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NPS and ANILCA
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Recommendations
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The National Park Service and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980: Administrative History Recommendations |
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I. Manuscript Collections
A. General
Records collection by the National Park Service during the d-2 period was less than adequate. A number of documents and sets of documents were apparently destroyed. Others survived only by chance and were then not adequately protected. During the course of this study an effort has been made to protect critical documents. The Alaska Task Force Files were placed in the Federal Archives and Records Center in Seattle. The NPS ANILCA Papers, Cook Inlet Lawsuit files, and Belous files were temporarily placed in the Law Library, USDI. The Alaska Regional Office and Belous Clippings files are now located in the Special Collections Division, Denver Public Library.
Records of operations of the Alaska Parks that are currently being generated will constitute an important record. It is urged that these documents, in both Alaska Regional Office and individual parks be protected, and that normal purging activities not be carried out. It is recommended that an orientation course regarding importance of these records, their maintenance and protection, be made available to all NPS personnel in Alaska.
B. NPS WASO Files, Cook Inlet Files, Belous Files
All have been temporarily placed in the ANILCA Papers for indexing and protection. Because all three relate primarily to the effort to establish new national parklands in Alaska, it is recommended that steps be taken to make them permanently part of the ANILCA Papers.
C. ARO Central Files - Inactive
These files should be reviewed by a qualified professional. Material relating to the Service's ANILCA effort should be assembled, and, through a special appraisal, be added to the Alaska Task Force files in the Seattle Federal Archives and Records Center. Material relating to early NPS activity in Alaska should be placed in the NPS history collection at Harpers Ferry Center or the Seattle archives. Disposition of the latter will be determined by a qualified archivist.
D. NPS Files in Old Federal Building Warehouse
A considerable portion of the twelve cardboard boxes seems to be of little importance. However, four boxes do contain material relating to the Service's ANILCA effort, or are illustrative of its earlier activities. The records should be reviewed by a qualified professional. Those documents relating to ANILCA should be integrated into the ARO Central Files - Inactive for transfer to the Seattle archives. Those relating to earlier activities should forwarded to Seattle or HFC, and the remainder be disposed of as governed by federal regulations.
E. Park Files
Those files described in the bibliography all contain material relating to park operations, and the d-2 period. Most include some material relating to earlier NPS activities in Alaska. It is recommended that the various park files be reviewed by a qualified professional, and that material relating to ANILCA be included in a special appraisal and added to the Alaska Task Force Files in Seattle. These records would be available on a forty-eight-hour recall. Documents relating to earlier NPS activities in Alaska should be assembled and forwarded to the Seattle archives or HFC as prescribed in federal regulations.
It is recommended, additionally, that park staffs be specifically and immediately instructed to destroy no records in their possession.
F. Personal Files
A number of individuals have maintained personal files that include material relating to NPS involvement in ANILCA as well as the earlier NPS activity in Alaska. A considerable portion of this material is duplicated elsewhere. However, most contain some material which appears unique. As a result, it is recommended that an effort be made to survey these files, and that material therein be deposited in the proper repository.
G. Interviews
Time did not allow interviews for this study to be transcribed. It is recommended that taped interviews be transferred to HFC for transcription. It is recommended that permission of individuals be received for transcription and that any restrictions on use that they may request be honored. Several interviews were partially destroyed by faulty machinery (or as likely, faulty use of the machinery). It is obvious, moreover, that a number of people were not interviewed. It is recommended that the Service undertake a program to supplement the oral history of the d-2 period.
H. ARO and Belous Clipping Files
These important collections have been placed in the Special Collections Division, Denver Public Library. It is recommended that after the library puts them in order, the Park Service pay for filming of the collections and that the film be placed in Technical Information Center, Denver Service Center.
I. Project Material
A considerable amount of material—xeroxes, copies of bills, and publications—was collected for use in preparing this history. It is recommended that all material be placed on file in HFC upon publication.
J. Further Studies
ANILCA will be a fertile field for historical study for years to come. A considerable number of studies on the National Park Service in Alaska remain to be done. Historic resource studies for pre-ANILCA parks in Alaska badly need updating. Administrative histories should be completed for those parks as well.
The Alaska Regional program has outlined an ambitious program of histories that will include historical resource studies for the new areas as well as a ten-year review of operations of the Alaska parklands. This program should include, as well, administrative histories of the individual areas. It is urged that the Service fund these studies.
The Service should, also, assist scholars elsewhere in preparation of a variety of studies that will be undertaken or aspects of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980.
End of Recommendations
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Last Modified: Tues, Jan 9 2001 10:08 am PDT
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