 National Park Service arrowhead insignia | |
 Guidon of the National Park Service | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 25, 1916; 109 years ago (1916-08-25) |
| Jurisdiction | United States |
| Headquarters |
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| Employees | About 20,000 (2022)[1](279,000 volunteers in 2019)[1] |
| Annual budget | $3.265 billion (FY2022)[2] |
| Agency executive | |
| Parent department | United States Department of the Interior |
| Key document | |
| Website | nps |
| Map | |
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TheNational Park Service (NPS) is anagency of theUnited States federal government, within theUnited States Department of the Interior. The service manages allnational parks; mostnational monuments; and other natural, historical, and recreational properties, with various title designations.[3][4] TheUnited States Congress created the agency on August 25, 1916, through theNational Park Service Organic Act.[5] Its headquarters is inWashington, D.C., within the main headquarters of the Department of the Interior.
The NPS employs about 20,000 people in 433 units covering over 85 million acres (0.34 million km2) inall 50 states, the District of Columbia, andU.S. territories.[1][6][4] In 2019, the service had more than 279,000 volunteers.[1] The agency is charged with preserving the ecological and historical integrity of the places entrusted to its management and with making them available for public use and enjoyment.
ArtistGeorge Catlin, during an 1832 trip to the Dakotas, was perhaps the first to suggest the concept of a national park. Indian civilization, wildlife, and wilderness were all in danger, wrote Catlin, unless they could be preserved "by some great protecting policy of government ... in a magnificent park ... A nation's Park, containing man and beast, in all the wild[ness] and freshness of their nature's beauty!"[7]Yellowstone National Park was created as the firstnational park in the United States.[8] In 1872, there was nostate government to manage it (Wyomingwas a U.S. territory at that time), so thefederal government managed it directly through the army, including the famed African AmericanBuffalo Soldier units.[8][9]
The movement for an independent agency to oversee these federal lands was spearheaded bybusiness magnate andconservationistStephen Mather.[10] With the help of journalistRobert Sterling Yard, Mather ran a publicity campaign for theDepartment of the Interior. They wrote numerous articles that praised the scenic and historic qualities of the parks and their possibilities for educational, inspirational, and recreational benefits.[11]
This campaign resulted in the creation of the NPS. On August 25, 1916, PresidentWoodrow Wilson signed theNational Park Service Organic Act 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".[12][13] Mather became the first director of the newly formed NPS.[14]
On March 3, 1933, PresidentHerbert Hoover signed the Reorganization Act of 1933. The act gave the president the authority to transfer national monuments from one governmental department to another.[15] Later that summer, new presidentFranklin D. Roosevelt made use of this power after NPS Deputy DirectorHorace M. Albright suggested that the NPS, rather than theWar Department, should manage historicAmerican Civil War sites.[15]
President Roosevelt agreed and issued twoexecutive orders to implement the reorganization. These two executive orders transferred to the NPS all of the War Department's historic sites as well as national monuments that theDepartment of Agriculture had managed and parks in and around Washington, D.C. that an independent federal office had previously operated.[16]
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The popularity of the parks after the end of theWorld War II left them overburdened with demands that the NPS could not meet. In 1951,Conrad Wirth became director of the NPS and began to bring park facilities up to the standards that the public was expecting.[17] In 1952, with the support of PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower, Wirth beganMission 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.[16]
In 1966, as the Park Service turned 50 years old, emphasis began to turn from just saving great and wonderful scenery and unique natural features to making parks accessible to the public.[18] DirectorGeorge Hartzog began the process with the creation of theNational Lakeshores and thenNational Recreation Areas.
A 1963 report titled "Wildlife Management in the National Parks" was prepared by a five-member advisory board on Wildlife Management, appointed byUnited States Secretary of the InteriorStewart Udall.[19] In later years, this report came to be referred to by its chairman and principal author,A. Starker Leopold. TheLeopold Report was just fourteen pages in length, but it set forthecosystem management recommendations that would guide parks policy until it was revisited in 2012.
The Leopold Report was the first concrete plan for managing park visitors and ecosystems under unified principles.[20] Park management issues and controversies addressed in this report included the difficulties of managing elk populations inYellowstone National Park and how "overprotection from natural ground fires" in California'sSequoia National Park,Kings Canyon National Park, andYosemite National Park had begun to threaten groves ofGiant Sequoia with catastrophic wildfires. The report also established a historical baseline that read, "The goal of managing the national parks and monuments should be to preserve, or where necessary to recreate, the ecologic scene as viewed by the first European visitors." This baseline would guideecological restoration in national parks until aclimate change adaptation policy, "Resist-Adapt-Direct", was later established in 2021.
