National Park Service in the United States

The National Park Service was established in the Department of the
Interior on August 25, 1916 (16 U.S.C. 1). The National Park Service is dedicated
to conserving unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the
National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of present
and future generations. There are 392 units in the National Park System,
including national parks, monuments and memorials, scenic parkways,
preserves, reserves, trails, riverways, wild and scenic rivers, seashores,
lakeshores, recreation areas, battle?elds and battle?eld parks and sites, national
military parks, international historic sites, and historic sites associated with
important movements, events, and personalities of the American past.

The National Park Service has a Service Center in Denver that provides
planning, architectural, engineering, and other professional services. The Service
is also responsible for managing a great variety of national and international
programs designed to help extend the bene?ts of natural and cultural resource
conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

The National Park Service develops and implements park management
plans and staffs the areas under its administration. It relates the natural
values and historical signi?cance of these areas to the public through talks, tours, ?lms, exhibits, publications, and other interpretive media. It operates
campgrounds and other visitor facilities and provides lodging, food, and
transportation services in many areas.

The National Park Service also administers the following programs:
the State portion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, nationwide outdoor
recreation coordination and information, State comprehensive outdoor recreation
planning, planning and technical assistance for the national wild and
scenic rivers system, the national trails system, natural area programs, the
National Register of Historic Places, national historic landmarks, historic
preservation, technical preservation services, the historic American buildings
survey, the historic American engineering record, and interagency archeological
services.

For a complete list of National Park Service regional of?ces, go to http://www.
nps.gov/aboutus.

National Park Service

Introduction to National Park Service

National Park Service, bureau of the United States Department of the Interior, the basic objective of which is to conserve natural scenery, wildlife, and historic sites and objects and to provide for public enjoyment of these areas while leaving them unimpaired. The areas managed by the National Park Service are known collectively as the National Park System. In the early 1990s the system comprised more than 350 of these areas, covering a total of about 324,000 sq km (about 125,000 sq mi).” (1)

National Park Service

In Legislation

National Park Service in the U.S. Code: Title 16, Chapter 1, Subchapter I

The current, permanent, in-force federal laws regulating national park service are compiled in the United States Code under Title 16, Chapter 1, Subchapter I. It constitutes “prima facie” evidence of statutes relating to Conservation (including national park service) of the United States. The reader can further narrow his/her legal research of the general topic (in this case, Parks of the US Code, including national park service) by chapter and subchapter.

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about National Park Service in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to National Park Service

About U.S. Federal Departments

Federal Departments, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense (including Department of Defense Purpose, Department of Defense Organization, Department of Defense Liaison of Command and Department of Defense Supporting Agencies), Department of Education, Department of Energy

(including Department of Energy Purpose, Department of Energy Organization and Department of Energy Research and Development), Department of Health and Human Services (including Department of Health and Human Services History and Department of Health and Human Services Agencies and Services), Department of Homeland Security (including Department of Homeland Security Organization and Functions, Department of Homeland Security Origins and Department of Homeland Security Supporting Agencies), Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice (including Department of Justice Functions, Department of Justice Structure and Department of Justice Associated Agencies), Department of Labor, Department of National Defence, Department of State (including Department of State Administration and Department of State Bureaus), Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army, Department of the Interior (including Department of the Interior Functions and Department of the Interior Principal Agencies), Department of the Navy, Department of the Treasury, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs (including the Department of Veterans Affairs Service Categories, Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Available and GI Bill of Rights) and Department of War.

National Park Service Organization

Introduction to National Park Service

The National Park Service is administered by a director, who is appointed by and responsible to the secretary of the interior. The park system is administered through ten regional offices, including one for Alaska. All parkland areas are under the direct supervision of a superintendent, who supervises the selection and training of the staff, organizes recreational programs, and plans conservation activities. The parks employ naturalists, foresters, engineers, biologists, geologists, historians, archaeologists, guides, and rangers. As required at each site supervised by the National Park Service, the bureau engages in such activities as fire prevention and control; wildlife conservation; control of water pollution; and protection of natural, historic, or prehistoric features from damage by vandalism and natural causes. In addition it provides activities and services, including lectures, guided tours, and informational programs, to meet the needs of visitors.The National Park Service administers more than 20 types of areas. These areas may be grouped into three broad categories-natural, historical and cultural, and recreational-depending upon their major purposes. Areas set aside for the preservation of natural features include the national parks, national preserves, national rivers, and many of the national monuments. Hunting and lumbering are generally prohibited in these areas. Fishing is usually permitted, and mining is allowed in some sections. Areas preserved for historic reasons include some of the national monuments, the national historical parks and national historic sites, the national military parks, and the national battlefields. These sites are maintained, and in many cases have been carefully restored or excavated, by the National Park Service. Recreation areas include the national seashores and lakeshores, and the national recreation areas. Additions to the park system are generally made by acts of Congress, and national parks can be created only through such acts. The president of the United States can also make additions, and in 1978 President Jimmy Carter proclaimed a number of new national monuments in Alaska. The accompanying table lists areas within the National Park System, including three national scenic trails. In addition, the National Park Service administers the National Trails System and other affiliated areas, some of which are also listed in the table. For more detailed descriptions of the principal areas of the National Park System, see separate articles.

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about National Park Service in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to National Park Service

National Park Service History

Introduction to National Park Service

In 1872 the Congress of the United States established Yellowstone National Park “as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” This was the world’s first national park and set a precedent for the preservation of scenic federal lands. Four more national parks were established in the 1890s. In 1906, to prevent vandalism at prehistoric sites in the Southwest, Congress passed the Antiquities Act, which authorized the president to establish national monuments on federal lands. In 1916 Congress created the National Park Service as a bureau of the Department of the Interior, for the purpose of providing a cohesive administration for the growing number of national parklands. In 1933, by executive order, 63 national monuments and military sites were transferred to the National Park Service from the Forest Service and the War Department. A major development occurred in 1961, when for the first time Congress authorized funds for the purchase of lands for a national parkland (Cape Cod National Seashore). All previous parklands had been either federally owned or donated to the U.S. government. In 1964 wilderness areas were authorized to be designated in existing park areas; these areas were to remain free of any permanent improvements. In 1974 the first national preserves were authorized for the protection of certain natural resources. During the 1970s, as crowding in some national parks became a problem, the National Park Service established several national recreation areas in, or near, urban centers. In 1978 and 1980 extensive new areas in Alaska were added to the park system.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about National Park Service in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to National Park Service

About U.S. Federal Departments

Federal Departments, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense (including Department of Defense Purpose, Department of Defense Organization, Department of Defense Liaison of Command and Department of Defense Supporting Agencies), Department of Education, Department of Energy

(including Department of Energy Purpose, Department of Energy Organization and Department of Energy Research and Development), Department of Health and Human Services (including Department of Health and Human Services History and Department of Health and Human Services Agencies and Services), Department of Homeland Security (including Department of Homeland Security Organization and Functions, Department of Homeland Security Origins and Department of Homeland Security Supporting Agencies), Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice (including Department of Justice Functions, Department of Justice Structure and Department of Justice Associated Agencies), Department of Labor, Department of National Defence, Department of State (including Department of State Administration and Department of State Bureaus), Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army, Department of the Interior (including Department of the Interior Functions and Department of the Interior Principal Agencies), Department of the Navy, Department of the Treasury, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs (including the Department of Veterans Affairs Service Categories, Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Available and GI Bill of Rights) and Department of War.