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{{Short description|United States federal agency}}
{{for|the national agency in the Republic of China|National Park Service (Taiwan)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = National Park Service
| logo            = Guidon of the United States National Park Service.svg
| logo_width      = 
| logo_caption    = [[Guidon (United States)|Guidon]] of the National Park Service
| seal            = US-NationalParkService-ShadedLogo.svg
| seal_width      = 150px
| seal_caption    = National Park Service arrowhead insignia
| formed          = {{start date and age|1916|8|25}}
| date1           = 
| date1_name      = 
| date2           = 
| date2_name      = 
| jurisdiction    = [[United States]]
| headquarters    = {{unbulleted list|
[[Main Interior Building]]|
1849&nbsp;C Street NW|
[[Washington, D.C.]]| 20240, U.S.}}
| employees       = About 20,000 (2022)<ref name=Emp1/>
(279,000 volunteers in 2019)<ref name=Emp1>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/faqs.htm |title=Frequently Asked Questions |website=nps.gov |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=July 19, 2021 |archive-date=April 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418180844/https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/faqs.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
| budget          = $3.265 billion (FY2022)<ref>{{cite report |author=Laura B. Comay |date=May 19, 2022 |title=National Park Service: FY2022 Appropriations |url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11928 |publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]] |page=1 |access-date=May 25, 2022}}</ref>
| chief1_name     = [[Jessica Bowron]]
| chief1_position = Acting [[Director of the National Park Service]]
| chief2_name     = 
| chief2_position = 
| parent_department = [[United States Department of the Interior]]
| parent_agency   = 
| keydocument1    = [[National Park Service Organic Act]]
| website         = {{official URL}}
| map             = NPS UnifiedRegionsMap2020.png
| footnotes       = 
}}

The '''National Park Service''' ('''NPS''') is an [[List of federal agencies in the United States|agency]] of the [[Federal government of the United States|United States federal government]], within the [[United States Department of the Interior]]. The service manages all [[List of national parks of the United States|national parks]]; most [[National monument (United States)|national monuments]]; and other natural, historical, and recreational properties, with various title designations.<ref>{{cite web |date=2016-06-10 |title=America's Public Lands Explained |url=https://www.doi.gov/blog/americas-public-lands-explained |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=www.doi.gov |language=en |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420183605/https://www.doi.gov/blog/americas-public-lands-explained |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> The [[United States Congress]] created the agency on August 25, 1916, through the [[National Park Service Organic Act]].<ref name="national">{{cite web |title=The National Park Service Organic Act (1916) |url=https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/management/national-park-service-organic-act-1916.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=March 18, 2020 |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522161212/https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/management/national-park-service-organic-act-1916.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> Its headquarters is in [[Washington, D.C.]], within the main headquarters of the Department of the Interior.

The NPS employs about 20,000 people in {{National Park Units}} units covering over {{Convert|85|e6acre|e6km2|abbr=unit}} in [[List of states and territories of the United States|all 50 states]], the District of Columbia, and [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territories]].<ref name=Emp1/><ref>{{cite web |date=June 9, 2021 |title=What We Do |url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418180900/https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm |archive-date=April 18, 2022 |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=National Park Service}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{cite web |date=March 18, 2022 |title=National Park System |url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420174702/https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=National Park Service}}</ref> In 2019, the service had more than 279,000 volunteers.<ref name=Emp1/> 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.

==History==
{{Main|History of the National Park Service}}
{{See also|National Park Service Organic Act}}
[[File:Natlparks and RRs 1916.jpg|thumb|In 1916, a portfolio of nine major parks was published to generate interest. Printed on each brochure was a map showing the parks and principal railroad connections.]]
[[File:USPS National Park Service 1934.jpg|thumb|right|In 1934, a series of ten postage stamps was issued to commemorate the reorganization and expansion of the National Park Service.]]
[[File:NPS Preliminary Survey Personnel GSNP.jpg|thumb|NPS Preliminary Survey party, [[Great Smoky Mountains]], 1931]]

Artist [[George 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{{nbsp}}... in a magnificent park{{nbsp}}... A nation's Park, containing man and beast, in all the wild[ness] and freshness of their nature's beauty!"<ref>{{cite web |date=March 10, 2016 |title=Origin of the National Park Idea |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/npshistory-origins.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420180823/https://www.nps.gov/articles/npshistory-origins.htm |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=National Park Service}}</ref> [[Yellowstone National Park]] was created as the first [[national park]] in the United States.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Birth of a National Park |url=https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/historyculture/yellowstoneestablishment.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420035655/https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/historyculture/yellowstoneestablishment.htm |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=National Park Service}}</ref> In 1872, there was no [[State governments of the United States|state government]] to manage it (Wyoming [[History of Wyoming|was a U.S. territory]] at that time), so the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] managed it directly through the army, including the famed African American [[Buffalo Soldier]] units.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Johnson, Shelton [http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/hisnps/NPShistorians/invisiblemen2.pdf Invisible Men: Buffalo Soldiers of the Sierra Nevada] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061010065537/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/hisnps/NPShistorians/invisiblemen2.pdf|date=October 10, 2006}}. Park Histories: Sequoia NP (and Kings Canyon NP), National Park Service. Retrieved: 2007-05-18.</ref>

The movement for an independent agency to oversee these federal lands was spearheaded by [[business magnate]] and [[conservation movement|conservationist]] [[Stephen Mather]].<ref>{{cite web |date=February 6, 2018 |title=1st National Park Service Director: Stephen T. Mather |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/director-stephen-mather.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420181736/https://www.nps.gov/articles/director-stephen-mather.htm |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=National Park Service}}</ref> With the help of journalist [[Robert Sterling Yard]], Mather ran a publicity campaign for the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department 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.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 27, 2017 |title=Biography: Robert Sterling Yard |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/sontag/yard.htm |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=National Park Service |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420183321/https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/sontag/yard.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

This campaign resulted in the creation of the NPS. On August 25, 1916, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] signed the [[National 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".<ref>{{cite web |date=May 14, 2018 |title=Quick History of the National Park Service |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/quick-nps-history.htm |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=National Park Service |archive-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309170544/https://www.nps.gov/articles/quick-nps-history.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=NPS Organic Act |url=https://www.justice.gov/enrd/nps-organic-act |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421002242/https://www.justice.gov/enrd/nps-organic-act |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |access-date=April 21, 2022 |website=Department of Justice|date=April 13, 2015 }}</ref> Mather became the first director of the newly formed NPS.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=Directors of the National Park Service |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/hisnps/npshistory/directors.htm |access-date=April 20, 2022 |website=National Park Service |archive-date=January 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121014849/https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/hisnps/NPSHistory/directors.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

On March 3, 1933, President [[Herbert Hoover]] signed the Reorganization Act of 1933. The act gave the president the authority to transfer national monuments from one governmental department to another.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |date=March 11, 2016 |title=The NPS in Changing Times |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/npshistory-changing-times.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421002752/https://www.nps.gov/articles/npshistory-changing-times.htm |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |access-date=April 21, 2022 |website=National Park Service}}</ref> Later that summer, new president [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] made use of this power after NPS Deputy Director [[Horace M. Albright]] suggested that the NPS, rather than the [[United States Department of War|War Department]], should manage historic [[American Civil War]] sites.<ref name=":5" />

President Roosevelt agreed and issued two [[executive order]]s 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 the [[United States Department of Agriculture|Department of Agriculture]] had managed and parks in and around Washington, D.C. that an independent federal office had previously operated.<ref name="Shaping">The National Parks: Shaping the System; National Park Service, Dept of the Interior; 1991; pg 24</ref>
[[File:HFCA 1607 NPS 1972 Centennial, NBC Today Show 035.jpg (35a86faa2bbe433c831de71a4c03bb48).jpg|left|thumb|NPS staff sitting on the set for the 1972 Centennial for the creation of the first National Park (the [[Yellowstone NP]]), in a [[NBC Today Show]]. Left to right: [[George B. Hartzog Jr.|George Hartzog]], William Everhart, [[Frank McGee (journalist)|Frank McGee]] and Jack K. Anderson.]]
The popularity of the parks after the end of the [[World 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.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 27, 2017 |title=Conrad L. Wirth |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/sontag/wirth.htm |website=National Park Service |access-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510013745/https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/sontag/wirth.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1952, with the support of President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], Wirth began [[Mission 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.<ref name="Shaping" />

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.<ref>{{cite report|title=Laurance S. Rockefeller and the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission: Race, Recreation, and the National Parks|author=Glassberg, David|publisher=Rockefeller Archives Center Research Reports|date=2022|url=https://rockarch.issuelab.org/resources/39735/39735.pdf|quote=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.}}</ref> Director [[George B. Hartzog Jr.|George Hartzog]] began the process with the creation of the [[United States National Lakeshore|National Lakeshores]] and then [[National Recreation Area]]s.

