandated the agency "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."^[5] Mather became the first director of the newly formed NPS.^[6]

On March 3, 1933, President Herbert C. Hoover signed the Reorganization Act of 1933. The act would allow the President to reorganize the executive branch of the United States government. It wasn't until later that summer when the new President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, made use of this power. Deputy Director Horace M. Albright had suggested to President Roosevelt that the historic sites from the American Civil War should be managed by the National Park Service, rather than the War Department. President Roosevelt agreed and issued two Executive orders to make it happen. These two executive orders not only transferred to the National Park Service all the War Department historic sites, but also the national monuments managed by the Department of Agriculture and the parks in and around the capital, which had been run by an independent office.^[7]

In 1951, Conrad Wirth became director of the National Park Service and went to work on bringing park facilities up to the standards that the public expected. The demand for parks after the end of the World War II had left the parks overburdened with demands that could not be met. In 1952, with the support of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, he began Mission 66, a ten-year effort to upgrade and expand park facilities for the 50th anniversary of the Park Service. New parks were added to preserve unique resources and existing park facilities were upgraded and expanded.^[7]

[edit] Directors

	Name[8]	Term of Office
		Start	End
1	Stephen Mather	May 16, 1917	January 8, 1929
2	Horace M. Albright	January 12, 1929	August 9, 1933
3	Arno B. Cammerer	August 10, 1933	August 9, 1940
4	Newton B. Drury	August 20, 1940	March 31, 1951
5	Arthur E. Demaray	April 1, 1951	December 8, 1951
6	Conrad L. Wirth	December 9, 1951	January 7, 1964
7	George B. Hartzog, Jr.	January 9, 1964	December 31, 1972
8	Ronald H. Walker	January 7, 1973	January 3, 1975
9	Gary Everhardt	January 13, 1975	May 27, 1977
10	William J. Whalen	July 5, 1977	May 13, 1980
11	Russell E. Dickenson	May 15, 1980	March 3, 1985
12	William Penn Mott, Jr.	May 17, 1985	April 16, 1989
13	James M. Ridenour	April 17, 1989	January 20, 1993
14	Roger G. Kennedy	June 1, 1993	March 29, 1997
15	Robert Stanton	August 4, 1997	January 2001
16	Fran P. Mainella	July 18, 2001	October 15, 2006
17	Mary A. Bomar	October 17, 2006	January 20, 2009[9]
18	Dan Wenk (interim)	January 20, 2009	incumbent[10]

[edit] National Park System

National Park System is a term that describes the collection of all units managed by the National Park Service. The title or designation of a unit need not include the term park; indeed, most do not. The system encompasses approximately 84.4 million acres (338,000 km²), of which more than 4.3 million acres (17,000 km²) remain in private ownership. The largest unit is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. At 13,200,000 acres (53,000 km²), it is over 16 percent of the entire system. The smallest unit in the system is Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial, Pennsylvania, at 0.02 acre (80 m²).

The National Park System (NPS) includes all properties managed by the National Park Service (also, confusingly, "NPS"). The System as a whole is considered to be a national treasure of the United States, and some of the more famous national parks and monuments are sometimes referred to metaphorically as "crown jewels."^[11]

In addition to administering its units and other properties, the National Park Service also provides technical and financial assistance to several "affiliated areas" authorized by Congress. The largest affiliated area is New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve at 1,164,025 acres (4711 km²). The smallest is Benjamin Franklin National Memorial at less than one hundredth of an acre.

Although all units of the National Park System in the United States are the responsibility of a single agency, they are all managed under individual pieces of authorizing legislation or, in the case of national monuments created under the Antiquities Act, presidential proclamation. For example, because of provisons within their enabling legislation, Congaree National Park is almost entirely wilderness area, yet Yosemite allows unique developments such as the Badger Pass Ski Area and the O'Shaughnessy Dam within its boundaries. Death Valley National Park has an active mine legislated within its boundaries. Such irregularities would not be found in other parks unless specifically provided for by the legislation that created them.

Many parks charge an entrance fee ranging from US$3 to $25 per week. Visitors can buy a federal interagency annual pass, known as the "America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass," allowing unlimited entry to federal fee areas (USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation) for $80 per year. This pass applies to entry fees only. Other applicable fees, such as camping, and backcountry access, still apply. U.S. citizens who are 62+ years old may purchase a version with the same privileges for $10, and citizens with permanent disabilities may receive a free version.^[12]

[edit] National Parks

Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has managed each of the United States' national parks, which have grown in number over the years to 58.

Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the world. In 1872, there was no state government to manage it, so the Federal Government assumed direct control. Yosemite National Park began as a state park; the land for the park was donated by the Federal Government to the State of California in 1864 for perpetual conservation. Yosemite was later returned to Federal ownership.

At first, each national park was managed independently, with varying degrees of success. In Yellowstone, the civilian staff was replaced by the U.S. Army in 1886. Due to the irregularities in managing these national treasures, Stephen Tyng Mather petitioned the Federal Government to improve the situation. In response, Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane challenged him to lobby for creating a new agency, the National Park Service, to manage all national parks and some national monuments. Mather was successful with the ratification of the National Park Service Organic Act in 1916.^[13] Later, the agency was given authority over other protected areas, many with varying designations as Congress created them.

[edit] National Park Service holdings

Type	Amount
Acres of Land[14]	84,000,000 acres	34,000,000 ha
Acres of oceans, lakes, reservoirs[14]	4,502,644 acres	1,822,155 ha
Miles of perennial rivers and streams[14]	85,049 mi	136,873 km
archeological sites[14]	68,561
miles of shoreline[14]	43,162 mi	69,463 km
historic structures[14]	27,000
objects in museum collections[14]	121,603,193
Buildings	21,000
Trails	17,000 mi	27,000 km
Roads	10,000 mi	16,000 km

[edit] Criteria

Parks may be established in either of two ways: by an act of Congress or by an Executive order of the President under the Antiquities Act. Most have been established by an act of Congress with the Presdident confirming the action by signing the act into law. Regardless of the method used, all parks are to be of national importance.^[15]

A potential park should meet all four of the following standards:

• It is an outstanding example of a particular type of resource.
• It possesses exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the natural or cultural themes of our Nation's heritage.
• It offers superlative opportunities for recreation, for public use and enjoyment, or for scientific study.
• It retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of the resource.

[edit] Nomenclature of the National Park System

The National Park Service uses over 20 different titles for the park units it manages. The best known are national park and national monument.

Classification as of 2003[16]	Number	Acreage
National Military Park, National Battlefield Park, National Battlefield Site, and National Battlefield	24	64,738.87
National Historical Park, National Historic Site, and International Historic Site	120	204,840.71
National Lakeshore	4	228,873.58
National Memorial	28	10,541.50
National Monument	73	2,277,010.75
National Park	58	51,961,285.92
National Parkway	4	176,344.29
National Preserve and National Reserve	20	24,189,328.85
National Recreation Area	18	3,692,664.98
National River and National Wild and Scenic River and Riverway	15	746,357.19
National Scenic Trail	3	237,995.55
National Seashore	10	595,078.55
Other Designations (White House, National Mall, etc)	11	40,128.85
Totals	388	84,425,189.59

National Parks include a range of superb natural and cultural wonders. The first national park was Yellowstone National Park in 1872.

National Monuments preserve a single unique cultural or natural feature. Devils Tower National Monument was the first in 1906.

National Historic Sites protect a significant cultural resource that is not a complicated site. Examples of these types of parks include Ford's Theatre National Historic Site and William Howard Taft National Historic Site.

National Historical Parks are larger areas with more complex subjects. Appomattox Court House National Historical Park was created in 1940. George Rogers Clark National Historical Park was dedicated in 1936. Historic sites may also be protected in national parks, monuments, seashores, and lakeshores.

v • d • e National Historical Parks of the United States Adams • Appomattox Court House • Boston • Cane River Creole • Cedar Creek and Belle Grove • Chaco Culture • Chesapeake and Ohio Canal • Colonial • Cumberland Gap • Dayton Aviation Heritage • George Rogers Clark • Harpers Ferry • Hopewell Culture • Independence • Jean Lafitte • Kalaupapa • Kaloko-Honokohau • Keweenaw • Klondike Gold Rush • Lewis and Clark • Lowell • Lyndon B. Johnson • Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller • Minute Man • Morristown • Natchez • New Bedford Whaling • New Orleans Jazz • Nez Perce • Pecos • Pu'uhonua o Honaunau • Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front • Salt River Bay • San Antonio Missions • San Francisco Maritime • San Juan Island • Saratoga • Sitka • Tumacácori • Valley Forge • War in the Pacific • Women's Rights                                                                                                                                                                 Full Alphabetical List

National Military Parks, Battlefield Parks, Battlefield Sites, and Battlefields preserve areas associated with military history. The different designations reflect the complexity of the event and the site. Many of the sites preserve important Revolutionary War battles and Civil War battlefields. Military parks are the sites of larger actions, such as Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Vicksburg National Military Park, Gettysburg National Military Park, and Shiloh National Military Park—the original four from 1890. Examples of battlefield parks, battlefield sites, and national battlefields include Richmond National Battlefield Park, Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, and Antietam National Battlefield.