National Parks directorJonathan Jarvis charged the twelve-member NPS Advisory Board Science Committee to take a fresh look at the ecological issues and make recommendations for updating the original Leopold Report. The committee published their 23-page report in 2012, titled, "Revisiting Leopold: Resource Stewardship in the National Parks".[21] The report recommended that parks leadership "manage for change while confronting uncertainty."
"... New and emerging scientific disciplines — including conservation biology, global change science, and genomics — along with new technological tools like high-resolution remote sensing can provide significant information for constructing contemporary tactics for NPS stewardship. This knowledge is essential to a National Park Service that is science-informed at all organizational levels and able to respond with contemporary strategies for resource management and ultimately park stewardship."
The "Revisiting Leopold" report mentionedclimate change three times and "climate refugia" once, but it did not prescribe or offer any management tactics that could help park managers with the problems of climate change. Hence, the 2020 NPS-led report specific to the need forclimate adaptation: "Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD): A Framework for the 21st-century Natural Resource Manager."[22] This "Natural Resource Report" has ten authors. Among them are four associated with the National Park Service, three with theUS Fish and Wildlife Service, and two with theUS Geological Survey — all of which are government agencies within the US Department of Interior.
The report's Executive Summary, points to "intensifying global change."
"... The convention of using baseline conditions to define goals for today's resource management is increasingly untenable, presenting practical and philosophical challenges for managers. As formerly familiar ecological conditions continue to change, bringing novelty, surprise, and uncertainty, natural resource managers require a new, shared approach to make conservation decisions.... The RAD (Resist–Accept–Direct) decision framework has emerged over the past decade as a simple tool that captures the entire decision space for responding to ecosystems facing the potential for rapid, irreversible ecological change."[22]
The three RAD options are:
The RAD framework emerged from efforts by the NPS and partners since 2015 to hone a tool that could integrate into standard resource-management planning processes and thereby foster strategic thinking and clear communication about how to steward transforming ecosystems. It built on the Resist–Accept–Guide framework first proposed in the 2012 bookBeyond Naturalness: Rethinking Park and Wilderness Stewardship in an Era of Rapid Change.[24] The NPS and partners in 2021 replaced the 2012 term "guide" with "direct." This explicitly recognized the potential for strong intervention at key points to foster preferred new conditions. Initially, the NPS experimented with the term "accommodate" in place of "accept." This early formulation appeared in a 2016 NPS publication:Coastal Adaptation Strategies Handbook.[25] Another interagency publication in 2016 also used the term "accommodate":Resource Management and Operations in Central North Dakota: Climate change scenario planning workshop summary.[26] In 2020, the "Resist-Accept-Direct" framework was used in a paper published in the journalFisheries. Eighteen researchers from federal and state agencies and universities collaborated in this effort, which included short case studies of where and how this framework had already been applied.[27]
The interagency efforts to forge a climate-adaptive framework culminated in a January 2022 series of six articles in the journalBioScience. These were grouped in the "Special Section on the Resist–Accept–Direct Framework."[28] In 2024, the RAD Framework was included in an NPS policy memorandum titled "Managing National Parks in an Era of Climate Change."[29] That memorandum also links to the three previous statements pertaining to NPS climate change responses and adaptation (2012, 2014, and 2015).
2025
In 2025 the National Park Service (NPS) underwent a period of intense workforce contraction and political scrutiny during Donald Trump’s second term as president of the United States. On 14 February 2025, more than 1000 probationary and lower-seniority NPS employees were dismissed in an event widely referred to by staff and media as the "Valentine’s Day Massacre".[30] The cuts were followed by buyouts and early retirements for longer-serving rangers and specialists, as well as a federal hiring freeze that prevented most vacant positions from being refilled. Advocacy groups such as the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) reported that by mid-2025 the NPS had lost roughly 25% of its permanent workforce since January 2025.[31]
These conditions were further tested in October 2025, when a federal government shutdown began after Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation. The Interior Department’s contingency plan directed that most of the more than 400 NPS units remain at least partially open, while furloughing roughly 9,200–9,300 employees—about two-thirds of NPS staff—and keeping only limited "excepted" personnel such as law enforcement, emergency responders and dispatchers on duty.[32]
The National Park System includes all properties managed by the National Park Service, which have a wide variety of titles or designations. The system as a whole is considered to be anational treasure of the United States, and some of the more famous national parks and monuments are sometimes referred to as "crown jewels".[33]
The system encompasses approximately 85.1 million acres (0.344 million km2), of which 2.6 million acres (0.011 million km2) remain in private ownership. The largest unit isWrangell–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 isThaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial,Pennsylvania, at 0.02 acres (80 m2).