===Resource stewardship policies===

====1963: The Leopold Report====
A 1963 report titled "Wildlife Management in the National Parks" was prepared by a five-member advisory board on Wildlife Management, appointed by [[United States Secretary of the Interior]] [[Stewart Udall]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Leopold|first1=A S|last2=Cain|first2=S A|author-link2=Stanley A. Cain|last3=Cottam|first3=C M|author-link3=Clarence Cottam|last4=Gabrielson|first4=I N|author-link4=Ira Noel Gabrielson|last5=Kimball|first5=T L|title=Wildlife Management in the National Parks |date=March 4, 1963 |url=http://npshistory.com/publications/leopold_report.pdf|access-date=16 October 2021|publisher=U.S. National Park Service|archive-date=August 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818194153/http://npshistory.com/publications/leopold_report.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In later years, this report came to be referred to by its chairman and principal author, [[A. Starker Leopold]]. The [[Leopold Report]] was just fourteen pages in length, but it set forth [[ecosystem 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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Norton|first1=Bryan G|title=Toward Unity Among Environmentalists|date=1994|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-509397-6|location=New York|page=160}}</ref> Park management issues and controversies addressed in this report included the difficulties of managing elk populations in [[Yellowstone National Park]] and how "overprotection from natural ground fires" in California's [[Sequoia National Park]], [[Kings Canyon National Park]], and [[Yosemite National Park]] had begun to threaten groves of [[Giant 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 guide [[ecological restoration]] in national parks until a [[climate change adaptation]] policy, "Resist-Adapt-Direct", was later established in 2021.

====2012: Revisiting Leopold: Resource Stewardship in the National Parks====
[[File:Revisiting Leopold NPS Report.jpg|thumb|NPS publication, 2012|upright=.70]]
National Parks director [[Jonathan 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".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Knowles|first1=Tony|display-authors=etal|title=Revisiting Leopold: Resource Stewardship in the National Parks (2012)|url=https://www.nps.gov/calltoaction/PDF/LeopoldReport_2012.pdf |date=August 25, 2012 |publisher=U.S. National Park Service|access-date=October 16, 2021|archive-date=November 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101175136/https://www.nps.gov/calltoaction/PDF/LeopoldReport_2012.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The report recommended that parks leadership "manage for change while confronting uncertainty."

<blockquote>"... 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."</blockquote>

====2021: Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD): A Framework for the 21st-century Natural Resource Manager====
The "Revisiting Leopold" report mentioned [[climate 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 for [[climate adaptation]]: "Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD): A Framework for the 21st-century Natural Resource Manager."<ref name="framework-2021">{{cite web|last1=Schuurman|first1=Gregor W|display-authors=etal|title=Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD): A Decision Framework for the 21st-century Natural Resource Manager (2021)|url=https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/654543|website=IRMA Portal|publisher=U.S. National Park Service|access-date=October 16, 2021|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018221833/https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/654543|url-status=live}}</ref> This "Natural Resource Report" has ten authors. Among them are four associated with the National Park Service, three with the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|US Fish and Wildlife Service]], and two with the [[United States Geological Survey|US Geological Survey]] — all of which are government agencies within the US Department of Interior.

The report's Executive Summary, points to "intensifying global change."

<blockquote>"... 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."<ref name="framework-2021" /></blockquote>

The three RAD options are:
* '''Resist''' the trajectory, by working to maintain or restore ecosystem composition, structure, processes, or function on the basis of historical or acceptable current conditions;
* '''Accept''' the trajectory, by allowing ecosystem composition, structure, processes, or function to change autonomously; or
* '''Direct''' the trajectory, by actively shaping ecosystem composition, structure, processes, or function toward preferred new conditions.<ref name="BioScience-2022">{{cite journal |last1=Schuurman |first1=Gregor W |title=Navigating Ecological Transformation: Resist–Accept–Direct as a Path to a New Resource Management Paradigm |journal=BioScience |date=January 2022 |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=16–29 |doi=10.1093/biosci/biab067 |url=https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/72/1/16/6429752|doi-access=free }}</ref>

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 book ''Beyond Naturalness: Rethinking Park and Wilderness Stewardship in an Era of Rapid Change.''<ref name="Beyond-Naturalness">{{cite book |editor1-last=Cole |editor1-first=David N |editor2-last=Yung |editor2-first=Laurie|title=Beyond Naturalness: Rethinking Park and Wilderness Stewardship in an Era of Rapid Change |date=2012 |publisher=Island Press |isbn=9781597269117 |url=https://islandpress.org/books/beyond-naturalness#desc}}</ref> 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''.<ref name="nps-coastal-2016">{{cite web |last1=National Park Service |title=Coastal Adaptation Strategies Handbook (2016) |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/coastalhandbook.htm |website=nps.gov |publisher=U.S. Government |access-date=15 May 2025}}</ref> Another interagency publication in 2016 also used the term "accommodate": ''Resource Management and Operations in Central North Dakota: Climate change scenario planning workshop summary''.<ref name="2016-usgs">{{cite web | display-authors=etal | last1=Fisichelli |first1=Nicholas A |title=Resource Management and Operations in Central North Dakota: Climate change scenario planning workshop summary |url=https://www.usgs.gov/publications/resource-management-and-operations-central-north-dakota-climate-change-scenario |website=usgs.gov |publisher=U.S. Government |access-date=15 May 2025}}</ref> In 2020, the "Resist-Accept-Direct" framework was used in a paper published in the journal ''Fisheries''. 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.<ref name="2020-Fisheries">{{cite journal |display-authors=etal |last1=Thompson |first1=Laura M |title=Responding to Ecosystem Transformation: Resist, Accept, or Direct? |journal=Fisheries |date=July 2020 |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=8–21 |doi=10.1002/fsh.10506 |hdl=10150/662904 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/fsh.10506|hdl-access=free }}</ref>

The interagency efforts to forge a climate-adaptive framework culminated in a January 2022 series of six articles in the journal ''[[BioScience]]''. These were grouped in the "Special Section on the Resist–Accept–Direct Framework."<ref name="2022-special-section">{{cite journal |title=Special Section on the "Resist–Accept–Direct" Framework |journal=BioScience |date=January 2022 |volume=72 |issue=1 |url=https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/issue/72/1}}</ref> In 2024, the RAD Framework was included in an NPS policy memorandum titled "Managing National Parks in an Era of Climate Change."<ref name="nps-24-03">{{cite web |last1=National Park Service |title=Policy Memorandum 24-03 (August 2024) |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/policy/upload/PM_24-03.pdf |website=nps.gov |access-date=15 May 2025}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{Cite web |title=US Forest Service fires 3,400 workers, Park Service cuts 1,000 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-forest-service-fires-3400-workers-park-service-cuts-1000-2025-02-14/}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-08-08 |title=What happens when the 'best' of America starts to fall apart? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-09/national-parks-america-reaching-breaking-point/105515284 |access-date=2025-10-28 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parks Group Calls for National Parks to Close if Government Shuts Down, Warns Additional Mass Terminations Will Devastate Parks |url=https://www.npca.org/articles/10905-parks-group-calls-for-national-parks-to-close-if-government-shuts-down |access-date=2025-10-28 |website=National Parks Conservation Association |language=en}}</ref>

==National Park System==
{{See also|List of the United States National Park System official units|List of areas in the United States National Park System}}
{{Further|African-American Heritage Sites|Hispanic Heritage Sites|Native American Heritage Sites (National Park Service)|Women's history sites (National Park Service)}}
[[File:Grand Canyon South Rim Sunset.jpeg|thumb|[[Grand Canyon National Park]], south rim of canyon.]]

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 a [[national treasure]] of the United States, and some of the more famous national parks and monuments are sometimes referred to as "[[crown jewels]]".<ref>Lee, Ronald F.; Family Tree of the National Park System; Eastern National Parks, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1972; pg 9–12</ref>

The system encompasses approximately {{Convert|85.1|e6acre|e6km2|abbr=unit}}, of which {{Convert|2.6|e6acre|e6km2|abbr=unit}} remain in private ownership. The largest unit is [[Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve|Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve]], Alaska. At 13,200,000&nbsp;acres (53,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), it is over 16 percent of the entire system. The smallest unit in the system is [[Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial]], [[Pennsylvania]], at 0.02&nbsp;acres (80&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup>).

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 is [[New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve]] at 1,164,025&nbsp;acres (4711&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>). The smallest is [[Benjamin Franklin National Memorial]] at less than {{convert|0.01|acre|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 the [[Antiquities Act]], [[Executive order|Executive Order]]. For example, because of provisions within their enabling legislation, [[Congaree National Park]] is almost entirely a [[National Wilderness Preservation System|wilderness area]] devoid of development, yet Yosemite allows unique developments such as the [[Badger Pass Ski Area]] and the [[Hetch Hetchy|O'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.