National Seashores and National Lakeshores offer preservation of the national coast line, while supporting water–based recreation. Cape Hatteras National Seashore was created in 1937. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, created in 1966, were the first national lakeshores.

v • d • e North American Lakeshore and Seashore Parks Apostle Islands National Lakeshore • Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore • Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore • Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’ Assateague Island National Seashore • Canaveral National Seashore • Cape Cod National Seashore • Cape Hatteras National Seashore • Cape Lookout National Seashore • Cumberland Island National Seashore • Fire Island National Seashore • Gulf Islands National Seashore • Padre Island National Seashore • Point Reyes National Seashore

National Recreation Areas originally were units (such as Lake Mead National Recreation Area) surrounding reservoirs impounded by dams built by other federal agencies. Many of these areas are managed under cooperative agreement with the National Park Service. Now some national recreation areas are in urban centers, because of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission (ORRRC). These include Gateway National Recreation Area and Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which encompass significant cultural as well as natural resources.

National Rivers and Wild and Scenic Riverways protect free-flowing streams over their length. The riverways may not be altered with dams, channelization, or other changes. Recreational pursuits are encouraged along the waterways. Ozark National Scenic Riverways was established in 1964.

The National Trails System preserves long-distance routes across America. The system was created in 1968 and consists of two major components: National Scenic Trails are long-distance trails through some of the most scenic parts of the country. They received official protection in 1968. The Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail are the best known. National Historic Trails commemorate the routes of major historic events. Some of the best known are the Trail of Tears, the Mormon Trail, and the Santa Fe Trail.

National Preserves are for the protection of certain resources. Activities like hunting, fishing, and some mining are allowed. Big Cypress National Preserve and Big Thicket National Preserve were created in 1974 as the first national preserves.

National Reserves are similar to national preserves, but the operational authority can be placed with a local government. City of Rocks National Reserve was the first to be established in 1988.

[edit] Visitors to the National Parks

The National Park System receives over 270,000,000 visitors each year through out the 390 units.^[17] Annually, visitors are surveyed for their satisfaction with services and facilities provided.

The ten most visited units of the National Park System handle thirty percent of the visitors to the 390 park units. The top ten-percent of parks (39) handle 61.2% of all visitors, leaving the remaining 351 units to deal with 38.8% of visitors.^[18]

Park	Rank[18]	Visitors
Blue Ridge Parkway	1	16,309,307
Golden Gate National Recreation Area	2	14,554,750
Gateway National Recreation Area	3	9,431,021
Great Smoky Mountains National Park	4	9,044,010
Lake Mead National Recreation Area	5	7,601,863
George Washington Memorial Parkway	6	7,009,630
Natchez Trace Parkway	7	5,747,235
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area	8	5,127’074
Lincoln Memorial	9	4,678,861
Cape Cod National Seashore	10	4,644,235

Overnight Stays Over 13.8 million visitors spent a night in one of the National Park Units during 2008. The largest number (3.59 million) stayed in one of the lodges. The second largest group were tent campers (2.96 million) followed by Miscellaneous stays (on boats, group sites—2.06 million). The last three groups of over-night visitors included RV Campers (2.01 million), Back country campers (1.80 million) and users of the Concession run campgrounds (1.22 million).^[18] Over the last 30 years the largest change has been with RV users.

Park	2009 Rank[18]	1994 Rank[18]	1979 Rank[18]
RV Campers	1	3	4
Tent Campers	2	1	2
Lodges	3	2	1
Backcountry	4	5	3
Misc	5	4	4
Concession Campers	6	6	6

Services Consistently, the highest ranked service has been Assistance from Park Employees (82% very good, 2007).

Facilities Among facilities, the park Visitor Centers obtain a consistent 70% very good rating (73% in 2007).

[edit] Concessions

In an effort to increase visitation and allow for a larger audience to enjoy national park land, the National Park Service has numerous concession contracts with private businesses to bring recreation, resorts and other compatible amenities to their parks. NPS lodging opportunities exist at places such as the Wawona Hotel in Yosemite National Park and the Fort Baker Retreat and Conference Center in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. "Adaptive reuses" like those at Fort Baker, have raised some controversy, however, from concerns about the historical integrity of these buildings, after such extensive renovations and whether such alterations fall within the spirit and/or the letter of the preservation laws they are protected by.