In addition to administering its units and other properties, the NPS also provides technical and financial assistance to several affiliated areas authorized by Congress. The largest affiliated area isNew Jersey Pinelands National Reserve at 1,164,025 acres (4711 km2). The smallest isBenjamin Franklin National Memorial at less than 0.01 acres (40 m2).
While there are laws generally covering all units of the National Park System, they are subject to management policies of individual pieces of authorizing legislation or, in the case of national monuments created under theAntiquities Act,Executive Order. For example, because of provisions within their enabling legislation,Congaree National Park is almost entirely awilderness area devoid of development, yet Yosemite allows unique developments such as theBadger Pass Ski Area and theO'Shaughnessy Dam within its boundaries. Such irregularities would not be found in other parks unless specifically provided for with exceptions by the legislation that created them.
| Type | Amount (2008)[34] | |
|---|---|---|
| Area of land | 84,000,000 acres | 340,000 km2 |
| Area of oceans, lakes, reservoirs | 4,502,644 acres | 18,222 km2 |
| Length of perennial rivers and streams | 85,049 mi | 136,873 km |
| Archeological sites | 68,561 | |
| Length of shoreline | 43,162 mi | 69,463 km |
| Historic structures | 27,000 | |
| Objects in museum collections | 121,603,193 | |
| Buildings | 21,000 | |
| Trails | 12,250 mi | 19,710 km |
| Roads | 8,500 mi | 13,700 km |
Most NPS units have been established by an act of Congress, with the president confirming the action by signing the act into law. The exception, under theAntiquities Act, allows the president to designate and protect areas as national monuments by executive order. Regardless of the method used, all parks are to be of national importance.[35]
A potential park should meet all four of the following standards:[36]
Before creation of a new unit, Congress typically directs the NPS to conduct a special resource study of a site to determine its national significance and suitability to be part of the National Park System.[37][38]
The NPS uses over 20 different titles for the park units it manages, includingnational park andnational monument.[39]
| Classifications (2023)[40] | Number (2024) | Area (2023)[41] | Visitors (2023)[42] |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Park | 63 | 52,520,984.26 acres (212,545 km2) | 92,390,204 |
| National Monument | 87 | 1,993,636.12 acres (8,068 km2) | 13,786,614 |
| National Lakeshore (3) andNational Seashore (10) | 13 | 810,799.10 acres (3,281 km2) | 25,763,241 |
| National Memorial | 31 | 10,499.77 acres (42 km2) | 41,152,084 |
| National Preserve (19) and National Reserve (2) | 21 | 24,617,971.50 acres (99,625 km2) | 5,168,136 |
| National Recreation Area | 18 | 3,710,771.17 acres (15,017 km2) | 51,443,904 |
| National River (4) andNational Wild and Scenic River (10) | 14 | 696,717.08 acres (2,820 km2) | 5,570,302 |
| National Parkway | 4 | 183,952.75 acres (744 km2) | 32,316,093 |
| National Historical Park (63),National Historic Site (76), andInternational Historic Site (1) | 140 | 231,558.77 acres (937 km2) | 35,738,635 |
| National Military Park (9),National Battlefield Park (4),National Battlefield Site (1), andNational Battlefield (11) | 25 | 85,009.53 acres (344 km2) | 8,568,423 |
| National Scenic Trail | 6 | 255,177.96 acres (1,033 km2) | Not available |
| Other Designations | 11 | 38,889.24 acres (157 km2) | 7,619,103 |
| Totals | 433 | 85,155,967.25 acres (344,614 km2) | 319,516,739 |
National parks preserve nationally and globally significant scenic areas and nature reserves.
National monuments preserve a single unique cultural or natural feature.Devils Tower National Monument was the first in 1906. While the National Park Service holds the most national monuments, a monument may be managed or co-managed by a different entity such as theBureau of Land Management or theForest Service.
National preserves are for the protection of certain resources and operate similar to many National Parks, but allow limited resource extraction. Activities like hunting, fishing, and some mining may be allowed depending on the site.Big Cypress National Preserve andBig 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 state or local government.New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve was the first to be established in 1978.[43]
National historic sites protect a significant cultural resource that is not a complicated site.
