September 2016

America Celebrates 100 Years of the National Park Service

President Obama speaks at Yosemite National ParkPresident Obama speaks at Yosemite National Park

President Obama speaks at Yosemite National Park
President Barack Obama spoke in front of Cook’s Meadow and Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park to commemorate the National Park Service’s centennial.

The National Park Service is celebrating its centennial, or 100th anniversary, this year. On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act that created the National Park Service. The Organic Act states that the new federal agency was established to “… promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas … which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife … for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Even before creating the National Park Service, the U.S. government had already begun establishing national parks. On March 1, 1872, Congress created the nation’s first—Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone covers parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho and is famous for its Old Faithful geyser. The founding of Yellowstone National Park began a national park movement around the world. Today more than 100 countries have about 1,200 national parks and other protected sites.

As soon as it was created, the National Park Service began managing 35 existing national parks and monuments. In addition to Yellowstone, the national parks included Yosemite in California, Wind Cave in South Dakota, and Mesa Verde in Colorado. In 1933, an additional 56 national monuments and military sites were transferred to the National Park Service.

At the same time, the agency also began establishing new national parks. These included the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Shenandoah in Virginia, the Everglades in Florida, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and many others. During his eight years in office, President Barack Obama has placed more than 260 million acres of public lands and waters under the National Park Service, more than any other President in U.S. history.

Today the National Park Service oversees more than 400 parks and other protected sites across the United States and its territories. These uniquely American treasures preserve the history, culture, and geography important to our nation and its people. All year long, the National Park Service has been celebrating its centennial by encouraging people to visit its parks.

Image credit: ©David Calvert/Getty Images
 
Question 1
In what year was the National Park Service established?





 
Question 2
About how many sites does the National Park Service manage?






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