Case Study: The National Park Service

The economic worth of the NPS landmarks far outweighs the amount of funding they receive from the federal government. Cutting funds, as it has been done in recent years, reduce the high economic value of the parks, despite the population supporting more funding for the parks. Linda Bilmes and John Loomis state that “Americans put a total value of US$92 billion per year on our national parks”(1 ). This amount is based on a questionnaire asking people how much they would pay in taxes to preserve the parks. People are willing to pay more money than what the government funds the NPS with, which according to the same source, it only amounts to $3 billion yearly. It is unjust to fund the NPS with this kind of money because of the value on the whole of it, but lawmakers are not willing to

The National Park Service (NPS) plays a gargantuan role in the preservation of many national parks, monuments, and historical sites. But most recently the government proposed significant budget cuts to the NPS, which will reduce financial support for preserving national parks, monuments, historical sites, and the programs that teach kids about nature and history. Keeping these national parks and monuments busy and well­funded is imperative because without those Americans will be losing an important historical insight of the initiation that the country was built on. Although, some may debate that the government should not fund the NPS because it takes control away from the locals, it is important that NPS is funded because it will ensure the

Growing up in a family who enjoys the outdoors, national parks and forests have been a staple for travel and outdoor leisure. This can hold true for anyone seeking to enjoy outdoor fun. The National Parks Service provides services that are dedicated to preserving and maintaining forests, public land, and natural beauties. Conservation of forests began in 1876, yet a department was never officially founded until 1905. The National Parks Service was then created in 1916.

The national parks of the United States are a part of the few remaining regions in the country where nature is relatively untouched and natural beauty can be observed. For over a century, national parks been popular vacation destinations for citizens and international tourists alike. Regulation and conservation of these areas is necessary to allow for continued visitation and enjoyment. The National Parks Service of the Department of the Interior was created with The National Park Service Organic Act (“The Organic Act”) to maintain the nation’s parks and ensure preservation of the land while encouraging use by the general public. Whether or not conservation and recreational use are independent of each has been argued within the government as well as among the general public for decades. Vague language used by The Organic Act’s authors has allowed for manipulation of the phrasing of the fundamental mission statement of the National Park Service to support or oppose a variety of decisions that will environmentally impact the parks. Personal opinions and conflicting priorities lead to much ambiguity in the long-term implementation of the National Park Service Organic Act.

National parks are part of the foundation and history of the beginning of America. The NPS is an organization that fights for the national parks and is trying to preserve them. Although the national parks may seem like land with no meaning taking up space that could be used for more construction and modernization, they deserve to be a priority because of the history they hold from the beginning of our great nation and because of the recreational value they provide to the public.

In 2016, the National Park Service (NPS) celebrated 100 years of preservation and conservation of our nation’s parks, monuments, and historical sites. Currently, the federal government has proposed significant proposed budget cuts to the National Park Service. If the government makes these cuts, then Americans could lose the national parks along with the beauty, culture, and history that comes with them. This would happen because the NPS would lose most of its funding that is needed in order to keep the national parks well­preserved. Investing in the NPS should be a priority in our nation because it provides educational programs, unites all ages and races, and preserves and conserves the national parks.

The policy 16 U.S.C§1; National Park Service was created in the Organic Act of 1916. This was a new agency whose mission was to “conserve the scenery and national and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide enjoyment of the same in such a manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of the future generations.”

the role the national park will play into the future to provide benefit and relevant services to Canadians and a commitment to work with communities, organizations and individuals for a sustainable future and to sustain or improve the ecological integrity of the park.

The ideas on how to manage parks are varied. Based on a great spike in usage with population growth as a primary contributing factor, there is a good deal of information and debate on whether parks are a right and should be protected or are places that need to stand on their own. Information on this topic is easily found to debate. Experts abound in Colorado as such a great deal of our economy is based on tourism and use of the land. Much of the research on the state of Colorado and its parks is readily available due to having a populace that is among the most active and healthy in the United States and not only values the access to outdoor recreation but demands it. The peer reviewed articles tend to be based on the national parks, and they are tougher to find; however, based on issue of the fee hikes being raised they seem to be be possible to use to tie into the discussion without

National parks are a government institution meant to preserve the natural wonders of America’s landscapes. Established as the first national park in the U.S. by Congress in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was intended as “a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” The Secretary of the Interior, along with other governmental departments like the War Department and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture later worked to authorize additional national parks and monuments throughout much of the West. President Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service in 1916, which was responsible for protecting and managing the national parks already created, as well as those yet to be established. Once

Conservation: Yellowstone is extraordinarily large, with 290 waterfalls, 17 rivers and acreage spanning across portions of three states. According to Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk, his park “is at the heart of the largest intact ecosystem in the temperate zone in the United States, if not the world” (interview). It’s called the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and within its borders lay two national parks (Grand Teton and Yellowstone), four national wildlife refuges, and seven national forests. This important biological reserve is the largest protected area in the lower 48 states and provides critical habitat for some of the world’s most iconic wildlife. Unfortunately, many plant and animal species today face endangerment, mainly because their natural habitats are being destroyed. National parks work to conserve wildlife by safeguarding these habitats that provide a safe space for wildlife to breed and survive.

The park has been threatened by logging as well as non-native species. The NPS has gone to large lengths to keep this park protected, pushing for further legislation for protection to goto a federal authority. Making this a priority has had many payoffs and has been a big factor on the result that the park is in today. This park has suffered from budget cuts and actively tries to raise awareness and increase public interest. The NPS is partnering with other organizations to provide better service such as transit and educational opportunities to visitors. Making these promises has make their approval rating go up. The NPS also has one of the highest approval ratings of all government agencies.

I overcome failure at my job in the Youth Conservation Corps of the National Park Service at Monocacy National Battlefield. This position often requires initiative, quick decision making and physical strength. The National Park Service, especially park maintenance, is a field with jobs primarily occupied by men. This tells me that somewhere along the way, someone of my gender was told, or told themselves that they could not complete the work that I do as efficiently as a man could. When they simply continue to adopt the mindset that they are not strong or competent enough to perform manual labor and neglect to even try the job, they have already failed due to their lack of attempt. I go to work and work manually in order to set a new standard

This year the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary. Their mandate is to "conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein” in an unimpaired condition so that they might be enjoyed by present and future generations." I interviewed Park Service employee Daniel Craighead, an Occupational Safety and Health Specialist, to discuss how occupational safety and training supports the Park Services mandate.

The Issue of National Park conservation has become a widely controversial issue today. With the National debt reaching 17 trillion dollars some politicians think it is alright to either sell off national park land to commercial foresters, miners, and even foreign nations or to just close some parks entirely to make up some of the national debt. They are completely unaware that the parks arent just a “pretty area of land for tourists”. Many cities depend on the parks for their well-being. A quote from a local newspaper in California supports this “National parks don’t boast concession stands or charge tax, but data indicates they bring in millions of dollars to local economies each year”(Tree). Supporters of cutting the parks include big CEO’s of major companies and some of them not even in this country.