Reclaiming our heritage: What we need to do to preserve America's National Parks
Buccino S, Clusen C, Norton E, Wald J. 1997. Reclaiming our heritage: What we need to do to preserve America's National Parks. Natural Resources Defense Council, National Trust for Historic Preservation
From the executive summary: "America's first National Park-Yellowstone-was set aside in 1872. Since then the National Parks have come to be intimately connected with the world's idea of America and with Americans' idea of themselves. The National Parks were established to conserve the resources-both natural and historic-that Americans have chosen to set aside as part of their heritage. They are the living repository of the collective history of this diverse nation. Unfortunately, the nation has in recent years failed to take the steps necessary to adequately protect the parks. More and more people are visiting the parks, yet fewer and fewer real dollars are going to maintain them. The number of people visiting National Parks has skyrocketed in the past twenty years, with 40 million more visitors in 1996 than in 1978. In the same period, however, annual funding has dropped by $635 million in constant dollars. As a result, our ability to pass the National Parks on to the next generation as they were given to us is at risk. We have arrived at this state because the agency responsible for protecting the National Parks, the National Park Service, has not been given the tools to do so. It faces numerous challenges its staff is poorly equipped to address."
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Buccino, Sharon; Clusen, Charles; Norton, Ed; Wald, Johanna
- Date of Issue
- 1997-07
- Publisher
- Natural Resources Defense Council, National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Units
- ACAD , CASA , CAVE , CHCU , CUIS , CUVA , DENA , EDIS , EVER , FOLS , FOUN , GETT , GRCA , LOWE , MEVE , MIMA , SAFE , SAFR , SAJU , SHEN , VICK , YELL , YOSE
- Keywords
- Acadia National Park, Management, ME, National Parks