===Holdings===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Type
! colspan="2" | Amount (2008)<ref name="director">''National Park Service, 2008 Director's Report''; National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior; Washington, D.C.; 2009</ref>
|-
| Area of land
| {{convert|84000000|acre|km2|abbr=on|disp=table}}
|-
| Area of oceans, lakes, reservoirs
| {{convert|4502644|acre|km2|0|abbr=on|disp=table}}
|-
| Length of perennial rivers and streams
| {{convert|85049|mi|km|abbr=on|disp=table}}
|-
| Archeological sites
| colspan="2" |{{right|68,561}}
|-
| Length of shoreline
| {{convert|43162|mi|km|abbr=on|disp=table}}
|-
| Historic structures
| colspan="2" |{{right|27,000}}
|-
| Objects in museum collections
| colspan="2" |{{right|121,603,193}}
|-
| Buildings
| colspan="2" | {{right|21,000}}
|-
| Trails
| {{convert|12250|mi|km|abbr=on|disp=table}}
|-
| Roads
| {{convert|8500|mi|km|abbr=on|disp=table}}
|}

===Criteria===
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 the [[Antiquities 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.<ref>Criteria for Parklands brochure; Department of the Interior, National Park Service; 1990</ref>

A potential park should meet all four of the following standards:<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Chapter 1: The Foundation|url=https://www.nps.gov/policy/mp/chapter1.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419002711/https://www.nps.gov/policy/mp/chapter1.htm|archive-date=2021-04-19|access-date=2021-02-02|website=National Park Service}}</ref>
* It is an outstanding example of a particular type of resource.
* It possesses exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the natural or cultural themes of the nation's heritage.
* It offers superlative opportunities for recreation, for public use and enjoyment, or for scientific study.
* It retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of the resource.
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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 6, 2022 |title=National Park System: Establishing New Units |url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RS/RS20158 |publisher=Congressional Research Service |access-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106174424/https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RS/RS20158 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first1=Rob |last1=Hotakainen |first2=Kevin |last2=Bogardus |date=2023-01-24 |title=Frustrations mount as National Park Service studies pile up |url=https://www.eenews.net/articles/frustrations-mount-as-national-park-service-studies-pile-up/ |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=E&E News |language=en-US |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219204016/https://www.eenews.net/articles/frustrations-mount-as-national-park-service-studies-pile-up/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Nomenclature===
The NPS uses over 20 different titles for the park units it manages, including ''national park'' and ''national monument''.<ref name="NPSAboutus">{{Cite web |title=National Park System (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm |date=Nov 4, 2020 |access-date=May 14, 2018 |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420174702/https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;"
|-
! Classifications (2023)<ref>The National Parks: Index 2009–2011, Official Index of the National Park Service, Government Printing Office, Washington D.C.; March 1, 2009</ref>
! Number (2024)
! Area (2023)<ref>{{Cite web |title=AcreageReports - Land and Water Conservation Fund |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lwcf/acreagereports.htm |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=U.S. National Park Service |language=en}}</ref>
! Visitors (2023)<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Stats Report Viewer |url=https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/National%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Ranking%20Report%20(1979%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year) |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=irma.nps.gov}}</ref>
|-
| [[List of national parks of the United States|National Park]]
| {{right|63}}
| {{right|{{convert|52520984.26|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|92,390,204}}
|-
| [[National monument (United States)|National Monument]]
| {{right|87}}
| {{right|{{convert|1993636.12|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|13,786,614}}
|-
| [[National Lakeshore]] (3) and [[National Seashore]] (10)
| {{right|13}}
| {{right|{{convert|810799.10|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|25,763,241}}
|-
| [[National Memorial (United States)|National Memorial]]
| {{right|31}}
| {{right|{{convert|10499.77|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|41,152,084}}
|-
| [[National Preserve]] (19) and National Reserve (2)
| {{right|21}}
| {{right|{{convert|24617971.50|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|5,168,136}}
|-
| [[National Recreation Area]]
| {{right|18}}
| {{right|{{convert|3710771.17|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|51,443,904}}
|-
| [[National River]] (4) and [[National Wild and Scenic River]] (10)
| {{right|14}}
| {{right|{{convert|696717.08|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|5,570,302}}
|-
| [[National Parkway]]
| {{right|4}}
| {{right|{{convert|183952.75|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|32,316,093}}
|-
| [[National Historical Park]] (63), [[National Historic Site (United States)|National Historic Site]] (76), and [[International Historic Site]] (1)
| {{right|140}}
| {{right|{{convert|231558.77|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|35,738,635}}
|-
| [[National Military Park]] (9), [[National Battlefield Park]] (4), [[National Battlefield Site]] (1), and [[National Battlefield]] (11)
| {{right|25}}
| {{right|{{convert|85009.53|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|8,568,423}}
|-
| [[National Scenic Trail]]
| {{right|6}}
| {{right|{{convert|255177.96|acre|km2|0}}}}
| Not available
|-
| Other Designations
| {{right|11}}
| {{right|{{convert|38889.24|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|7,619,103}}
|-
| Totals
| {{right|433}}
| {{right|{{convert|85155967.25|acre|km2|0}}}}
| {{right|319,516,739}}
|}
'''[[List of national parks of the United States|National parks]]''' preserve nationally and globally significant scenic areas and nature reserves.
{{National parks of the United States}}

'''[[National monument (United States)|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 the [[Bureau of Land Management]] or the [[United States Forest Service|Forest Service]].
{{National Monuments of the United States}}

'''[[National preserve]]s''' 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]] and [[Big Thicket|Big 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.<ref>[https://www.nps.gov/pine/index.htm National Park Service: "New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve"]. [https://www.nps.gov/pine/index.htm]. Retrieved September 2, 2010.</ref>

[[File:Custom House - Salem, Massachusetts.JPG|thumb|right|Customs House at the [[Salem Maritime National Historic Site]] in [[Salem, Massachusetts]]]]'''[[National Historic Sites (United States)|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 Historical Parks of the United States}}

[[File:Gettysburg entrance.JPG|thumb|Winter at the [[Gettysburg National Military Park|Gettysburg Battlefield]]]]
[[National Military Park|'''National military parks''', '''battlefield parks''', '''battlefield sites''', and '''battlefields''']] 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 as [[Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park]], [[Vicksburg National Military Park]], [[Gettysburg National Military Park]], and [[Shiloh National Military Park]]—the original four from 1890.

Examples of ''battlefield parks'', ''battlefield sites'', and ''national battlefields'' include [[Richmond National Battlefield Park]], [[Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site]], and [[Antietam National Battlefield]].

[[List of national memorials of the United States|'''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 the [[National Mall]], such as the [[Washington Monument]] and [[Lincoln Memorial]].

[[List of United States national lakeshores and seashores|'''National seashores''' and '''national 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]] and [[Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore]], created in 1966, were the first national lakeshores.

[[National Wild and Scenic Rivers System|'''National rivers''' and '''wild 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.
{{SeashoreLakes}}

'''[[National Recreation Area|National recreation areas]]''' originally were units surrounding reservoirs impounded by dams built by other federal agencies, the first being [[Lake Mead National Recreation Area]]. Some national recreation areas are in urban centers, such as [[Gateway National Recreation Area]] and [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]], which encompass significant cultural as well as natural resources.
{{USNRAs}}

The '''[[National 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. The [[Appalachian Trail]] is the best known. '''National historic trails''' commemorate the routes of major historic events. Some of the best known are the [[Trail of Tears]], the [[Mormon Trail]], and the [[Santa Fe Trail]]. These trails are administered by several federal agencies.
{{TrailSystem}}

===Special designations===
[[Wilderness]] areas are part of the [[National Wilderness Preservation System]], which consists of federally managed lands that are of a pristine condition, established by the [[Wilderness Act]] (Public Law 88-577) in 1964. The National Wilderness Preservation System originally created hundreds of [[List of wilderness areas of the United States|wilderness zones]] within already protected federally administered property, consisting of over 9 million acres (36,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>).

[[Marine Protected Area]]s (MPAs) began with Executive Order 13158 in May 2000, when official MPAs were established for the first time.<ref name="FR75100">Federal Register, Vol. 75, No. 100; Tuesday, May 25, 2010; pg 29317</ref> 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.<ref name=FR75100/>

==Visitation==
The National Park System received over 325 million recreation visits in 2023.<ref name=":3" /> Park visitation grew 64 percent between 1979 and 2015.<ref name="NPS Reports">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=NPS Reports|url=https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/National%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Ranking%20Report%20(1979%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year)|access-date=September 6, 2016|website=|publisher=Nature.nps.gov|archive-date=July 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713070837/https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/National%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Ranking%20Report%20%281979%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year%29|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2024, NPS reported a record 331.9 million recreation visits.<ref name="irma24">{{cite web |url=https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/National%20Reports/Query%20Builder%20for%20Public%20Use%20Statistics%20(1979%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year) |title=NPS Public Use Statistics Query Builder |work=irma.nps.gov|access-date=March 6, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Friedman |first=Lisa |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/climate/national-parks-record-visitors-trump.html |title=National Parks Had a Record Year. Trump Officials Appear to Want It Kept Quiet.|work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 6, 2025 |access-date=March 6, 2025}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":3" /> (Note that only 380 sites recorded visitors during 2021 due to COVID-19-related closures).<ref name="NPS Reports" />

