National Park Service

1. National Park Service • John Muir – Major force in creation of National Park System • Did not like how industry and science were transforming the landscape • Muir wanted places where people could escape “progress” • He saw wilderness as a place of spiritual inspiration • Lost fight over Hech Hechy convinced him that the Forest Service was not a friend • Needed a new organization to protect wild places • Starting with Yellowstone (1872), Congress reserved lands from disposal as “natural wonders” • Confusion about purpose of reserves

2. National Park System • National Parks: ~ 50 • National Monuments: ~ 80, 5 million acres • National Preserves: 12, mostly in Alaska • National Seashores (10) and Lakeshores (4) • National Historic Site, Memorials, and Battlefields: mostly in the east • National Recreation Areas: 15, most created out of FS land • National Parkways – e.g. Blue Ridge Parkway

3. 1916 National Park Service Established • Objectives of agency: People, scenery, wildlife and history. • Principles for administration: • Parks should be maintained completely free from degradation • Parks should be used for observation, health, and pleasure • National interest – not local interests -- governs all activities within the park, both public and private. • Stephen Mather – 1st Administrator • Interpreted this to mean that primary duty was to preserve parks for posterity • So put in hotels, roads, concessions in part of park, leave rest alone • This pattern still apparent in most park • On-going controversy: what to preserve – scenery or ecology? • 1916 act specifically mentions scenery • Led to façade management • Grand vistas and large mammal herds • Fire suppression – keep the picture pretty • But wanted to keep wildlife for future generations  Didn’t understand the importance of natural disturbance or non-equilibrium dynamics!

6. 1933 Roosevelt transferred National Monuments to NPS • Mission to interpret history, American heritage • 1950s emphasis on greater visitor use • e.g. Mission 66: for 50th year of NPS – more roads, development of visitor centers in each park • Fortress mentality: protect what is inside the park, but ignore what is going on outside the park •  can this work?

8. Trans-boundary Issues – Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: • logging - housing development • Roads - predator management • Oil and gas - ORVs - Mining

9. Today – greater emphasis on ecology, restoration, natural dynamics • Predator and endangered species reintroduction • Prescribed fire • Ecosystem management • Coordination with adjoining landowners • Allowing natural disturbances to operate more freely • Lots of planning to better balance ecological and social objectives • Better use of science to inform decisions • use – reduce where possible or desirable • But visitor use increasing – hard to keep up with • Huge backlog in maintenance – not enough funding

10. Reintroduced in 1995 14 wolves initially Now 140 11 breeding pairs

11. Yellowstone Wolf Packs, 2004

13. National Protected Landscapes of the United Kingdom

15. NPS – Natural Heritage Areas http://www.nps.gov/history/heritageareas/