National Park Service Governance and Laws

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National Park Service Governance and Laws
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• A bureau within the Department of Interior (DOI)

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• History
• 1872 Congress established Yellowstone as the
  first National Park

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• History
• 1916 DOI was responsible for
• 14 national parks
• 20 national monuments

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• History
• Organic Act of 1916
• President Wilson
• Established the National Park Service
• Defined the purpose of the organization

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• History
• Stephen T. Mather
• First Director of NPS
• 1917-1929

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• Mission
• 
  Organic Act of 1916

"to conserve the scenery and the natural and
historic objects and the wild life 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."
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• As of 2004, the National Park System is composed
  of
• 388 park areas
• National parks (57), National monuments, National
  battlefields, National historic sites, National
  recreation areas, National preserves, etc.

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• National Park System
• The National Park Service - NPS Units by Type
  (http//www.nps.gov/legacy/nomenclature.html)
• 19 categories

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• National Park System
• 84 million acres
• 287 million visitors annually

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• National Park System
• 58 national parks
• 18 national recreation sites
• 77 national historic sites
• 10 national seashores

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• National Park System
• Whats the largest in acreage?
• Whats the smallest in acreage?

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• Organization

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• Organization
• NPS Headquarters
• Director
• Regional offices
• Regional Directors

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• Fran P. Mainella
• Director
• 2001-present

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• Joseph M. Lawler
• Regional Director
• National Capital Region

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• Antiquities Act of 1906
• Authorized presidents to proclaim and reserve
  historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric
  structures, and other objects of historic or
  scientific interest on lands controlled by the
  US as national monuments

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• Organic Act
• Reorganization of 1933
• 2 EOs under Pres. Roosevelt were passed
• Transferred War Dept.s parks and monuments to
  NPS
• Transferred monuments held by USDA Forest Service
  to NPS

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• Preservation of Historic Sites Act, 1935
• a national policy to preserve for public use
  historic sites, buildings and objects of national
  significance for the inspiration and benefits of
  the people of the United States.

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• Mission 66
• A 10-year program initiated by NPS Director
  Conrad L. Wirth in 1956
• To upgrade facilities, staffing, and resource
  management throughout the system by the 50th
  anniversary of the service in 1966

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• Wilderness act of 1964
• Established the National Wilderness Preservation
  System
• Federally owned areas designated by Congress as
  wilderness areas

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965
• Established a fee for acquiring new recreation
  lands either within or adjacent to existing park
  units or new parks
• Where will the money come from?

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
• Required all historic places be entered in the
  National Register of Historic Places

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968
• Provided for the protection and preservation in
  free-flowing condition of selected rivers that
  possessed outstanding scenic, recreational,
  geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, or
  cultural values

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• Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968
• Does this halt
• river use?

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• National Trails System Act of 1968
• Provided for the establishment of both national
  recreation trails accessible to urban areas and
  national scenic trails

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• National Trails System Act of 1968
• Initial components
• Appalachian Trail
• Pacific Crest Trail

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• Appalachian Trail

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• Pacific Crest Trail

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• General Authorities Act of 1970
• Established the National Park System

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• The Vail Agenda, 1992
• Addressed the status and needs of the National
  Parks in the 21st century during 75th anniversary
  of the Service

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998
• Provided for improved management and increased
  accountability for certain NPS programs

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• National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998
• Reform the process by which areas are considered
  for inclusion to the National Park System
• First legislative reforms of the Services
  concessions management practices in a generation
• National Parks Pass

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• Relevant Policies, Laws, and Programs
• Recreational Fee Demonstration Program
• Whats the rationale behind it?

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• Recreational Fee Demonstration Program
• Created in 1996 as a tool to generate revenue to
  manage recreation on public land
• Involved four Federal land management agencies

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• Recreational Fee Demonstration Program
• Gave authority to the four agencies to charge
  admission and recreation use fees
• The agencies retain all the revenues
• 20 used on an agency-wide basis
• 80 spent on the site where fees were collected

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• Recreational Fee Demonstration Program
• 3-year experiment but subsequently extended
  through FY 2005
• Being replaced by a new fee recreation program
  that was passed into law in fall 2004
• Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act

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• Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act
• What are new changes?

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• Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act
• Covers 5 Federal Agencies
• Added Bureau of Reclamation
• 10-year fee authorization

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• Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act
• Eliminate fees for primitive backcountry and
  wilderness recreation
• Charge fees only where there is a clear and
  demonstrable service

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• Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act
• New national, interagency pass
• America the Beautiful pass
• Will replace

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• Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act
• Public involvement and notification
• Creation of Recreation Resource Advisory Council

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• Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act
• Authority to recognize volunteers with passes
• Limitations on use of funds

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State Park Governance and Laws
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State-Owned Parks and Recreation Areas

• State Parks System
• 50 state park systems
• The mission of state parks is to provide
  close-to-home resourced-based outdoor recreation
  opportunities at a moderate cost. (Landrum,
  1999b )

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State-Owned Parks and Recreation Areas

• State Parks System
• As of 2004,
• 5,842 state parks
• Over 13 million acres
• Over 700 million visitors/year

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• State agency responsible for managing West
  Virginias State Parks System

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• Mission
• To provide and administer a long-range
  comprehensive program for the exploration,
  conservation, development, protection, enjoyment
  and use of the natural resources of the State of
  West Virginia.

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• 34 State Parks
• 78,000 acres of state park lands
• 120,000 acres of state forest and wildlife
  management recreation areas

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• Brings 127 million to the states economy
• 7.6 million visitors/year

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• Generates about 18-19 million a year in
  revenues
• In 2003, operated at 61 self-sufficiency

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• J.R. Pope
• Chief of Parks and Recreation Section

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Policy Issues

• Lack of funding!!!!!
• How do state parks cope?