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Park
! Rank (2023)<ref name=":3" />
! Visits (2023)<ref name=":3" />
! Rank (2024)<ref name="irma24"/>
! Visits (2024)<ref name="irma24"/>
|-
| [[Blue Ridge Parkway]]{{efn|When [[Hurricane Helene]] hit the area September 27–29, 2024, the Blue Ridge Parkway received major damage and was closed during peak tourist season.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Razek |first1=Raja |last2=Sutton |first2=Joe |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/05/us/blue-ridge-parkway-closed-helene/index.html |title=Scenic Blue Ridge Parkway remains closed after suffering catastrophic impacts from Helene |work=[[CNN]] |date=October 5, 2024 |access-date=March 6, 2025}}</ref> Repairs were ongoing in February 2025.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/helene-impacts-and-recovery.htm |title=Blue Ridge Parkway — Helene Impacts and Recovery |work=National Park Service |access-date=March 6, 2025}}</ref>}}
| {{center| 1}}
| {{right|16,757,635}}
| {{center| 2}}
| {{right|16,733,639}}
|-
| [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]]
| {{center|2}}
| {{right|14,953,882}}
| {{center|1}}
| {{right|17,187,508}}
|-
| [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]]{{efn|Parts of Great Smoky Mountains National Park closed after Hurricane Helene hit the area in September 2024 and remained closed as of January 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last=Turner |first=Devarrick |url=https://knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2025/01/14/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-visits-dropped-in-2024/77492289007/ |title=Great Smoky Mountains National Park visits dropped in 2024 - not just because of Helene |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=January 14, 2025 |access-date=March 6, 2025}}</ref>}}
| {{center|3}}
| {{right|13,297,647}}
| {{center|3}}
| {{right|12,191,834}}
|-
| [[Gateway National Recreation Area]]
| {{center|4}}
| {{right|8,705,329}}
| {{center|4}}
| {{right|8,929,035}}
|-
| [[Gulf Islands National Seashore]]
| {{center|5}}
| {{right|8,277,857}}
| {{center|6}}
| {{right|7,801,176}}
|-
| [[Lincoln Memorial]]
| {{center|6}}
| {{right|8,099,148}}
| {{center|5}}
| {{right|8,479,349}}
|-
| [[George Washington Memorial Parkway]]
| {{center|7}}
| {{right|7,391,260}}
| {{center|8}}
| {{right|6,782,717}}
|-
| [[Natchez Trace Parkway]]
| {{center|8}}
| {{right|6,784,853}}
| {{center|7}}
| {{right|7,364,833}}
|-
| [[Lake Mead National Recreation Area]]
| {{center|9}}
| {{right|5,798,541}}
| {{center|9}}
| {{right|6,412,854}}
|-
| [[Glen Canyon National Recreation Area]]
| {{center|10}}
| {{right|5,206,934}}
| {{center|15}}
| {{right|4,725,610}}
|-
| [[Vietnam Veterans Memorial]]
| {{center|11}}
| {{right|5,039,454}}
| {{center|10}}
| {{right|5,295,711}}
|}
{{clear}}

'''Notes''':
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css"/><div class="reflist reflist-lower-alpha"><references group="lower-alpha"/></div>

===Entrance fees===
{{Main|List of fee areas in the United States National Park System}}

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. The [[America 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.

===Overnight stays===
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).<ref name="Stats">{{cite web|last=Butch Street|title=Statistical Abstract 2010|url=http://nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/PUSO_Abstract_2010.pdf|access-date=September 6, 2016|website=Natural Resource Data Series NPS/NRPC/SSD/NRDS—2011/147|publisher=National Park Service|archive-date=September 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916182837/https://nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/PUSO_Abstract_2010.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Budget==
{{See also|United States federal budget|United States budget process}}

In 2019, the NPS had an annual budget of $4.085 billion and an estimated $12 billion maintenance backlog.<ref>{{Cite news|title=National Parks Have a Long To-Do List but Can't Cover the Repair Costs|newspaper=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2016/03/08/466461595/national-parks-have-a-long-to-do-list-but-cant-cover-the-repair-costs|access-date=April 6, 2018|archive-date=May 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522161208/https://www.npr.org/2016/03/08/466461595/national-parks-have-a-long-to-do-list-but-cant-cover-the-repair-costs|url-status=live}}</ref> On August 4, 2020, the [[Great 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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Puko|first=Timothy|date=2020-08-04|title=From Yellowstone to Yosemite, National Parks to Get Long-Awaited Overhaul|language=en-US|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-yellowstone-to-yosemite-national-parks-to-get-long-awaited-overhaul-11596533401|access-date=2020-10-08|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=August 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812182818/https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-yellowstone-to-yosemite-national-parks-to-get-long-awaited-overhaul-11596533401|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2022, the NPS had the largest budget allocation of any [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]] bureau or program.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interior Account Table 2023 CR1 |url=https://www.doi.gov/document-library/wildland-fire-management/attachment-12-pm-2023-001-interior-account-table-2023-cr1 |website=www.doi.gov |access-date=2 September 2024 |language=en |date=2 December 2022}}</ref>

The NPS budget is divided into two primary areas, ''discretionary'' and ''mandatory'' spending. Within each of these areas, there are numerous specific purposes to which Congress directs the services activities.<ref name="FY2006">FY 2006 President's Budget, Executive Summary; National Park Service; Government Printing Office; February 7, 2005</ref>

The NPS budget includes ''discretionary'' spending which is broken out into two portions: the direct operations of the National Parks and the special initiatives.<ref name="FY2010">Budget Justification and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2010, National Park Service, The United States Department of the Interior, 2009</ref> 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.<ref name="FY2010" />

===Discretionary spending===
[[File:NPS Budget (2001-2006).jpg|thumb|NPS ''Operations of the National Parks'' budget from FY 2001-FY 2006]]

Discretionary spending includes the Operations of the National Parks (ONPS), from which all park operations are paid. The [[United States Park Police]] funds cover the high-profile law enforcement operations at some of the large parks, including [[Gateway National Recreation Area]], [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]], and the [[National Mall]]. The ''National Recreation and Preservation Program'' and the ''Urban Park and Recreation Fund'' are outreach programs to support state and local outdoor recreational activities.<ref name="FY2006" />

The ONPS section of the budget is divided into six operational areas. These areas include:

====Resource stewardship====
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.<ref name="FY2010" />

====Visitor services====
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.<ref name="FY2010" />

====Park protection====
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 includes [[National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers|law enforcement rangers]], [[United States Park Police|park police]], lifeguards, criminal investigators, and communication center operators.<ref name="FY2010" /> In many instances they also work with [[List of state and territorial fish and wildlife management agencies in the United States|state and territorial fish and wildlife management agency rangers]].

====Facility maintenance and operations====
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.<ref name="FY2010" />

====Park support====
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.<ref name="FY2010" />

====External administrative costs====
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 the [[General Services Administration]] for building space, postage payments to the postal machine vendor and other direct payments.<ref name="FY2010" />

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;"
|-
! Functional area
! FY 2010 (in thousands)<ref name="FY2010" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/upload/FY_2010_greenbook.pdf |title=Budget Justification and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2010, National Park Service, The United States Department of the Interior, 2009 @ nps.gov |access-date=September 24, 2014 |archive-date=April 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412201254/http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/upload/FY_2010_greenbook.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>
! % of total
|-
| Resource stewardship
| {{right|$347,328}}
| {{right|15.3%}}
|-
| Visitor services
| {{right|$247,386}}
| {{right|10.9%}}
|-
| Park protection
| {{right|$368,698}}
| {{right|16.3%}}
|-
| Facility maintenance and operations
| {{right|$705,220}}
| {{right|31.1%}}
|-
| Park support
| {{right|$441,854}}
| {{right|19.5%}}
|-
| External administrative costs
| {{right|$155,530}}
| {{right|6.9%}}
|-
| Total (2010)
| {{right|$2,266,016}}
|
|}

===Land and Water Conservation Fund===
The [[Land 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&nbsp;million. The Department of the Interior and the [[United 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.<ref name="FY2010" />

===Historic Preservation Fund===
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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historic Preservation Fund - Historic Preservation |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation/historic-preservation-fund.htm |date=October 19, 2021 |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=National Park Service |language=en |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108155350/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation/historic-preservation-fund.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Two specific programs include the [[Save America's Treasures]] and the [[Preserve America]]. The Historic Preservation Offices makes grants available to the States, territories, and tribal lands.<ref name="FY2010" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Semiquincentennial Grant Opportunity |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/semiquincentennial-grant-opportunity.htm |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=National Park Service |language=en |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108160048/https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/semiquincentennial-grant-opportunity.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Economic benefits===
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.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Slack|first1=Megan|year=2011|title=By the Numbers: 4|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/11/01/numbers-4|website=United States. Obama White House Archives|location=Washington, D.C.|access-date=June 9, 2025}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Yue|first1=Cui|last2=Mahoney|first2=Ed|last3=Herbowicz|first3=Teresa|year=2013|title=Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation – 2011|url=http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/NPSSystemEstimates2011.pdf|website=United States. National Park Service, Department of the Interior|location=Washington, D.C.|access-date=April 17, 2013|archive-date=July 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706135908/http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/NPSSystemEstimates2011.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-18 |title=Trump's firing of 1,000 national park workers raises concerns about maintenance and operating hours |url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-park-firings-doge-grand-teton-baedee0a748a6374eafb6f95aac5dadc |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

==Concessions==
In an effort to increase visitation and allow for a larger audience to enjoy national park land, the NPS has numerous [[Concession (contract)|concession]] contracts with private businesses to bring recreation, resorts and other ''compatible'' amenities to their parks. NPS lodging opportunities exist at places such as the [[Wawona Hotel]] in [[Yosemite National Park]] and the [[Fort Baker]] Retreat and Conference Center in [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]].

* [[Delaware North|Delaware North Corporation]] at [[Yosemite National Park]], [[Yellowstone National Park]], South Rim [[Grand Canyon National Park]].
* [[Forever Resorts]] at [[Big Bend National Park]], [[Blue Ridge Parkway]], [[Badlands National Park]], North Rim of [[Grand Canyon National Park]], [[Olympic National Park]], [[Lake Mead National Recreation Area]], [[Mammoth Cave National Park]], [[Isle Royale National Park]], and [[Rocky Mountain National Park]].
* [[Xanterra Travel Collection|Xanterra Parks & Resorts]] at [[Bryce Canyon National Park]], [[Crater Lake National Park]], [[Death Valley National Park]], South Rim [[Grand Canyon National Park]], [[Mount Rushmore National Memorial]], Painted Desert at [[Petrified Forest National Park]], [[Yellowstone National Park]], and [[Zion National Park]].

