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).

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.

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.

Reviewed by: National Park Service