Like all federal agencies, the National Park Service is required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to protect endangered and threatened species, and to avoid any actions that might jeopardize their survival or adversely modify their critical habitats. In addition, the National Park Service recognizes that the ESA goes further by requiring federal agencies to actively promote the conservation of listed species...more

This collection of articles provides a glimpse into the marine and wildlife resources in American Samoa's tropical, oceanic environment. The articles were written by 8 biologists at the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR), National Park of American Samoa (NPS) and Land Grant Program at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC). more

We in the National Park Service (NPS) have been charged with the trust of preserving these resources since our creation in 1916. For most of the 20th century, we have practiced a curious combination of active management and passive acceptance of natural systems and processes, while becoming a superb visitor services agency. In the 21st century that management style clearly will be insufficient to save our natural resources...more

Fossils have been identified in over 145 National Park Service areas. The remains of fossilized plants and animals contain valuable scientific information which enables us to better understand the ancient world. Paleontological resource inventories, also referred to as surveys, help to establish important information about fossils and frequently lead to new discoveries. Fossil surveys benefit the science of paleontology, as well as provide increased information for better management and protection....more

The peregrine falcon, a magnificent raptor that soars through the air and dives at amazing speeds, began to decline in numbers in the 1950s and 60s. Several factors contributed to the decline, most significant was thought to be the use of DDT, a chemical pesticide that accumulated in the tissues of birds of prey and caused thinning of eggshells so that the eggs often broke during incubation. Both the American peregrine falcon and the arctic peregrine falcon were placed on the endangered species list in the 1970s...more

Based largely on original documentation never before researched, this is the most thorough history of the national parks ever written. Focusing on the decades after the National Park Service was established in 1916, the author reveals the dynamics of policy formulation and change, as landscape architects, foresters, wildlife biologists, and other Park Service professionals contended for dominance and shaped the attitudes and culture of the Service...more

The Research Permit and Reporting System (RPRS) went on-line January 16, 2001. With this start-up, NPS reached an important milestone, becoming the first Department of the Interior agency to enable people to apply for research and collecting permits electronically. From this point forward, park research coordinators will use the system to issue and track all Scientific Research and Collecting Permits... more

During the past thirty years, severe decline of North American bird populations and their habitats has caused great concern among the bird conservation community. Birds are recognized as critical components of local and global genetic, species, and population diversity, providing important and often critical ecological, social, and cultural values...more

Wildlife Management in the National Parks, also referred to as the Leopold Report, became the feature on NatureNet. From the NPS History Website, this 1963 report was one of the first outside reviews of NPS natural resource management...more

In 2001 there were several major forces at work, as well as the events of September 11, that made this year more than business as usual. The first major force was political transition. Because President Bush had voiced support for the Natural Resource Challenge in his campaign, and Secretary Norton was familiar with it even before she was confirmed, the aggressive natural resource program embodied in the Challenge has fared very well during the transition of administrations... more

If the year 2000 is any indication and as many scientists suggest, this may well be the century of the environment. In 2000, the National Park Service focused on its resources to a greater extent than it has in a long time. The cornerstone of success this year was significant support from Congress for the second year of the proposed five-year Natural Resource Challenge program. This enabled the Service to make major strides in natural resource management...more

From the natural resource perspective, 1999 was a great success, filled with even greater promise. Amid many signs of natural phenomena bending to the press of human activity, there was a growing sense in the National Park Service of the importance and likelihood that the organization was capable of positioning itself for the challenges of the new millennium...more

Following publication of Preserving Nature in the National Parks (Richard Sellars, September 1997), the National Park Service spent much of 1998 crafting a Natural Resource Initiative that would respond to the implications of the book’s message. One implication is that we must add a third area of emphasis—resource management —to the NPS culture to complement our well-established leadership in park development and operations. The challenges of the modern landscape now require this third pillar if parks are to be successfully protected in the 21st century...more

As we chronicle 1997, what is the emerging message–the takeaway lesson? The year began under the pall cast by the killing of nearly 1,100 bison by the State of Montana and the National Park Service to control brucellosis as the animals left the harsh winter conditions of Yellowstone National Park. Disagreements over the need to take such extreme action were highlighted during a year of preparation of a joint long-term bison management plan...more