National historical parks are larger areas with more complex subjects. Historic sites may also be protected in other unit types.
National military parks,battlefield parks,battlefield sites, andbattlefields 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 asChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park,Vicksburg National Military Park,Gettysburg National Military Park, andShiloh National Military Park—the original four from 1890.
Examples ofbattlefield parks,battlefield sites, andnational battlefields includeRichmond National Battlefield Park,Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, andAntietam National Battlefield.
National memorials are areas that officially memorialize a person or event, though unlike a National Historical Site, may or may not be placed at a specific historical location. Several national memorials are on theNational Mall, such as theWashington Monument andLincoln Memorial.
National seashores andnational 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 andPictured Rocks National Lakeshore, created in 1966, were the first national lakeshores.
National rivers andwild 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.
National recreation areas originally were units surrounding reservoirs impounded by dams built by other federal agencies, the first beingLake Mead National Recreation Area. Some national recreation areas are in urban centers, such asGateway National Recreation Area andGolden Gate National Recreation Area, which encompass significant cultural as well as natural resources.
TheNational 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. TheAppalachian Trail is the best known.National historic trails commemorate the routes of major historic events. Some of the best known are theTrail of Tears, theMormon Trail, and theSanta Fe Trail. These trails are administered by several federal agencies.
Wilderness areas are part of theNational Wilderness Preservation System, which consists of federally managed lands that are of a pristine condition, established by theWilderness Act (Public Law 88-577) in 1964. The National Wilderness Preservation System originally created hundreds ofwilderness zones within already protected federally administered property, consisting of over 9 million acres (36,000 km2).
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) began with Executive Order 13158 in May 2000, when official MPAs were established for the first time.[44] The initial listing of U.S. areas was presented in 2010, consisting of areas already set aside under other legislation. The NPS has 19 park units designated as MPAs.[44]
The National Park System received over 325 million recreation visits in 2023.[42] Park visitation grew 64 percent between 1979 and 2015.[45] In 2024, NPS reported a record 331.9 million recreation visits.[46][47]
The 10 most-visited units of the National Park System handle around 30 percent of the overall visits. The top 10 percent of parks (43) handle over 64 percent of all visits, leaving the remaining more than 380 units to accommodate around 36 percent of visits.[42] (Note that only 380 sites recorded visitors during 2021 due to COVID-19-related closures).[45]
| Park | Rank (2023)[42] | Visits (2023)[42] | Rank (2024)[46] | Visits (2024)[46] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Parkway[a] | 1 | 16,757,635 | 2 | 16,733,639 |
| Golden Gate National Recreation Area | 2 | 14,953,882 | 1 | 17,187,508 |
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park[b] | 3 | 13,297,647 | 3 | 12,191,834 |
| Gateway National Recreation Area | 4 | 8,705,329 | 4 | 8,929,035 |
| Gulf Islands National Seashore | 5 | 8,277,857 | 6 | 7,801,176 |
| Lincoln Memorial | 6 | 8,099,148 | 5 | 8,479,349 |
| George Washington Memorial Parkway | 7 | 7,391,260 | 8 | 6,782,717 |
| Natchez Trace Parkway | 8 | 6,784,853 | 7 | 7,364,833 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | 9 | 5,798,541 | 9 | 6,412,854 |
| Glen Canyon National Recreation Area | 10 | 5,206,934 | 15 | 4,725,610 |
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial | 11 | 5,039,454 | 10 | 5,295,711 |
Notes:
Most areas of the National Park System do not charge entrance fees and are completely supported by tax dollars, although some of the most popular areas do charge entrance fees. Fees vary site to site and are charged either on a per-vehicle or per-person basis, with most passes valid for 7 days. TheAmerica the Beautiful Pass series waives the per-vehicle fee or per-person fee for the holder and up to 3 other adults (children age 15 and younger are admitted for free at most sites). Annual passes for single areas are also available for those who visit the same site often.