===Litigation with Delaware North===
In 2015, [[Delaware North]] sued the NPS in the [[United 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.<ref name="Buffalo">{{cite web|url=https://www.foodservicedirector.com/operations/delaware-north-sues-national-park-service-over-yosemite-contract|title=Delaware North sues park service over Yosemite contract|work=www.foodservicedirector.|access-date=November 2, 2020|archive-date=September 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901031200/https://www.foodservicedirector.com/operations/delaware-north-sues-national-park-service-over-yosemite-contract|url-status=live}}</ref> The NPS estimated the value of the intangible assets including the names "Ahwahnee", "Badger Pass", "Curry Village", and "Yosemite Lodge" at $3.5&nbsp;million. Delaware North lost the contract, and asserted that the historic names were worth $51&nbsp;million and maintained that the incoming concessioner had to be paid that amount.<ref name="FresnoBee1">{{cite web|url=http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/outdoors/article24790630.html|title=National Park Service offers Yosemite contract to new company|work=www.fresnobee.com|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=January 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118225140/http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/outdoors/article24790630.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

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. The [[Ahwahnee 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.<ref name="FresnoBee2">{{cite web|url=http://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article54736110.html|title=Amid court battle, Yosemite park plans to change some iconic names|work=www.fresnobee.com|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=January 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118045742/http://www.fresnobee.com/news/nation-world/national/article54736110.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Widespread public outcry focused on Delaware North's decision to claim ownership of names within a national park.<ref name="SacBeeQuestions">Doyle, Michael. [https://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article54952175.html Public outcry and pressing questions follow Yosemite name changes] . ''[[The Sacramento Bee]]'', January 15, 2016</ref> The names were restored in 2019 upon settlement of the dispute.<ref name="LAT 20190715">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-yosemite-national-park-trademark-lawsuit-settled-20190715-story.html|title=Yosemite to restore names to historic attractions under $12-million settlement|last=Wigglesworth|first=Alex|date=July 15, 2019|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=2019-07-16|df=mdy-all|archive-date=July 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717173745/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-yosemite-national-park-trademark-lawsuit-settled-20190715-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Offices==
{{Main|Organization of the National Park Service}}
[[File:NPS Employees 12 types of work 08368.jpg|thumb|Depicts twelve figures, most in NPS uniforms, shown in occupations from left to right: a lifeguard, a Civil War reenactor, fire management, mounted patrol, researcher and/or natural resources with fish, a female ranger with two visitors, a laborer, a climber/rescuer, and a youth with a male ranger.]]

The national headquarters is located in the [[Main Interior Building]], 1849&nbsp;C Street NW, several blocks southwest of the [[White 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 the [[United States Park Police]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/contactinformation.htm |title=Washington Contacts |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=October 3, 2010 |archive-date=August 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828033811/http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/contactinformation.htm#regions |url-status=live }}</ref>

Regional offices are in [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]], [[Atlanta]], [[Lakewood, Colorado|Lakewood, CO]] ([[Denver]]), [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha, NE]], [[Philadelphia]], [[San Francisco Bay Area|San Francisco]] and [[Seattle]]. The headquarters building of the [[National Park Service Southwest Regional Office]] is architecturally significant and is designated a [[National Historic Landmark]].

The NPS is an [[U.S. Department of the Interior#operating unit|operating unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior]]. The [[Director of the National Park Service|NPS director]] is nominated by the [[president of the United States]] and confirmed by the [[United States Senate]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm |title=NPS About US |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=October 3, 2010 |archive-date=January 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126164346/http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 the ''National Leadership Council''.<ref>National Park Service Headquarters Organization, March 2009{{full citation needed|date=March 2020}}</ref>

==Staff and volunteers==

===Directors===
{{Main|Director of the National Park Service}}
[[File:NPS DirectorandStaff.jpg|thumb|[[Stephen Mather]] (center) and his staff, 1927 or 1928]]
[[File:Charles F. Sams III, NPS Director.jpg|thumb|[[Charles Sams|Chuck Sams]], NPS Director from 2021–2025]]

===Employees===
[[File:NPS Staffing(1998-2009).JPG|thumb|left|National Park Service employment levels. Executives: abt 27; Gen Sch: 16–17,000; Others: 6–7,000<ref>Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Fiscal Year nnnn Budget Justifications;, where nnnn = 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, and 2009</ref>]]

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.<ref>''Park Ranger, The Work, Thrills and Equipment of the National Park Rangers'', Colby, C.B.; Coward-McCann, Inc., New York, 1955</ref>

The NPS employs many kinds of workers:
* [[National Park Service Ranger]]
** Interpreter
** [[National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers|Law enforcement]]
* Park management (Superintendent/Deputy)
* [[United States Park Police]]
* Emergency management (Emergency medical providers, search and rescue specialists)
** Lifeguards
* [[Dispatcher]]s
* Maintenance (including [[Carpentry|carpenters]], [[Plumbing|plumbers]], masons, laborers, auto mechanics, motor vehicle operators, [[heavy equipment operator]]s, [[electrician]]s)
* Park planning
** [[Architect]]s, [[engineer]]s, and [[landscape architect]]s
* Resource management (including archeologist, [[biologist]], [[botanist]], aquatics, soil scientist, [[geologist]])
* History ([[curator]]s, [[historian]]s, preservation technicians, historic architects, [[archivist]]s)
* Fire management (managers, weather specialist, [[firefighter]]s, engine captains, crew superintendents, battalion chiefs)
* Public affairs
* Administration (human resources, finance, accountants, information technology, budgeting, concessions management)

Locations are varied. Parks exist in the nation's larger cities like [[New York City]] ([[Federal Hall]] Memorial National Historic Site), [[Atlanta]] ([[Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site]]), and [[San Diego]] ([[Cabrillo National Monument]]) to some of the remotest areas of the continent like [[Hovenweep National Monument]] in southeastern Utah, to [[Aniakchak National Monument]] in [[King Salmon, Alaska]].<ref>''Careers in the National Parks''; Gartner, Bob; The Rosen Publishing Company, New York; 1993</ref>

===Volunteers-In-Parks (VIP)===
The [[Volunteers-In-Parks]] program was authorized in 1969 by the Volunteers in the Parks Act of 1969.<ref name="05Report">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/volunteer/managedocs.htm |title=Director's Order #7: Volunteers in Parks; June 13, 2005; Department of the Interior, National Park Service |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=October 3, 2010 |archive-date=May 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530062003/http://www.nps.gov/archive/volunteer/managedocs.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> for the purpose of allowing the public to serve in the nations parks providing support and skills for their enhancement and protection.<ref name="brochure">Volunteers in Parks; National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.; 1990</ref>

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.<ref name=brochure/> In a 2005 annual report, the NPS reported that,

<blockquote>...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.<ref>Volunteer in Parks, FY05 Annual Report, Department of the Interior, National Park Service; GPO, Washington D.C.; 2006</ref></blockquote>

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.<ref name="nps.gov">{{cite web|title=NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service)|url=https://www.nps.gov/index.htm|access-date=April 30, 2020|website=National Park Service|archive-date=April 20, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970420085402/https://www.nps.gov/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

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-haul [[Amtrak]] routes, who offer passengers insights to the travel area's natural resources and heritage.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.amtrak.com/trails-rails-heritage-appreciation-during-your-train-ride | title=Amtrak | access-date=March 16, 2017 | archive-date=March 28, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328070821/https://www.amtrak.com/trails-rails-heritage-appreciation-during-your-train-ride | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/amtraktrailsandrails/about.htm | title=Partnering to Connect People with Places - Amtrak Trails & Rails |website=U.S. National Park Service | access-date=March 16, 2017 | archive-date=April 4, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404180648/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/amtraktrailsandrails/about.htm | url-status=live}}</ref>

===Artist-In-Residence===
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 the ''Artist-In-Residence program''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/volunteer/air.htm |title=NPS Artist-in-Residence |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=October 3, 2010 |archive-date=September 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904011109/http://www.nps.gov/archive/volunteer/air.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===United States Park Rangers===
{{Main|National Park Service ranger}}
{{See also|National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers}}

'''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 for [[future 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 promote [[stewardship]] of the resources in their care—either voluntary stewardship via [[heritage interpretation|resource interpretation]], or compliance with [[statute]] or [[regulation]] through [[law 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 as ''visitor and resource protection''.

In most NPS units, law enforcement rangers are the primary police agency.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/54/102701|title=54 U.S. Code § 102701 - Law enforcement personnel within System|website=Legal Information Institute|language=en|access-date=2019-12-31|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804045205/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/54/102701|url-status=live}}</ref> The NPS also employs special agents who conduct more complex criminal investigations. Rangers and agents receive extensive police training at the [[Federal Law Enforcement Training Center]] and annual in-service and regular firearms training.

