The National Park Service (NPS) is a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior.  The NPS helps in administering affiliated sites, the National Register of Historic Places, National Heritage Areas, National Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Historic Landmarks, and National Trails.

President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act creating the NPS on August 25, 1916.  According to the Organic Act, the fundamental purpose of the NPS is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and also provide for the enjoyment of the same[i].

The NPS covers more than 84 million acres and includes 392 areas called units.  These units include 122 historical parks or sites, 74 monuments, 58 national parks, 24 military parks, 18 preserves, 18 recreation areas, 10 seashores, four parkways, four lakeshores, and two reserves.  Yellowstone National Park was the first national park established by Congress on March 1, 1872[ii].

The NPS manages the 392 units of the National Park System.  The National Park System includes any area of land and water administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the National Park Service for park, monument, historic, parkway, recreational, or other purposes[iii].

Tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individual citizens seek help from the NPS to revitalize their communities, preserve local history, celebrate local heritage, and create close to home opportunities for kids and families.  The NPS take care of the national parks and help Americans to take care of their communities.

The National Parks consists of:

• 378 threatened or endangered species.
• 1.5 million archeological sites.
• 27,000 historic and prehistoric structures.
• 100 million museum items.
• 17,000 miles of trails.
• The world’s largest carnivore, the Alaskan Brown Bear.
• The world’s largest living things, Giant Sequoia trees.
• The highest point in North America, Mt. Mckincley.
• The longest cave system in the world, Mammoth Cave National Park.
• The country’s deepest lake, Crater Lake in Crater Lake National Park.
• The lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park.

The NPS maintains 909 visitor centers and contact stations.  The NPS has approximately 600 concessioners at more than 120 sites.  Concessioners provide visitors with food, lodging, transportation, shops, and other services.  The National Park Service also offers a variety of youth oriented programs.

The National Park Service is a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior and is led by a Director nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  The Director is supported by senior executives who manage national programs, policy, and budget in the Washington, DC, headquarters and seven regional directors responsible for national park management and program implementation.  Collectively, these executives make up the National Leadership Council.

Apart from the functions specified in the first section of the Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall perform the following functions in such manner as s/he shall consider being in the public interest: transfer, convey and destroy or cause to be destroyed museum objects and museum collections.  The Secretary shall also ensure that museum collections are treated in a careful and deliberate manner that protects the public interest.  Before taking any action, the Secretary shall establish a systematic review and approval process, including consultation with appropriate experts, to meet the highest standards of the museum profession for all actions taken[iv].

The mission of the NPS is to care for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience the American heritage.

[i] 16 USCS § 1a-1.

[ii] 42 Cong. Ch. 24.

[iii] 16 USCS § 1c.

[iv] 16 USCS § 18f-2