Over 15 million visitors spent a night in one of the national park units during 2015. The largest number (3.68 million) were tent campers. The second largest group (3.38 million) stayed in one of the lodges, followed by miscellaneous stays (on boats, group sites—2.15 million). The last three groups of over-night visitors included RV campers (2.26 million), backcountry campers (2.02 million) and users of the concession-run campgrounds (1.42 million).[51]
In 2019, the NPS had an annual budget of $4.085 billion and an estimated $12 billion maintenance backlog.[52] On August 4, 2020, theGreat American Outdoors Act was signed into law reducing the $12 billion maintenance backlog by $9.5 billion over a 5-year period beginning in FY 2021.[53] As of 2022, the NPS had the largest budget allocation of anyDepartment of the Interior bureau or program.[54]
The NPS budget is divided into two primary areas,discretionary andmandatory spending. Within each of these areas, there are numerous specific purposes to which Congress directs the services activities.[55]
The NPS budget includesdiscretionary spending which is broken out into two portions: the direct operations of the National Parks and the special initiatives.[56] Listed separately are the special initiatives of the service for the year specified in the legislation. During fiscal year 2010, the service was charged with five initiatives. They include: stewardship and education; professional excellence; youth programs; climate change impacts; and budget restructure and realignment.[56]
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Discretionary spending includes the Operations of the National Parks (ONPS), from which all park operations are paid. TheUnited States Park Police funds cover the high-profile law enforcement operations at some of the large parks, includingGateway National Recreation Area,Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and theNational Mall. TheNational Recreation and Preservation Program and theUrban Park and Recreation Fund are outreach programs to support state and local outdoor recreational activities.[55]
The ONPS section of the budget is divided into six operational areas. These areas include:
These are funds and people directed towards the restoration, preservation, and maintenance of natural and cultural resources. The resource staff includes biologists, geologists, archeologists, museum curators, preservation specialists, and a variety of specialized employees to restore and preserve cultural buildings or natural features.[56]
The NPS allocates funds obtained from its visitor services for use in public programs and for educational programs for the general public and school groups. Park rangers trained in providing walks, talks, and educational programs to the public frequently conduct such programs. Media specialists prepare exhibits along trails, roads and in visitor contact facilities, as well as written brochures and web-sites.[56]
This includes the staff responding to visitor emergencies (criminal, medical, search and rescue), and the protection of the park's natural and cultural resources from damage by those persons visiting the park. The staff includeslaw enforcement rangers,park police, lifeguards, criminal investigators, and communication center operators.[56] In many instances they also work withstate and territorial fish and wildlife management agency rangers.
This is the cost of maintaining the necessary infrastructure within each park that supports all the services provided. It includes the plows and heavy equipment for road clearing, repairs and construction. There are buildings, trails, roads, docks, boats, utility pipes and wires, and a variety of hidden systems that make a park accessible by the public. The staff includes equipment operators, custodians, trail crews, electricians, plumbers, engineers, architects, and other building trade specialists.[56]
This is the staff that provides for the routine logistical needs of the parks. There are human resource specialists, contracting officers, property specialists, budget managers, accountants and information technology specialists.[56]
The NPS pays external administrative costs to outside organizations that provide the logistical support that the NPS needs to operate its facilities. These costs include rent payments to theGeneral Services Administration for building space, postage payments to the postal machine vendor and other direct payments.[56]
| Functional area | FY 2010 (in thousands)[56][57] | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Resource stewardship | $347,328 | 15.3% |
| Visitor services | $247,386 | 10.9% |
| Park protection | $368,698 | 16.3% |
| Facility maintenance and operations | $705,220 | 31.1% |
| Park support | $441,854 | 19.5% |
| External administrative costs | $155,530 | 6.9% |
| Total (2010) | $2,266,016 |
TheLand and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) supports Land Acquisition and State Conservation Assistance (SCA) grant programs. In 2010, the LWCF began an incremental process to fully fund its programs at a total cost of $900 million. The Department of the Interior and theUnited States Forest Service use these funds to purchase critical lands to protect existing public lands.
The LWCF also issues grants to States and local jurisdictions to preserve and protect Civil War battlefield sites that are not part of the national park system. The SCA program distributes funds for land preservation to individual states.[56]
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 set the federal vision for historic preservation in the United States. To support the vision and framework laid out in this act, the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) was established in 1977 to provide financial assistance to, originally, states, to carry out activities related to preservation. Funding is provided from Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas lease revenues, not tax dollars, and an amount is appropriated annually by Congress. Awards from the HPF are made to States, Tribes, Territories, local governments, and non-profits.[58] Two specific programs include theSave America's Treasures and thePreserve America. The Historic Preservation Offices makes grants available to the States, territories, and tribal lands.[56] To honor the 250th anniversary of the United States, Congress authorized the Semiquincentennial Grant in 2020 to support the preservation of State owned sites and structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places that commemorate the founding of the nation.[59]
The NPS affects economies at national, state, and local levels. According to a 2011 Michigan State University report prepared for the NPS, for each $1 invested in the NPS, the American public receives $4 in economic value.[60] In 2011, national parks generated $30.1 billion in economic activity and 252,000 jobs nationwide. Thirteen billion of that amount went directly into communities within 60 miles of a NPS unit.