===United States Park Police===
{{Main|United States Park Police}}

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, and [[New 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/uspp/index.htm |title=United States Park Police |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=December 31, 2013 |archive-date=February 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219025821/http://www.nps.gov/uspp/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Youth programs===
The NPS partners with a variety of youth oriented programs. The oldest serving group is the [[Student 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.<ref>[https://pwrcms.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/youthprograms/scaopportunities.htm SCA]{{dead link|date=June 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

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 the [[Civilian 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.<ref>{{cite web|date=September 20, 2016|title=The Corps Network|url=https://pwrcms.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/youthprograms/thecorpsnetwork.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920193920/https://pwrcms.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/youthprograms/thecorpsnetwork.htm|archive-date=September 20, 2016|access-date=April 30, 2020}}</ref>

* The Youth Conservation Corps (ages 15–18) brings young people into a park to restore, preserve and protect a natural, cultural, or historical resources. Enrollees are paid for their work.<ref>[https://pwrcms.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/youthprograms/ycc.htm YCC] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102091723/https://pwrcms.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/youthprograms/ycc.htm|date=November 2, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Public Land Corps]] (ages 16–25) is a job helping to restore, protect, and rehabilitate a local national parks. The enrollees learn about environmental issues and the parks.<ref>[https://pwrcms.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/youthprograms/plc.htm PLC] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102092434/https://pwrcms.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/youthprograms/plc.htm|date=November 2, 2015}}</ref>

==Special divisions==
[[File:NPS Preservation Training Center.jpg|thumb|right|Historic Preservation Training Center]]

Other special NPS divisions include the Archeology Program,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/archeology/index.htm |title=National Park Service Archeology Program |date=April 30, 1996 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=October 15, 2009 |archive-date=August 31, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831012152/http://www.nps.gov/archeology/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Historic American Buildings Survey]], [[National Register of Historic Places]], [[National Natural Landmark]]s, the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/rtca/index.htm|title=Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 5, 2008|archive-date=April 3, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403090432/http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/rtca/|url-status=live}}</ref> the Challenge Cost Share Program,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1837/index.htm|title=Challenge Cost Share Program|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 5, 2008|archive-date=April 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406064634/http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/ccsp|url-status=live}}</ref> the Federal Lands to Parks,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1508/index.htm|title=Federal Lands to Parks|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 5, 2008|archive-date=April 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410213129/http://www.nps.gov/flp/|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Hydropower]] Relicensing Program,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1988/index.htm|title=Hydropower Relicensing Program|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 5, 2008|archive-date=February 4, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204095314/http://www.nps.gov/hydro|url-status=live}}</ref> the Land and Water Conservation Fund,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/lwcf/|title=Land and Water Conservation Fund|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 5, 2008|archive-date=April 15, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415103650/http://www.nps.gov/lwcf/|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[National Trails System (United States)|National Trails System]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/index.htm|title=National Trails System|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 5, 2008|archive-date=April 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410235357/http://www.nps.gov/nts/|url-status=live}}</ref> the Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers Program,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1912/partnership-wild-and-scenic-rivers.htm|title=Partnership Wild & Scenic Rivers|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 5, 2008|archive-date=February 24, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224172525/http://www.nps.gov/pwsr/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division]].,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1050/index.htm | title=Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division (U.S. National Park Service) | access-date=December 5, 2015 | archive-date=December 5, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151205225814/http://www.nps.gov/orgs/1050/index.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> and the Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC).<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1098/index.htm | title=the Historic Preservation Training Center (U.S. National Park Service) | access-date=January 31, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151205225814/http://www.nps.gov/orgs/1050/index.htm | archive-date=December 5, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref>

There is also an {{visible anchor|Investigative Services Branch}} (ISB), based at NPS headquarters in Washington, D.C. which has personnel distributed among the parks.
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1563/index.htm |title=Investigative Services |website=www.nps.gov |access-date=8 November 2024 }}</ref>

===Centers===
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.

The [[Submerged Resources Center]] catalogues and evaluates submerged resources in the National Park system.<ref name=RRR10261>{{cite journal |author1=Nimz, J |author2=Clark, T |title=Aquatic Research Opportunities with the National Park Service |journal=In: Steller D, Lobel L, Eds. Diving for Science 2012. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences 31st Symposium |isbn=978-0-9800423-6-8 |year=2012 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/10261 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130922223744/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/10261 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=September 22, 2013 |access-date=September 22, 2013}}</ref> The SRC's headquarters are at the Intermountain Region's headquarters, in Lakewood, Colorado.<ref name=RRR10261/>

The [[National Center for Preservation Technology and Training]], in Natchitoches, Louisiana, conducts research and training in archaeology, architecture, landscape architecture, and materials conservation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Center for Preservation Technology & Training (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/ncptt/index.htm |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=National Park Service |language=en |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108161841/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/ncptt/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Preservation Programs===
[[File:El Santuario del Senor Esquipula 113804pu.jpg|thumb|right|Photograph of El Santuario Del Señor Esquipula, Chimayo, New Mexico]]
[[File:Chicago River Bascule Bridge, LaSalle Street, Chicago.jpg|thumb|right|LaSalle Street Bridge, Chicago, Illinois]]

The oldest federal preservation program, the [[Historic 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, the [[Historic American Buildings Survey]] (HABS) was chartered to document historic architecture—primarily houses and public buildings—of national or regional significance. Originally a [[New 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.<ref>NPS brochure A Heritage So Rich</ref>

====Historic American Buildings Survey====
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.

====Historic American Engineering Record====
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 the [[American Society of Mechanical Engineers]] (ASME), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the [[American 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.<ref>National Park Service Almanac, Edited and Compiled by Ben Moffett and Vickie Carson, Rocky Mountain Region – Public Affairs, 1994</ref>

'''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, the [[American 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 the [[Historic American Landscapes Survey]] (HALS) program for the systematic documentation of historic American landscapes.<ref>{{cite web |title=About HALS {{!}} HABS/HAER/HALS |url=https://www.nps.gov/hdp/hals/ |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=National Park Service |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108112028/https://www.nps.gov/hdp/hals/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program====
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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program |url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/rtca/index.htm |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=National Park Service |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=What We Do (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=National Park Service |language=en}}</ref> 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 is [[Rails to Trails]], where unused railroad right-of-ways are converted into public hiking and biking trails.<ref>Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program brochure; National Park Service, Department of the Interior</ref>

====Japanese American Confinement Sites====
The National Park Service is responsible for the management and upkeep of several sites where [[Japanese Americans|Americans of Japanese descent]] were [[Internment of Japanese Americans|forcibly relocated and incarcerated Japanese Americans]] during [[World War II]] between 1942 and 1946 under the order of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. The [[List of Japanese American Confinement Sites|Japanese American Confinement Sites]] (JACS) grant program provides funding for applicants that preserve these sites and their memory.<ref>{{cite web |title=Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program |url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1379/index.htm |access-date=2023-04-26 |website=National Park Service |language=en |archive-date=April 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426114952/https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1379/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Japanese American Confinement Education Act |url=https://jacl.org/japanese-american-confinement-education-act |access-date=2023-04-26 |website=JACL |language=en-US |archive-date=April 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423154847/https://jacl.org/japanese-american-confinement-education-act |url-status=live }}</ref>

===National Trails System===
The [[National Trails System]] is a joint mission of the NPS, the [[Bureau of Land Management]] and the [[United States Forest Service|US Forest Service]]. It was created in 1968 to establish a system of long-distance [[National Scenic Trail|National Scenic]] and [[National Historic Trail]]s, as well as to recognize existing trails in the states as [[National Recreation Trail]]s. Several additional trails have been established since 1968, and in 2009 Congress established the first [[Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail|National Geologic Trail]].<ref>National Trails System Map and Guide; National Park Service (DOI); Bureau of Land Management (DOI); Forest Service (USDA): Government Printing Office, 1993</ref>

===National Heritage Areas===
[[National Heritage Area]]s 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 as ''local 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.

==Initiatives==
[[File:Preservewildlifeb.jpg|thumb|"The national parks preserve all life", poster for National Park Service, 1940]]