• Yosemite Park and Curry Company (Yosemite)
• Forever Resorts (Isle Royale)

[edit] Cooperators, i.e., Bookstores

At many Park Service sites a bookstore is operated by a non-profit cooperating association. The largest example is Eastern National, which runs bookstores in 30 states with 178 stores.

• Eastern National Parks
• Western National Park Association

Park specific:

• Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association
• Devils Tower Natural History Association Bookstore
• Yosemite Association
• Yellowstone Association

Publisher of National Parks Interpretive Books

Books written by individual National Park interpreters or experts on specific parks are published for each park by:

• KC Publications

[edit] Offices

Headquarters are located in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in Anchorage, Atlanta, Lakewood, CO (Denver), Omaha, NE, Oakland, CA, Philadelphia and Seattle. The headquarters building of the National Park Service Southwest Regional Office is architecturally signicant and is designated a National Historic Landmark.

[edit] Working in a National Park Unit

[edit] Employees of the National Park Service

By middle 1950’s, the primary employee of the Service was the Park Ranger and they did everything that was needed in the parks. They cleaned up trash, operated heavy equipment, fought fires, managed traffic, cleared trails and roads, provided information to visitors, managed museums, performed rescues, flew aircraft, and investigated crime.^[19]

By the turn of the century, the demands of each of these occupations required specialists. Today, there are more than eighteen career paths in the service and a choice of locations. Parks exist in the nation's larger cities like New York City (Federal Hall Memorial National Historic Site), Atlanta (Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site), and San Diego (Cabrillo National Monument) to some of the remotest areas of the continent like Hovenweep National Monument in southeastern Utah, to Aniakchak National Monument in King Salmon, Alaska.^[20]

• Park Ranger (Interpreter)
• Park Ranger (Law Enforcement)
• Park Manager (Superintendent/Deputy)
• United States Park Police
• First Responders (EMT’s, medics, rescue specialist)
• Dispatchers
• Maintenance Workers (including carpenters, plumbers, masons, laborers, auto mechanics, motor vehicle operators, heavy equipment operators, electricians)
• Park Planners
• Architects, Engineers, and Landscape architects
• Resource Managers (including biologist, botanist, aquatics, soil scientist, geologist)
• Historians (curators, historians, preservation tech’s, historic architects, archivists)
• Fire Management (managers, weather specialist, firefighters, engine chiefs)
  See also: Wildfire
• Public Affairs
• Concessions Specialist
• Administrators (human resources, finance, accountants, information technology, budgeting)

[edit] Volunteers in Park (VIP)

The Volunteer-in-Parks program was authorized in 1969 by the Volunteers in the Parks Act of 1969.^[21] for the purpose of allowing the public to serve in the nations parks providing support and skills for their enhancement and protection.^[22]

Volunteers come from all walks of life and perform many varied and exciting duties. Many volunteers come from the surrounding communities and include professionals, artists, laborers, homemakers and students. Some volunteers travel significant distances to reach the park where they wish to provide services.^[22] In the 2005 annual report (most current report available}, the National Park Service reported:

. . . 137,000 VIPs contributed 5.2 million hours of service (or 2500 FTEs) valued at $91,260,000 based on the private sector value figure of $17.55 as used by AARP, Points of Light Foundation, and other large-scale volunteer programs including many federal agencies. There are 365 separate volunteer programs throughout the National Park Service. Since 1990, the number of volunteers has increased an average of 2% per year.^[23]

• FTE = Full Time Equivalency (1 work year)

[edit] Types of work Performed

Examples of the work performed can range from an individual working at an information desk to a team painting a park building. Work ranges from designing computer programs, taking photographs to preparing and giving environmental programs.^[22] Examples from the 2005 Annual report:^[21]

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Boston Harbor Islands engaged volunteers in three scientific monitoring projects: bird nesting counts, invasive crab counts, and invasive plant removal. This effort is paving the way for another study on collecting data for scientists at Harvard to conduct an all biodiversity inventory of invertebrates. Block quote

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Fort Vancouver Volunteer Program Highlight came later in the fiscal year. Interpreting a large span of history, 20 volunteers came on board to update and upgrade the park’s Period Clothing Program. The Period Clothing Program includes clothing from the 1820s to the early 1900s; men, women, and children, as well as varying classes that are interpreted at Fort Vancouver. Period clothing examples include metis (a mix between European and Native heritage), blacksmith laborers, Oregon Trail Pioneers, and Civil War Uniforms. The Program also includes the appropriate accessories to make the persona come to life as they interpret Fort Vancouver’s History.