In a 2017 study, the NPS found that 331 million park visitors spent $18.2 billion in local areas around National Parks across the nation. This spending helped support 306,000 jobs. The NPS expenditures supported $297 million in economic output in Missouri alone.[61]
Despite these economic advantages in February 2025 in an effort to decrease federal spending over 1,000 NPS employees were fired, leaving many sites grossly understaffed.[62]
In an effort to increase visitation and allow for a larger audience to enjoy national park land, the NPS has numerousconcession contracts with private businesses to bring recreation, resorts and othercompatible amenities to their parks. NPS lodging opportunities exist at places such as theWawona Hotel inYosemite National Park and theFort Baker Retreat and Conference Center inGolden Gate National Recreation Area.
In 2015,Delaware North sued the NPS in theUnited States Court of Federal Claims for breach of contract, alleging that the NPS had undervalued its trademarks of the names of iconic Yosemite National Park concession facilities.[63] The NPS estimated the value of the intangible assets including the names "Ahwahnee", "Badger Pass", "Curry Village", and "Yosemite Lodge" at $3.5 million. Delaware North lost the contract, and asserted that the historic names were worth $51 million and maintained that the incoming concessioner had to be paid that amount.[64]
The Justice Department and the NPS asserted that this was an "improper and wildly inflated" value. Rather than pay Delaware North's demanded valuation, in January 2016 the NPS instead opted to rename the famous landmarks, effective in March. TheAhwahnee Hotel is slated to become The Majestic Yosemite Hotel, Curry Village will become Half Dome Village, and the Wawona Hotel will become Big Trees Lodge.[65] Widespread public outcry focused on Delaware North's decision to claim ownership of names within a national park.[66] The names were restored in 2019 upon settlement of the dispute.[67]
The national headquarters is located in theMain Interior Building, 1849 C Street NW, several blocks southwest of theWhite House. The central office is composed of eleven directorates: director/deputy directors; business services; workforce management; chief information officer; cultural resources; natural resource stewardship and science; office of the comptroller; park planning, facilities and lands; partnerships and visitor experience; visitor and resource protection; and theUnited States Park Police.[68]
Regional offices are inAnchorage,Atlanta,Lakewood, CO (Denver),Omaha, NE,Philadelphia,San Francisco andSeattle. The headquarters building of theNational Park Service Southwest Regional Office is architecturally significant and is designated aNational Historic Landmark.
The NPS is anoperating unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior. TheNPS director is nominated by thepresident of the United States and confirmed by theUnited States Senate.[69] The director is supported by six senior executives.
These executives manage national programs, policy, and budget from the Washington, DC, headquarters. Under the deputy director of operations are seven regional directors, who are responsible for national park management and program implementation. Together this group is called theNational Leadership Council.[70]
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By the mid-1950s, the primary employees of the service were the park rangers, who had broad responsibilities on the parks' behalf. 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.[72]
The NPS employs many kinds of workers:
Locations are varied. Parks exist in the nation's larger cities likeNew York City (Federal Hall Memorial National Historic Site),Atlanta (Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site), andSan Diego (Cabrillo National Monument) to some of the remotest areas of the continent likeHovenweep National Monument in southeastern Utah, toAniakchak National Monument inKing Salmon, Alaska.[73]
TheVolunteers-In-Parks program was authorized in 1969 by the Volunteers in the Parks Act of 1969.[74] for the purpose of allowing the public to serve in the nations parks providing support and skills for their enhancement and protection.[75]
Volunteers come from all walks of life and include professionals, artists, laborers, homemakers and students, performing varied duties. Many come from surrounding communities and some travel significant distances.[75] In a 2005 annual report, the NPS reported that,
...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 NPS. Since 1990, the number of volunteers has increased an average of 2% per year.[76]
FTE stands for full-time equivalent (one work year). In 2012, the National Park Service reported that over 221,000 volunteers contributed about 6.4 million hours annually.[77]
Additionally, other types of volunteers also conduct offsite NPS public outreach and education, such as the Trails & Rails program guides on board certain segments of long-haulAmtrak routes, who offer passengers insights to the travel area's natural resources and heritage.[78][79]
Across the nation, there are special opportunities for artists (visual artists, photographers, sculptors, performers, writers, composers, and crafts) to live and work in a park. Twenty-nine parks currently participate in theArtist-In-Residence program.[80]
National Park Service rangers are among the uniformed employees charged with protecting and preserving areas set aside in the National Park System by the United States Congress and the President of the United States. While all employees of the agency contribute to the National Park Service mission of preserving unimpaired the natural and cultural resources set aside by the American people forfuture generations, the term "park ranger" is traditionally used to describe all National Park Service employees who wear the uniform. Broadly speaking, all National Park Service rangers promotestewardship of the resources in their care—either voluntary stewardship viaresource interpretation, or compliance withstatute orregulation throughlaw enforcement. These comprise the two main disciplines of the ranger profession in the National Park Service.