* 24-hr all Taxa BioBlitz: A joint venture of the [[National Geographic Society]] and the NPS. Beginning in 2004, at [[Rock Creek Parkway]], the National Geographic Society and the NPS began a 10-year program of hosting a major biological survey of ten selected national park units. The intent is to develop public interest in the nation's natural resources, develop scientific interest in America's youth and to create citizen scientists.
** 2007: [[Rock Creek Park]], Washington D.C. 661 species<ref name="NGS">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/projects/bioblitz.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225062349/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/projects/bioblitz.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 25, 2007 |title=BioBlitz, Species Inventory Information, Facts |magazine=National Geographic |access-date=October 3, 2010}}</ref>
** 2008: [[Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area]], Los Angeles, California. 1,700 species and more pending.<ref name=NGS/>
** 2009: [[Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore]], near Chicago in northern Indiana. 1,716 species and still counting.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/05/indiana-dunes-national-lakeshore-bioblitz-latest-tally-above-1-700-species |title=National Parks Traveler, May 17th, 2009; Kurt Repanshek |publisher=Nationalparkstraveler.com |access-date=October 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714160918/http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/05/indiana-dunes-national-lakeshore-bioblitz-latest-tally-above-1-700-species |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
** 2010: [[Biscayne National Park]], Miami, Florida. 810 species were identified during this 24-hr event. As classification continues, more species will be added to the list.<ref name="Biscayne BioBlitz page">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/bisc/naturescience/bioblitzplants.htm |title=Biscayne BioBlitz page |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=May 22, 2011 |archive-date=May 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518080705/http://www.nps.gov/bisc/naturescience/bioblitzplants.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
** 2011: [[Saguaro National Park]], Tucson, Arizona.<ref name="Biscayne BioBlitz page"/> During the 24 hours, 859 different species were identified, of which more than 400 were previously unknown in the park.<ref name=Arrowhead19-3>Arrowhead; The Newsletter of the Employees & Alumni Association of the National Park Service; Eastern National; Spring/Summer 2012, vol. 19 no. 3</ref>
** 2012: [[Rocky Mountain National Park]], in [[Estes Park]], In August 2012 489 species were identified.<ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Braun |title=BioBlitz Finds 489 Species in Rocky Mountain National Park |publisher=National Geographic Society |date=August 26, 2012 |url=http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/08/26/bioblitz-finds-489-species-in-rocky-mountain-national-park/ |access-date=October 22, 2012 |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105011955/http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/08/26/bioblitz-finds-489-species-in-rocky-mountain-national-park/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
** 2013: [[Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve]], in [[New Orleans]]. May 17–18, 2013 in the park's Barataria Preserve.<ref>{{cite web |title=BioBlitz 2013: Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve |publisher=National Geographic Society |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/projects/bioblitz/bioblitz-la-2013/ |access-date=October 22, 2012 |archive-date=October 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031120018/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/projects/bioblitz/bioblitz-la-2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
** 2014: [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]]<ref name=webpage>{{cite web |title=The NPS/National Geographic Society BioBlitzes |publisher=National Park Service |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/biodiversity/the-nps-national-geographic-society-bioblitzes.htm |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605142158/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/biodiversity/the-nps-national-geographic-society-bioblitzes.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
** 2015: [[Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park]]<ref name=webpage/>
** 2016: [[Whiskeytown National Recreation Area]], [[Cabrillo National Monument]], [[Channel Islands National Park]], [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name=webpage/>
** 2017: [[Virgin Islands National Park]]<ref name=webpage/>
* Biological Diversity: Biological Diversity is the vast variety of life as identified through species and genetics. This variety is decreasing as people spread across the globe, altering areas to better meet their needs.<ref>Biological Diversity brochure; National Park Service; 1993</ref>
* Climate Change: ''Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global sea levels.'' (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007).<ref>Climate Change in National Parks brochure; Dept of the Interior, National Park Service; 2007</ref>
* South Florida Restoration Initiative: Rescuing an Ecosystem in Peril: In partnership with the State of [[Florida]], and the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]], the NPS is restoring the physical and biological processes of the South Florida ecosystem. Historically, this ecosystem contained some of the most diverse habitats on earth.<ref>[http://data2.itc.nps.gov/budget2/documents/south_florida_restoration_initiative.pdf] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222172006/http://data2.itc.nps.gov/budget2/documents/south_florida_restoration_initiative.pdf|date=February 22, 2012}}</ref>
* Vanishing Treasures Initiative: Ruins Preservation in the American Southwest: The Vanishing Treasures Initiative began in FY 1998 to reduce threats to prehistoric and historic sites and structures in 44 parks of the Intermountain Region. In 2002, the program expanded to include three parks in the Pacific West Region. The goal is to reduce backlogged work and to bring sites and structures up to a condition where routine maintenance activities can preserve them.<ref>[http://data2.itc.nps.gov/budget2/documents/vanishing_treasures_initiative.pdf]{{dead link|date=June 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
* Wetlands: Wetlands includes [[marsh]]es, [[swamp]]s, and [[bog]]s. These areas and the plants and animals adapted to these conditions spread from the arctic to the equator. The shrinking wetlands provide habitat for fish and wildlife, help clean water and reduce the impact of storms and floods on the surrounding communities.<ref>Wetlands in the National Parks; Dept of the Interior, National Park Service; 1998</ref>
* Wildland Fire: Fires have been a natural part of park eco-systems. Many plants and some animals require a cycle of fire or flooding to be successful and productive. With the advent of human intervention and public access to parks, there are safety concerns for the visiting public.<ref>Managing Wildland Fire brochure; Dept of the Interior, National Park Service & [[National Interagency Fire Center]]; 2003</ref>

===Green Park Plan===
In September 2010, the NPS released its Climate Change Response Strategy, followed in April 2012 by the Green Parks Plan.<ref name="green">{{cite web|author1=National Park Service|date=July 2019|title=Green Parks Plan|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sustainability/green-parks.htm|access-date=July 18, 2019|website=|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702033533/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sustainability/green-parks.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Climate Friendly Parks Program====
The Climate Friendly Parks Program is a subset of the Green Parks Plan.<ref name=green/> It was created in collaboration between the NPS and the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|US Environmental Protection Agency]].<ref name=CFPP>{{cite web|title=Climate Friendly Parks Program|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/cfpprogram.htm|author1=National Park Service|publisher=US Dpt of the Interior|access-date=September 2, 2015|archive-date=September 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904045618/http://www.nps.gov/climatefriendlyparks/|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="CFPposter">Climate Friendly Parks, Environmental Leadership Program; National Park Service, Harpers Ferry, WV, 2009</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |author=Seth Shteir |url=http://www.hcn.org/blogs/grange/climate-friendly-national-parks |title=The Grange; Climate Friendly National Parks |publisher=High Country News |date=April 9, 2010 |access-date=May 22, 2011 |archive-date=April 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412130813/http://www.hcn.org/blogs/grange/climate-friendly-national-parks |url-status=live }}</ref> The CFP program can provide technical assistance, tools and resources for the parks and their neighboring communities to protect the natural and cultural resources.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/cfpprogram.htm |title=Explore Climate Friendly Parks |author1=National Park Service |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=May 22, 2011 |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606064519/http://www.nps.gov/climatefriendlyparks/explore/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 to [[hybrid electric vehicles|electric hybrids]], and substitute [[diesel-electric|diesel/electric hybrid buses]] for private automobiles. In 2001 it was estimated that replacement with [[electric vehicle]]s would eliminate 25 TPY emissions entirely.<ref>Don Shepherd [http://www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/conference/ei10/intemissions/shepherd.pdf Estimating and Reducing Emissions from Within National Parks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210050136/http://www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/conference/ei10/intemissions/shepherd.pdf |date=December 10, 2011 }} National Park Service, April 2001</ref>

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.<ref name=Norton>{{cite web|first =Shawn|last= Norton|url = http://act.credoaction.com/go/9668?t=10&akid=15494.2141429.laLjhy |title = Plastic Water Bottles in National Parks and the Green Parks Plan|publisher = National Park Service|date = January 5, 2010|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180417031022/https://www.peer.org/assets/docs/nps/12_2_11_env_consequences.pdf|archive-date = 17 April 2018}}</ref>

By 2014, 23 parks had banned disposable water bottles.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nearly two dozen national park sites ban plastic water bottle sales|url=http://wilderness.org/blog/nearly-two-dozen-national-park-sites-ban-plastic-water-bottle-sales|publisher=The Wilderness Society|access-date=September 2, 2015|date=April 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904050747/http://wilderness.org/blog/nearly-two-dozen-national-park-sites-ban-plastic-water-bottle-sales|archive-date=September 4, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 2015, the [[International 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.<ref>Lisa Rein, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2015/07/13/how-big-water-is-trying-to-stop-the-national-park-service-from-cleaning-up-plastic-bottles/ How Big Water is trying to stop the National Park Service from cleaning up plastic bottles fouling the parks] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004210554/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2015/07/13/how-big-water-is-trying-to-stop-the-national-park-service-from-cleaning-up-plastic-bottles/|date=October 4, 2015}}, Washington Post, July 13, 2015.</ref> The NPS discontinued its ban on disposable water bottles in August 2017.<ref>{{cite news |title=National Park Service Ends Effort to Eliminate Sale of Disposable Water Bottles |url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/08-16-2017-water-bottles.htm |date=August 16, 2017 |access-date=September 24, 2018 |website=National Park Service |archive-date=September 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924191629/https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/08-16-2017-water-bottles.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Cashless===
In an effort to save on cash processing and hand handling fees, 22 national parks have gone [[cashless]] as of 2023. In September 2023, US Senator [[Cynthia 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.<ref name="Lummis">{{cite web |title=Lummis Introduces Bill to Require National Parks to Accept Cash » Senator Cynthia Lummis |url=https://www.lummis.senate.gov/press-releases/lummis-introduces-bill-to-require-national-parks-to-accept-cash/ |website=Senator Cynthia Lummis |access-date=23 March 2024 |date=September 21, 2023}}</ref> In April 2024, several NPS visitors sued seeking to restore cash as a payment form noting how [[cash]] is [[legal tender]] suitable "for all public charges" and that the "additional [[processing fee]]s that will be borne by NPS and by visitors who ultimately fund the federal government through taxes, in addition to personal [[Surcharge (payment systems)|surcharge]]s and [[bank fee]]s visitors may incur under NPS cashless policy."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hauser |first1=Christine |title=U.S. Park Service Says to Leave Your Cash at Home, but Some Object |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/21/us/cashless-national-parks-lawsuit.html |access-date=23 March 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=March 21, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lin |first1=Summer |title=The National Park Service will only take plastic at its parks. Three visitors are suing to use cash |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-20/the-national-park-service-will-only-take-plastic-at-its-parks-three-visitors-are-suing-to-use-cash |access-date=23 March 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=20 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Golder |first1=Dave |title=Irate visitors sue National Park Service over cashless entrance fees |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/irate-visitors-sue-national-park-110246811.html |access-date=23 March 2024 |work=Yahoo Life |date=18 March 2024}}</ref>