Everglades National Park
Ten students from Tulane University came to Everglades NP to volunteer for a full week. They removed an invasive tree species and planted Slash Pines for a pineland and wetland prairie restoration project. They also collected debris along waterways, cleared trails, and carried out campground maintenance chores. In FY05, eight Alternative Break groups from colleges nationwide volunteered in the Everglades. They contributed much time and energy, completing a variety of maintenance, roads and trails, research, and Resource Management projects.

War In The Pacific National Historical Park
Park volunteer Toni Ramirez has been heavily involved at both the War in the Pacific NHP and the American Memorial Park in coordinating special events and historical and cultural research. For the last three years, Toni has served as a member of the American Memorial Park Content Review Committee assisting the Chief of Interpretation in exhibit planning for the new Visitor Center.

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion’s highlight for FY05 has to be the number of hours contributed by one volunteer this year, Doris Mack, who gave 566 hours to the Eleanor Roosevelt NHS. Doris is an amazing woman who devotes two days a week to Mrs. Roosevelt’s home, Val-Kill, and even volunteers for the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill once or twice a month. Doris delights her groups with personal stories of Mrs. Roosevelt; the visitors can’t get enough of her. She makes all feel welcome as Eleanor Roosevelt would have wanted. She is a treasure to this site and those that work with her enjoy every minute of it.

Pipestone National Monument
Pipestone NM hosted five volunteers from the local community who assisted in collection of grass seeds from the native tallgrass prairie. One of the volunteers was the editor of the local newspaper, who then printed a story on his experience at the park.

[edit] Appling as a VIP

There are several ways to apply. Twelve bureaus of the U.S. Government have a joint web-site, called America's Natural & Cultural Resources for registering as a volunteer. The bureaus include the Corps of Engineers (COE), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Coopeartive State Research and Education Extension Service (CSREE), and the Take Pride in America agency

[edit] Concessions

As noted above, numerous Concessions operate lodging, gas stations, restaurants, and gift shops. Each offers an opportunity to work in a national park. The Yosemite Park and Curry Company operates in 31 national park units, several Canadian parks and some state parks. The Forever Resorts Company operates in 15 national park areas and numerous state reserviors.

[edit] Special divisions

The United States Park Police is a distinct law enforcement division of the National Park Service, with jurisdiction in all NPS sites, but primarily utilized in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, New York City and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, in and around San Francisco. Law enforcement services in other NPS units are provided by specially commissioned park rangers. Other special NPS divisions include the Historic American Buildings Survey, National Register of Historic Places, National Natural Landmarks, the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program,^[24] the Challenge Cost Share Program,^[25] the Federal Lands to Parks,^[26] the Hydropower Relicensing Program,^[27] the Land and Water Conservation Fund,^[28] the National Trails System^[29] and the Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.^[30]

[edit] Park Police

The United States Park Police (USPP) is the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agency in the United States. It functions as a full service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Service areas primarily located in the Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and New York City. In addition to performing the normal crime prevention, investigation, and apprehension functions of an urban police force, the Park Police are responsible for policing many of the famous monuments in the United States and share law enforcement jurisdiction in all lands administered by the Service with a force of National Park Rangers tasked with the same law enforcement powers and responsibilities.

[edit] Centers

The National Park Service operates four archeology-related centers: Harpers Ferry Center in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, the Midwest Archeological Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Southeast Archeological Center in Tallahassee, Florida and the Western Archeological and Conservation Center in Tucson, Arizona. The Harpers Ferry Center specializes in interpretive media development and object conservation. The other three focus to various degrees on archaeological research and museum object curation and conservation.

National Park Service-Training Centers include: Horace Albright Training Center, Grand Canyon; Stephen Mather Training Center, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; Historic Preservation Training Center, Frederick, Maryland and Capital Training Center, Washington, D.C.

The Submerged Resources Center is the unit responsible for the submerged areas throughout the National Park system. The SRC is based out out of the Intermountain Region's headquarters in Lakewood, CO.

[edit] Preservation programs

The oldest Federal preservation program, the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER), produces graphic and written documentation of historically significant architectural, engineering and industrial sites and structures. Dating from 1934, the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) was chartered to document historic architecture—primarily houses and public buildings—of national or regional significance. Originally a New Deal employment/preservation program, after World War II, HABS employed summer teams of advanced undergraduate and graduate students to carry out the documentation, a tradition followed to this day. Many of the structures they documented no longer exist.