Law enforcement rangers, or protection rangers, are uniformed federal law enforcement officers with broad authority to enforce federal and state laws within NPS sites. The NPS commonly refers to law enforcement operations in the agency asvisitor and resource protection.
In most NPS units, law enforcement rangers are the primary police agency.[81] The NPS also employs special agents who conduct more complex criminal investigations. Rangers and agents receive extensive police training at theFederal Law Enforcement Training Center and annual in-service and regular firearms training.
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 NPS areas primarily located in the Washington, D.C. Parks, San Francisco, andNew York City Parks areas.
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.[82]
The NPS partners with a variety of youth oriented programs. The oldest serving group is theStudent Conservation Association (SCA). It was established in 1957, committed to conservation and preservation. The SCA's goal is to create the next generation of conservation leaders.
SCA volunteers work through internships, conservation jobs, and crew experiences. Volunteers conduct resource management, historic preservation, cultural resources and conservation programs to gain experience, which can lead to career development and further educational opportunities. The SCA places volunteers in more than 350 national park units and NPS offices each year.[83]
The Corps Network, formerly known as the National Association for Service and Corps (NASCC), represents 136 Service and Conservation Corps. These groups have programs in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Corpsmembers are between the ages of 16–25. Service and Conservation Corps are direct descendants of theCivilian Conservation Corps (CCC) of the 1930s that built park facilities in the national parks and other public parks around the country. The Corps Network was established in 1985.[84]
Other special NPS divisions include the Archeology Program,[87]Historic American Buildings Survey,National Register of Historic Places,National Natural Landmarks, the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program,[88] the Challenge Cost Share Program,[89] the Federal Lands to Parks,[90] theHydropower Relicensing Program,[91] the Land and Water Conservation Fund,[92] theNational Trails System,[93] the Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers Program,[94]Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division.,[95] and the Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC).[96]
There is also anInvestigative Services Branch (ISB), based at NPS headquarters in Washington, D.C. which has personnel distributed among the parks.[97]
The NPS operates four archaeology-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 developing interpretive media and in conserving objects. The others focus to various degrees on archaeological research and the curation and conservation of museum objects.
National Park Service training centers include the Horace Albright Training Center, Grand Canyon; the Stephen Mather Training Center, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; the Historic Preservation Training Center, Frederick, Maryland; and the Capital Training Center, Washington, D.C.
TheSubmerged Resources Center catalogues and evaluates submerged resources in the National Park system.[98] The SRC's headquarters are at the Intermountain Region's headquarters, in Lakewood, Colorado.[98]
TheNational Center for Preservation Technology and Training, in Natchitoches, Louisiana, conducts research and training in archaeology, architecture, landscape architecture, and materials conservation.[99]
The oldest federal preservation program, theHistoric 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, theHistoric American Buildings Survey (HABS) was chartered to document historic architecture—primarily houses and public buildings—of national or regional significance. Originally aNew 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.[100]
In 1933, the NPS established the Historic American Buildings 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.