==Related acts==
{{Div col}}
* [[Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act]] of 1980
* [[Antiquities Act]] or Lacy Act of 1906
* [[Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008]]
* [[Endangered Species Act]] of 1973
* [[Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978]]
* [[Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act]] of 1934
* [[Great American Outdoors Act]] of 2020
* [[Historic Sites Act]] of 1935
* [[Lacey Act]] of 1900 (Wildlife preservation)
* [[Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972]]
* [[National Environmental Policy Act]] of 1970 (NEPA)
* [[National Historic Preservation Act of 1966]] (NHPA)
* [[National Park Service General Authorities Act]] of 1970
* [[National Park Service Organic Act]] of 1916
* [[National Wild and Scenic River]] of 1968
* [[Redwood Act (1978)|Redwood Act of 1978]], creating one protection standard for the System
* [[Resource Conservation and Recovery Act]] of 1976
* [[Wilderness Act]] of 1964
{{div col end}}

==See also==

===People===

====Individuals====
* [[Ansel Franklin Hall]], first Chief Naturalist and first Chief Forester of the NPS
* [[William Kent (U.S. Congressman)]], donated early parklands to the government
* [[John F. Lacey]], congressman from Iowa
* [[Harry Yount]], progenitor of the modern national park ranger

====Roles====
* [[:Category:National Park Service personnel|National Park People]]
* [[National Park Ranger]]

===Related organizations===
* [[National Park Foundation]]
* [[National Parks Conservation Association]] (NPCA)

===Other links===
* [[Alt National Park Service]]
* [[Land and Water Conservation Fund]]
* [[National Park Passport Stamps]]
* [[National Park Service Rustic]], style of architecture
* [[National Park Service uniforms]]
* [[National Park Travelers Club]]
* [[National Park to Park Highway]]
*[[United States Park Police|US Parks Police]]
* [[United States Senate Committee on Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game]]
* [[Wilderness preservation systems in the United States]]
*[[List of World Heritage Sites in the United States]]

==Further reading==
* Szabó, Andrea; Ujhelyi, Gergely (2023). "[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047272724000094 National parks and economic development]". ''Journal of Public Economics''. '''–'''&nbsp;Includes a dataset of the history of the US National Park System.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin}}
* Albright, Horace M. (as told to Robert Cahn). ''The Birth of the National Park Service''. Salt Lake City: Howe Brothers, 1985.
* Albright, Horace M, and Marian Albright Schenck. ''Creating the National Park Service: The Missing Years''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999. 
* {{cite book|last=Berkowitz|first=Paul D.|title=The Ranger Image and Noble Cause Corruption in the National Park Service|publisher=Trine Day Publishing |year= 2017|location=Walterville Oregon|isbn=978-1-63424-126-7}}
* Berkowitz, Paul D., ''The Case of the Indian Trader'', University of New Mexico Press {{ISBN|978-0-8263-4860-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8263-4859-3}}, 2011.
* Dilsaver, Lary M., ed. ''America's National Park System: The Critical Documents''. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1994.
* Everhardt, William C. ''The National Park Service''. New York: Praeger, 1972.
* Forrant, Robert and Mary-Anne Trasciatti, eds. ''Where Are the Workers? Labor’s Stories at Museums and Historic Sites. ''University of Illinois Press, 2022.
* Foresta, Ronald A. ''America's National Parks and Their Keepers''. Washington: Resources for the Future, 1985.
* Freemuth, John. ''Islands Under Siege: National Parks and the Politics of External Threats''. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1991.
* Garrison, Lemuel A;. ''The Making of a Ranger''. Salt Lake City: Howe Brothers, 1983.
* Gartner, Bob; ''Exploring Careers in the National Parks''. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 1993
* Hartzog, George B. Jr; ''Battling for the National Parks''; Moyer Bell Limited; Mt. Kisco, New York; 1988
* Ise, John. ''Our National Park Policy: A Critical History''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1961.
* Lee, Ronald F.; ''Family Tree of the National Park System''; Eastern National Parks, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1972
* Lowery, William. ''Repairing Paradise: The Restoration of Nature in America's National Parks''. Washington: Brookings, 2009
* Mackintosh, Barry. ''The National Parks: Shaping the System''. Washington: National Park Service, 1991.
* ''National Parks for the 21st Century; The Vail Agenda''; The National Park Foundation, 1991
* ''National Park Service Almanac'', Edited and Compiled by Ben Moffett and Vickie Carson: Rocky Mountain Region, National Park Service, 1991, revised 2006
* ''The National Parks: Shaping The System''; National Park Service, Washington D.C. 1991.
* Rettie, Dwight F.; ''Our National Park System''; University of Illinois Press; Urbana, Illinois; 1995
* Ridenour, James M. ''The National Parks Compromised: Pork Barrel Politics and America's Treasures''. Merrillville, IN: ICS Books, 1994.
* Rothman, Hal K. ''Preserving Different Pasts: The American National Monuments''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1989.
* Runte, Alfred. ''National Parks, the American Experience'', Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1987.
* Sellars, Richard West. ''Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History''. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997.
* Shankland, Robert; ''Steve Mather of the National Parks''; Alfred A. Knopf, New York; 1970
* Sontag, William H.'' National Park Service: The First 75 Years''. Philadelphia: Eastern National Park & Monument Assn., 1991.
* Sutter, Paul. 2002. ''Driven Wild: How the Fight against Automobiles Launched the Modern Wilderness Movement''. Seattle: University of Washington press. {{ISBN|978-0-295-98219-9}}.
* Swain, Donald. ''Wilderness Defender: Horace M. Albright and Conservation''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
* Udall, Stewart L., ''The Quiet Crisis''. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1963.
* Wirth, Conrad L. ''Parks, Politics, and the People''. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1980.
{{Refend}}

===Other sources===
'''Governance'''
* [[National Parks Conservation Association]] (2025). ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20250328201620/https://www.npca.org/articles/7769-parks-group-responds-to-executive-order-targeting-american-history Parks group responds to executive order targeting American history]''.
* [https://archive.today/19970605192857/http://www.nps.gov/legacy/criteria.html Criteria for inclusion in the National Park System]
* [https://archive.today/19970605193009/http://www.nps.gov/legacy/nomenclature.html Designation of National Park System Units] (national monument vs national park, etc.)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091025155211/http://www.thefederalregister.com/b.p/agency/National_Park_Service/ National Park Service Meeting Notices and Rule Changes] from [[The Federal Register]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20080124011511/http://www.thefederalregister.com/rss/agency/National_Park_Service/ RSS Feed]

'''Assistance'''
* [https://www.nps.gov/orgs/rtca/index.htm Community Assistance Available from the National Park Service]
* [https://www.nps.gov/climatefriendlyparks NPS Climate Friendly Parks]

'''History'''
* [https://archive.today/20070703054040/http://www.nps.gov/history/history/hisnps/NPSHistory/timeline.htm National Park System Timeline]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091002213736/http://www.nps.gov/history/archeology/BestIdea/index.htm ''The National Parks: America's Best Idea''] from the [https://www.nps.gov/subjects/archeology/index.htm National Park Service Archeology Program]

'''Metadata'''
* [https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/national-park-service National Park Service] in the [[Federal Register]]
* [https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/079.html#79.6.8 Records of the National Park Service], including an administrative history and a list of regional offices of the National Park Service up to 1988
* [https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/index.htm NPS Research Links/Reference Desk]
* [https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/library.htm NPS Library Information Center]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091202192713/http://npsfocus.nps.gov/ NPS Focus Digital Library & Research Station]
* [https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm NPS Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS)]
* [https://www.archives.gov/research/arc/topics/national-parks/ National Park Service Records] available in the [https://www.archives.gov/research/arc/ Archival Research Catalog] of the [[National Archives and Records Administration]]
* [https://archive.today/20130222102930/http://www.ourarchives.wikispaces.net/National+Park+Service+Records+at+the+National+Archives+at+Atlanta National Park Service Records]  at  [[National Archives and Records Administration]], Atlanta

'''Visual'''
* [https://www.nps.gov/subjects/hfc/index.htm NPS Historic Photograph Collection]
* [https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/index.htm NPS B-Roll Video (public domain)]
* [https://npshistory.com/publications/nps-uniforms/1/photofile.htm Photos of Park Rangers over the last 100+ years]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090416062839/http://photo.itc.nps.gov/storage/images/index.html NPS Digital Image Archives (public domain)]
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.ntis.ava19377vnb1|name=National Parks: An American Legacy (1992)}}
* {{cite web |title=Alice's Adventures in the New Wonderland |date=1884 |url=https://archive.org/details/alicesadventures00nort |publisher=Northern Pacific Railroad Company}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110929232550/http://www.theusaonline.com/gallery/national-parks/index.htm Gallery of all US National Parks] (does not include National Park System units of any other designation)
* [https://www.pbase.com/ambadale/signs/ Gallery of National Park "Welcome" Signs]

==External links==
{{Commons category|National Park Service (United States Department of the Interior)}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{wikivoyage|United States national parks}}
* [https://www.nps.gov/index.htm NPS official website]
* [https://www.nationalparks.org/ National Park Foundation], the Congressionally chartered national charitable partner of America's National Parks

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{{TrailSystem}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{DOI agencies}}
{{Federal law enforcement agencies of the United States}}
{{ES Government}}
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[[Category:National Park Service| ]]
[[Category:1916 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Environmental agencies in the United States]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1916]]
[[Category:Land management in the United States]]
[[Category:National park administrators]]
[[Category:Nature conservation in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Park police departments of the United States]]
[[Category:United States public land law]]