HABS/HAER produces measured drawings, large-format photographs and written histories of historic sites, structures and objects, that are significant to the architectural, engineering and industrial heritage of the U.S. Its 25,000 records are part of the Library of Congress. HABS/HAER is administered by the NPS Washington office and five regional offices.^[31]

[edit] Historic American Building Survey

In 1933, the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, established the Historic American Building Survey (HABS), based on a proposal by Charles E. Peterson, Park Service landscape architect. It was founded as a make-work program for architects, draftsmen and photographers left jobless by the Great Depression. Guided by field instructions from Washington, D.C., the first recorders were tasked with documenting a representative sampling of America's architectural heritage. After 70 years, there is now an archive of historic architecture. HABS provided a database of primary source material for the then fledgling historic preservation movement.

[edit] Historic American Engineering Record

Recognizing a similar fragility in our national industrial and engineering heritage, the National Park Service, the Library of Congress and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) formed the HAER program in 1969, to document nationally and regionally significant engineering and industrial sites. A short while later, HAER was ratified by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME). HAER documentation, in the forms of measured and interpretive drawings, large-format photographs and written histories, is archivally preserved in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress, where it is readily available to the public.^[32]

[edit] Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program

The RTCA program of the National Park Service is designed to assist local communities and the public in preservation of rivers, trails and greenways. Unlike the mainline National Park Programs, these programs take place on non-federal property at the request of the local community. One of their better known programs is Rails to Trails, where unused railroad right-of-ways are converted into public hiking and biking trails.^[33]

[edit] National Trails System

The National Trails System is a joint mission of the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. It was created in 1968 to create a system of national trails. The system now consist of two groups, the National Scenic Trails and the National Historic Trails.^[34]

National Scenic Trails Appalachian Trail, National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center, WV Continental Divide Trail, U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region, MT & Rocky Mountain Region, CO. Florida Trail, U.S. Forest Service, FL Ice Age Trail, National Park Service, WI Natchez Trace Trail, National Park Service, MS North Country Trail, National Park Service, Midwest Region, WI Pacific Crest Trail, U.S. Forest Service, Western Region, WA Potomac Heritage Trail, National Park Service, Northeast Region, PA

National Historic Trails Iditarod Trail, Bureau of Land Management, AK Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, National Park Service, Western Region, CA Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, National Park Service, NE Mormon Trail, National Park Service, Rocky Mountain Region, CO Nez Perce (Nee-Mo-Poo) National Historic Trail, U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region, MT Oregon Trail, Nationla Park Service, Western Region, WA Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, National Park Service, Southeast Region, GA Santa Fe Trail, National Park Service, Intermountain Region, NM Trail of Tears, National Park Service, Southwest Region, GA

[edit] National Heritage Areas

National Heritage Areas are a unique blend of natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources. Having developed out of a shared historic, they create a unique whole.

Yuma Crossing, Arizona Cache La Poudre, Colorado Cane River, Louisiana Silos and Smokestacks, Iowa Illinois & Michigan Canal, Illinois Tennessee Civil War, entire State of Tennessee South Carolina, South Carolina Augusta Canal, South Carolina National Coal, West Virginia Shenandoah Valley Battlefields, Virginia Wheeling, West Virginia Ohio and Erie Canalway, Ohio

Motor Cities, Michigan Rivers of Steel, Pennsylvania Path of Progress, Pennsylvania Schuylkill River Valley, Pennsylvania Delaware & Lehigh, Pennsylvania Lackawanna Heritage Valley, Pennsylvania Erie Canalway, New York Hudson River Valley, New York Quinebaug & Shetucket Rivers Valley, Connecticutt Blackstone River Valley, Masschuesetts Essex, Masschuesetts

[edit] World Heritage Sites

World Heritage Sites have enough universally recognized natural and cultural features that they are considered to merit the protection of all the peoples in the world. The National Park Service is responsible for 16 of the 19 World Heritage Sites in the United States.^[35]

• Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico
• Everglades National Park, Florida
• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
• Independence Hall, Pennsylvania
• Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, Alaska, U.S./ B.C. & Yukon, Canada
• Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
• Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
• Olympic National Park, Washington
• Redwood National and State Parks, California
• Statue of Liberty, New York
• Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (union of Waterton Lakes (Canada) and Glacier (U.S.) parks), Montana & Alberta, Canada
• Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, extending into Montana and Idaho
• Yosemite National Park, California

