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National Park Service
Mission
 Beginning
with the designation of Yellowstone as a national park
in 1872, by 1916 the Department of Interior had been
given administrative control over 14 national parks and
21 national monuments, comprising the first national
park system in the world. These early parks contained
areas of breathtaking natural scenery, abundant
wildlife, and ruins of ancient Native American
settlements. In 1916, the National Park Service was
established within the Department of Interior to oversee
these parks and monuments and any other lands so
designated in the future.
In
managing these areas, the National Park Service was
directed to
conserve the scenery and
the natural and historic objects and the wildlife
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.
(National Park Service Organic Act of 1916, 16 U.S.C.I.)
Thus, from the time of
the creation of the Park Service, the mission included
elements that essentially required archeological
research and public interpretation. Today, the expanse
of Park Service lands, the wide range of archeological
sites, and the large (and growing) number of visitors
increase the challenge in meeting the Park Service
mission.
Since the creation of
the National Park Service in 1916, social and cultural
changes have altered the position natural and cultural
resources hold in American society. Advances in
archeological methods and research priorities, together
with large-scale identification surveys, have expanded
the inventory of cultural sites to include a wide range
of time periods, socio-economic classes, and various
cultural communities represented in the archeological
record. The designation of new parks also has increased
the diversity in cultural resources represented in our
park system.
Meeting the Mission
Archeology and
interpretation are essential components of efforts to
fulfill the Park Service mission. Both archeological
research and public interpretation help identify the
resources that deserve protection and stewardship and
assist in the public enjoyment of these resources. In
promoting greater understanding of the public benefits
of cultural resources, interpretation helps promote the
stewardship of those resources.
Today, “resources”
includes a wide range of artifacts, buildings, ruins,
landscape features, even undiscovered archeological
sites. Thus, archeological surveys are necessary to
identify where, what kind, and how many resources are
under Park Service control. Evaluation and analysis are
required to determine the appropriate place these
resources hold, or should hold, in our national
collective memory. Furthermore, many natural resources,
such as those found in the earliest National Parks, have
become cultural icons and, thus, are integral parts of
our cultural heritage.
Public
interpretation is required to ensure that park visitors
can fully enjoy the range of natural and cultural
resources located within our National Parks.
Archeological research has become increasingly
specialized as a result of advances in methods and
theory. Therefore, interpretation, which itself is
becoming increasingly more sophisticated, has taken on
greater importance in making archeological information
accessible and comprehensible to the public.
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