Recognizing a similar fragility in the national industrial and engineering heritage, the NPS, 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. Later, HAER was ratified by theAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), theAmerican 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.[101]
Historic American Landscapes Survey
With the growing vitality of landscape history, preservation and management, proper recognition for historic American landscape documentation must be addressed. In response to this need, theAmerican Society of Landscape Architects Historic Preservation Professional Interest Group worked with the National Park Service to establish a national program. Hence, in October 2000 the National Park Service permanently established theHistoric American Landscapes Survey (HALS) program for the systematic documentation of historic American landscapes.[102]
The NPS Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (NPS-RTCA) program is designed to assist local communities and the public with planning for conservation and outdoor recreation projects.[103] The NPS-RTCA program is able to work with local communities outside the borders of the nation's National Parks because of the second sentence of the NPS Mission Statement.[104] 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 isRails to Trails, where unused railroad right-of-ways are converted into public hiking and biking trails.[105]
The National Park Service is responsible for the management and upkeep of several sites whereAmericans of Japanese descent wereforcibly relocated and incarcerated Japanese Americans duringWorld War II between 1942 and 1946 under the order of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt. TheJapanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) grant program provides funding for applicants that preserve these sites and their memory.[106][107]
TheNational Trails System is a joint mission of the NPS, theBureau of Land Management and theUS Forest Service. It was created in 1968 to establish a system of long-distanceNational Scenic andNational Historic Trails, as well as to recognize existing trails in the states asNational Recreation Trails. Several additional trails have been established since 1968, and in 2009 Congress established the firstNational Geologic Trail.[108]
National Heritage Areas are a unique blend of natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources. These are not considered units of the NPS, as they are maintained by state/territorial governments or non-profit organizations (described aslocal coordinating entities). The National Park Service provides an advisory role and limited technical, planning and financial assistance. Designation of National Heritage Areas is done by an Act of Congress. As of 2021 there are 55 designated heritage areas, some of which cross state lines.
In September 2010, the NPS released its Climate Change Response Strategy, followed in April 2012 by the Green Parks Plan.[122]
The Climate Friendly Parks Program is a subset of the Green Parks Plan.[122] It was created in collaboration between the NPS and theUS Environmental Protection Agency.[123] The program is meant to measure and reduce greenhouse gases to help slow the effects of climate change.
Parks in the CFP program create and implement plans to reduce greenhouse gases through reducing energy and water use. Facilities are designed and retrofitted using sustainable materials. Alternative transportation systems are developed to reduce dependency on fossil fuels.[124] Parks in the program offer public education programs about how the parks are already affected.
The CFP program provides climate-friendly solutions to the visiting public, like using clean energy, reducing waste, and making smart transportation choices.[125] The CFP program can provide technical assistance, tools and resources for the parks and their neighboring communities to protect the natural and cultural resources.[126]
The large, isolated parks typically generate their own electricity and heat and must do so without spoiling the values that the visitors have come to experience. Pollution is emitted by the vehicles used to transport visitors around the often-vast expanses of the parks. Many parks have converted vehicles toelectric hybrids, and substitutediesel/electric hybrid buses for private automobiles. In 2001 it was estimated that replacement withelectric vehicles would eliminate 25 TPY emissions entirely.[127]
In 2010, the NPS estimated that reducing bottled water could eliminate 6,000 tons of carbon emissions and 8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity every year. The NPS Concessions office voiced concerns about concessions impacts.[128]
By 2014, 23 parks had banned disposable water bottles.[129] In 2015, theInternational Bottled Water Association stated the NPS was "leaving sugary drinks as a primary alternative", even though the Park Service provides water stations to refill bottles, "encouraging visitors to hydrate for free". The Water Association made the national parks one of its top lobbying targets. In July 2015 Rep.Keith Rothfus added a "last-minute" amendment into Congress's appropriations bill, blocking the NPS from funding or enforcing the program.[130] The NPS discontinued its ban on disposable water bottles in August 2017.[131]
In an effort to save on cash processing and hand handling fees, 22 national parks have gonecashless as of 2023. In September 2023, US SenatorCynthia Lummis (R-WY) proposed the "Protecting Access to Recreation with Cash Act" (PARC) which would require national parks to accept cash as a form of payment for entrance fee.[132] In April 2024, several NPS visitors sued seeking to restore cash as a payment form noting howcash islegal tender suitable "for all public charges" and that the "additionalprocessing fees that will be borne by NPS and by visitors who ultimately fund the federal government through taxes, in addition to personalsurcharges andbank fees visitors may incur under NPS cashless policy."[133][134][135]
This project focuses on the links between the conservation movement and civil rights through an examination of the reach and impact of the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission (ORRRC) and its chairman, Laurance S. Rockefeller (LSR). The Commission's landmark report in 1962 identified large racial disparities in access to public lands and recreation across the USA, which prompted the National Park Service (NPS) to establish new National Recreation Areas and Historical Parks in urban areas in the 1960s and 1970s. The project examines the history of the ORRRC, contextualizes the Commission's work within the longer history of the civil rights movement's efforts to desegregate state and national parks, and NPS efforts to increase recreational opportunities in urban areas.
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