The following sites are not managed by the National Park Service:

• Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Illinois
• Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia
• Pueblo de Taos, New Mexico

[edit] Initiatives

• 24-hr all Taxa BioBlitz: A joint venture of the National Geographic Society and the National Park Service. Beginning in 2004, at Rock Creek Parkway, the National Geographic Society and the National Park Serivce began a 10-year program of hosting a major biological survey of ten selected national park units. The intent is to develop public interest in the nations natural resources, develop scientific interest in America's youth and to create citizen scientist.
  • 2007: Rock Creek Parkway, Washington D.C. 661 unique species^[36]
  • 2008: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Los Angeles, California. 1,700 unique species and more pending.^[36]
  • 2009: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, greater Chicago, in northern Indiana. 1,200 unique species and still counting.^[36]
  • 2010: Biscayne National Park, Miami, Florida.
• Biological Diversity: Biological Diversity is the vast variety of life as identified through species and genetics. This variety is decreasing as people spread across the globe, altering areas to better meet their needs.^[37]
• Climate Change: Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global sea levels. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007).^[38]
• South Florida Restoration Initiative: Rescuing an Ecosystem in Peril: In partnership with the State of Florida, and the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service is restoring the physical and biological processes of the South Florida ecosystem. Historically, this ecosystem contained some of the most diverse habitats on earth.^[39]
• Vanishing Treasures Initiative: Ruins Preservation in the American Southwest: The Vanishing Treasures Initiative began in FY 1998 to reduce threats to prehistoric and historic sites and structures in 44 parks of the Intermountain Region. In 2002, the program expanded to include three parks in the Pacific West Region. The goal is to reduce backlogged work and to bring sites and structures up to a condition where routine maintenance activities can preserve them.^[40]
• Wetlands: Wetlands includes marshes, swamps, and bogs. These areas and the plants and animals adapted to these conditions spread from the arctic to the equator. The shrinking wetlands provide habitat for fish and wildlife, help clean water and reduce the impact of storms and floods on the surrounding communities.^[41]
• Wildland Fire: Fires have been a natural part of park eco-systems. Many plants and some animals require a cycle of fire or flooding to be successful and productive. With the advent of human intervention and public access to parks, there are safety concerns for the visiting public.^[42]

[edit] Controversy

1. Hetch Hetchy Valley, in Yosemite National Park was dammed in 1923 after a controversial effort by the City of San Francisco to expand its water supply after the 1906 earthquake.
2. Yellowstone fires of 1988 at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
3. Cerro Grande Fire of 2000 at Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
4. The Stoneman Meadow Riot... on July 4, 1970, overcrowding in Yosemite Valley led to a clash between Park Rangers and anti-war demonstrators.^{[citation needed]} The mob dragged mounted Rangers off their horses, and overturned the Mariposa Sheriff's squad car.^{[citation needed]} Shots were fired.^{[citation needed]} The riot led to more than a hundred arrests, several injuries, and great destruction of property – and changes to Park Service access policies and training practices.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Regulatory Impacts

• Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980
• Antiquities Act or Lacy Act of 1906
• Endangered Species Act
• Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978
• Historic Sites Act of 1935
• Lacey Act of 1900 (Wildlife preservation)
• Marine Mammal Protection Act
• National Park Service General Authorities Act of 1970
• National Park Service Organic Act of 1916
• National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 (NEPA)
• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA)
• National Wild and Scenic River of 1968
• Redwood Act of 1978, creating one protection standard for the System
• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976
• Wilderness Act of 1964

[edit] See also

• Ansel Franklin Hall, first Chief Naturalist and first Chief Forester of the National Park Service
• Land and Water Conservation Fund
• List of areas in the United States National Park System
• List of the United States National Park System official units
• National Memorial, U.S.
• National Park Foundation
• National Park Passport Stamps
• National Park Ranger
• National Park Service Rustic, style of architecture
• United States Senate Committee on Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game
• U.S. National Heritage Area
• U.S. National Monument
• Harry Yount, progenitor of the modern national park ranger

