"The National Park Service Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary"

"2016 marks the centennial of the National Park Service, the mission of which is to preserve 'unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.'

And though we’re celebrating 100 years of the National Park System this year, from Maine to Hawaii, Florida to Alaska, and everywhere in between, not to mention American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, it may come as a surprise to learn that the first National Park was designated in 1871, 45 years before the National Park Service as we know it came into existence in 1916.

According to The National Parks: Shaping the System, published by the National Park Service, the idea of land being preserved for everyone to enjoy was first expressed in 1832 (that’s just 56 years after the birth of United States of America in 1776) and is credited to artist George Catlin. During a trip to the Dakota region in 1832, Catlin, best known for his paintings of Native Americans, pondered the impact the western expansion would have upon these civilizations, the wildlife and the wilderness. He wrote that they might be preserved “by some great protecting policy of government…in a magnificent park…a nation’s park, containing man and beast, in all the wild(ness) and freshness of their nature’s beauty.”"

Susan B. Barnes reports for USA TODAY August 24, 2016.

SEE ALSO:

"On Its 100th Anniversary, The National Park Service Plans For The Future" (NPR)

Series: "NPS@100" (Greenwire)

"The Political Crusades Targeting National Parks For Drilling And Exploitation" (Guardian)

Centennial Series and Feature Stories (National Parks Traveler)

"National Park Service Turns 100, And Some Sites Are Showing Their Age" (Washington Post)

"Science in the Wild: The Legacy Of the U.S. National Park System" (Yale Environment 360)

Opinion: "We Must Recommit To National Parks, America’S Cathedrals" (Washington Post/NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis)