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Although all units of the National Park System in the United States, including National Parks, 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]], [[Executive order (United States)|presidential proclamation]]. For example, [[Congaree National Park]] is almost entirely [[U.S. Wilderness Area|wilderness area]], yet Yosemite has the [[Badger Pass Ski Area]] and the [[O'Shaughnessy Dam]] within its boundaries. [[Death Valley National Park]] actually has an active mine within its boundaries.
Although all units of the National Park System in the United States, including National Parks, 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]], [[Executive order (United States)|presidential proclamation]]. For example, [[Congaree National Park]] is almost entirely [[U.S. Wilderness Area|wilderness area]], yet Yosemite has the [[Badger Pass Ski Area]] and the [[O'Shaughnessy Dam]] within its boundaries. [[Death Valley National Park]] actually has an active mine within its boundaries.


Many parks charge an entrance fee ranging from [[US$]]3 to $25 per week. One 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 (National Parks, US Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, etc.) for $80 per year. This pass applies to entry fees, only; other applicable fees such as camping, backcountry access, etc. still apply. Those U.S. citizens who are 62+ years old may purchase a version with the same priveledges, for $10, and citizens with permanent dissabilities may recieve a free version. <ref>https://pwrcms.nps.gov/pwr/fees_passes.htm| America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass</ref>
Many parks charge an entrance fee ranging from [[US$]]3 to $25 per week. One 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 (National Parks, US Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, etc.) for $80 per year. This pass applies to entry fees, only; other applicable fees such as camping, backcountry access, etc. still apply. Those 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. <ref>https://pwrcms.nps.gov/pwr/fees_passes.htm| America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass</ref>


==National Park Service holdings==
==National Park Service holdings==

Revision as of 19:09, 29 March 2008

National Park Service
National Park Service arrowhead symbol
Agency overview
FormedAugust 25, 1916
HeadquartersMain Interior Building (MIB), Washington, D.C.
Employees15,000 permanent, 5,000 seasonal
Annual budget$2.256 billion (2006)
Agency executive
Parent agencyDepartment of the Interior
Websitewww.nps.gov

The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States 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 (16 United States Code, sections 1,2,3 and 4) in order to

...conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life 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.

It is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior, which is in turn a Cabinet Office of the executive branch, overseen by a Secretary 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 NPS oversees 431 units, of which 58 are designated national parks. Among the other unit designations are:

Not all NPS properties are considered to be distinct units. For example, Ellis Island Immigration Museum is not an independent NPS unit; it is a dependent area of Statue of Liberty National Monument which is one of the 431 units. None of the cemeteries counts as a unit by itself. There is at least one National Park Service site in every state in the nation (and some territories), except Delaware.

Special divisions

The U.S. 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 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 Program, the National Historic Landmarks Program, the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, Challenge Cost Share Program, Federal Lands to Parks, Hydropower Relicensing Program, Land and Water Conservation Fund, National Trails System, and the Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.

Directors

Mary A. Bomar, NPS Director
  1. Stephen Tyng 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, 2006)
  17. Mary A. Bomar (October 17, 2006 - )

National Park System

Sample National Park Service pictographs

The National Park System is a term that describes the collection of all units managed by the National Park Service, and it is not necessary for the title or designation of the unit to 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).

In addition to "units", and other properties that the National Park Service either owns or administers, it 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.

National Parks

Grand Canyon National Park, south rim of canyon.
A National Park Service MD 900 helicopter

Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service manages 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.

The National Park System (NPS) includes all properties mananged 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".

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 tasked him with 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. Later, the agency was given authority over other protected areas, many with varying designations as Congress created them.

Although all units of the National Park System in the United States, including National Parks, 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, Congaree National Park is almost entirely wilderness area, yet Yosemite has the Badger Pass Ski Area and the O'Shaughnessy Dam within its boundaries. Death Valley National Park actually has an active mine within its boundaries.

Many parks charge an entrance fee ranging from US$3 to $25 per week. One 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 (National Parks, US Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, etc.) for $80 per year. This pass applies to entry fees, only; other applicable fees such as camping, backcountry access, etc. still apply. Those 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. [1]

National Park Service holdings

Type Amount[2]
Buildings 21,000
Trails 17,000 mi (27,350 km)
Roads 10,000 mi (16,000 km)

Concessions

In an effort to increase visitation and allow for a larger audience to enjoy national park land, the National Park Service has numerous concessions agreements with private businesses to bring recreation, resorts, and other compatible amenities to their parks. One example of a relationship formed to adaptively reuse historic buildings on park land in the name of recreation activities is Aviator Sports and Recreation within Gateway National Recreation Area. Other resorts and accommodations also exist such as Wawona Hotel in Yosemite National Park and the Fort Baker Retreat and Conference Center (currently under renovation / construction, due to open in 2008) in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. These "adaptive reuses" 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.

At most Park Service sites, a bookstore is operated by a cooperating partner. The largest example is Eastern National, which runs bookstores in 30 states.

See also

References

  1. ^ https://pwrcms.nps.gov/pwr/fees_passes.htm%7C America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass
  2. ^ "NPS Overview" (PDF). National Park Service. 20-04-2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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