Allison Roberts, age 14, of Monroe, La., for her question:
WHEN WAS THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STARTED?
An important bureau of the United States Department of the Interior is the National Park Service. Congress created the bureau in 1916.
Congress had established the world's first national park in 1872 with the creation of Yellowstone National Park. Four additional parks were started in the 1890s. In order to prevent vandalism at prehistoric Indian sites in the Southwest, Congress then passed the Antiquities Act, which allowed the formation of national monuments on federal lands.
Purpose of the National Park Service in 1916 was to establish an administration for the growing number of national parks. There were by then 37 park areas. Then in 1933, 63 national monuments and military sites were transferred from the Forest Service and the War Department to the National Park Service.
In 1961 Congress made funds available for the National Park Service to actually purchase good locations for national parkland. Before this, all parks were either federally owned when they started out or were given as a gift to the U.S. government.
Many new areas in Alaska were added to the park system in 1978 and 1980.
Today there are about 300 areas administered by the National Park Service. The network of parks is called the National Park System.
There are nine regional offices plus an area office for Alaska. Heading the service is a superintendent. Rounding out a very large staff are naturalists, foresters, engineers, biologists, geologists, historians, achaeologiste, guides and rangers.
Some of the jobs that must be handled through the National Park Service are fire prevention and control, wildlife conservation and control of water pollution. In addition, natural, historic or prehistoric elements have to be protected. Services including lectures, tours and the dispensing of information to parkland visitors.
There are three broad divisions of the 20 types of locations administered by the National Park Service: natural, historical, and cultural and recreational.
National parks, many of the national monuments, preserves and rivers are included in the areas set aside for their natural features. Generally forbidden in these locations are lumbering and hunting. Fishing is usually allowed.
Included in locations that fall into the historical and cultural division are some of the national monuments, natural historical parks and national battlefields.
National seashores and lake shores are included in the recreation areas.
It usually takes an act of Congress to make an addition to the national park system.