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Albright, Horace M. (as told to Robert Cahn). The Birth of the National Park Service. Salt Lake City: Howe Brothers, 1985.
• Albright, Horace M, and Marian Albright Schenck. Creating the National Park Service: The Missing Years. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999.
• Dilsaver, Lary M., ed. America's National Park System: The Critical Documents. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1994.
• Everhardt, William C. The National Park Service. New York: Praeger, 1972.
• Foresta, Ronald A. America's National Parks and Their Keepers. Washington: Resources for the Future, 1985.
• Garrison, Lemuel A;. The Making of a Ranger. Salt Lake City: Howe Brothers, 1983.
• Gartner, Bob; Exploring Careers in the National Parks. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 1993
• Hartzog, George B. Jr; Battling for the National Parks; Moyer Bell Limited; Mt. Kisco, New York; 1988
• Ise, John. Our National Park Policy: A Critical History. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1961.
• Lee, Ronald F.; Family Tree of the National Park System; Eastern National Parks, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1972
• Mackintosh, Barry. The National Parks: Shaping the System. Washington: National Park Service, 1991.
• National Parks for the 21st Century; The Vail Agenda; The National Park Foundation, 1991
• National Park Service Almanac, Edited and Compiled by Ben Moffett and Vickie Carson: Rocky Mountain Region, National Park Service, 1991, revised 2006
• The National Parks: Shaping The System; National Park Service, Washington D.C. 1991.
• Rettie, Dwight F.; Our National Park System; University of Illinois Press; Urbana, Illinois; 1995
• Ridenour, James M. The National Parks Compromised: Pork Barrel Politics and America's Treasures. Merrillville, IN: ICS Books, 1994.
• Rothman, Hal K. Preserving Different Pasts: The American National Monuments. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1989.
• Runte, Alfred. National Parks, the American Experience, Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1987.
• Sellars, Richard West. Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997.
• Shankland, Robert; Steve Mather of the National Parks; Alfred A. Knopf, New York; 1970
• Sontag, William H. National Park Service: The First 75 Years. Philadelphia: Eastern National Park & Monument Assn., 1991.
• Sutter, Paul. 2002. Driven Wild: How the Fight against Automobiles Launched the Modern Wilderness Movement. Seattle: University of Washington press. ISBN 0295982195.
• Swain, Donald. Wilderness Defender: Horace M. Albright and Conservation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
• Udall, Stewart L., The Quiet Crisis. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1963.
• Wirth, Conrad L. Parks, Politics, and the People. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1980.

[edit] External links

• NPS official site
• Index to park information
• Digital images (public domain)
• Community Assistance Available from the National Park Service
• Criteria for inclusion in the National Park System
• Designation of National Park System Units ("national monument" vs "national park", etc.)
• National Park System Timeline

Other sources.

• Gallery of all US National Parks (does not include National Park System units of any other designation)
• Gallery of National Park "Welcome" Signs
• National Park Service Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed
• Records of the National Park Service, including an administrative history and a list of regional offices of the National Park Service up to 1988
• National Park Foundation, the Congressionally chartered national charitable partner of America's National Parks
• DOI Law Enforcement Jobs: Park Ranger (Series 0025)

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v • d • e National Recreation Areas of the United States Administered by the National Park Service Amistad • Big South Fork • Bighorn Canyon • Boston Harbor Islands • Chattahoochee River • Chickasaw • Curecanti • Delaware Water Gap • Gateway • Gauley River • Glen Canyon • Golden Gate • Lake Chelan • Lake Mead • Lake Meredith • Lake Roosevelt • Mississippi • Ross Lake • Santa Monica Mountains • Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity Administered by other agencies Allegheny • Angel Peak • Arapaho • Datil Well • Flaming Gorge • Grand Island • Hells Canyon • Land Between The Lakes • Moosalamoo • Mount Baker • Mount Rogers • Oregon Dunes • Orilla Verde • Pine Ridge • Rattlesnake • Sawtooth • Smith River • Spring Mountains • Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks • Valley of Fires • White Mountains • White Rocks • Wild Rivers • Winding Stair Mountain

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v • d • e United States government agencies involved in environmental science United States Environmental Protection Agency Department of the Interior National Park Service • Fish and Wildlife Service • Bureau of Indian Affairs • Bureau of Land Management • Minerals Management Service • Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement • Geological Survey • Bureau of Reclamation • Office of Insular Affairs National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service • National Ocean Service • National Geodetic Survey • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • National Marine Fisheries Service • Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy • Energy Information Administration • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission • Biological and Environmental Research • Office of Environmental Management Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency • Foreign Agricultural Service • Risk Management Agency • Food Safety and Inspection Service • Forest Service • Natural Resources Conservation Service • Rural Business-Cooperative Service • Office of Community Development • Rural Housing Service  • Rural Utilities Service • Food and Nutrition Service • Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion • Agricultural Marketing Service • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration • Agricultural Research Service • Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service • Economic Research Service • National Agricultural Statistics Service • Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service