Management Objectives of the National Park Service

"The service thus established shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments, and reservations, hereinafter specified, by such means and ,measures as conform to the fundamental purpose of said parks, monuments and reservations, which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such IlIe":,,. as will leave they unimpaired for the enjoyment' of future generations."- --National Park Service ~ct, 1916 The intent of this language is clear: to care for the parks, to help the public enjoy the parks, and to do both in ways that insure the integrity of the parks for continued use beyond our time. In addition, each park has a more specific purpose defined or deduced trom its authorizing legislation. These specific park acts, and numerous other laws and Executive orders containing additional authorities and compliance requirements, supplement the basic mission. While service responsibilities have grown and the number and variety of parks have increased, the basic mission of the service and the central purpose tor which it was created remain firm ana unchanging. Nevertheless, changes do occur-brought about by a changing society and the changing needs and desires of that society. These changes influence our emphasis on the elements of our mission. For instance, in the early years of the Service there was need to promote visitation to the parks. That was the emphasis of another era. Promotion today stresses dispersal of visitors to less known and less impacted areas. brief historical perspective on the National Park Service and System allows us to understand and evaluate the present demands upon it. Evolution and Growth of the System and the Service The National Park System has evolved in 103 years from a single national park--Yellowstone--to a national system of 286 areas that run the environmental gamut from Manhattan Island to the wilds of Alaska. Once identified primarily with ~he West, today over half of the units in the System are located east of the Mississippi.