Parks
Since 1916, the American people have entrusted the National Park Service with the care of their national parks. With the help of volunteers and park partners, we safeguard these more than 400 places and share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. Find a few of those stories here and then Find a Park to find more of all Americans' stories.
Climate Change: Today's rapid climate change challenges national parks in ways we've never seen before. Glaciers are retreating at an unprecedented rate, increasingly destructive storms threaten cultural resources and park facilities, habitat is disrupted—the list goes on. Discover how climate change is affecting our nation's treasures, what the National Park Service is doing about it, and how you can help.
Catoctin Mountain Park: This 5,810-acre Blue Ridge hardwood forest park has refreshing streams and scenic vistas, offering a rare haven in a rapidly developing area of the country. However, the park hasn't always looked this way. In the 18th and 19th centuries the land was extensively logged to support local agriculture practices and to produce charcoal for the nearby iron works furnace. In 1933 the land was set aside as the Catoctin Recreation Demonstration Area with its purpose being to rehabilitate "sub-marginal" farmland.
National Monuments: Each National Monument established under the Antiquities Act of 1906 tells a story of the nation's past and future. From vast scenic vistas to the material remains of past peoples, the National Monuments preserve places and collections that make America unique.
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park: Species that have survived for millennia face unabated threats from a host of invaders introduced by humans over the past 200 years. Feral pigs, goats, and mouflon sheep;invasive plants;feral cats and rats, mongoose, ants, wasps, and mosquitoes, these invaders are all taking a tremendous toll on native plants and animals.
Other Places
The National Park Service cares for America's more than 400 national parks…and works in almost every one of her 3,141 counties. We are proud that tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individual citizens ask for our help in revitalizing their communities, preserving local history, celebrating local heritage, and creating close to home opportunities for kids and families to get outside, be active, and have fun. Find a few selected important places outside the parks here and explore the links for more. Then explore what you can do to share your own stories and the places that matter to you.
The Bureau of Reclamation Historic Dams, Irrigation Projects, and Powerplants: Managing Water in the West: Bureau of Reclamation projects have a sweeping impact on irrigation, hydroelectric power, navigation, flood control, and municipal and industrial water supplies. The dams and water projects embody a complex and rich history that goes well beyond the concrete and earth used to build these engineering marvels. As an arid area of the nation, the West relies heavily on these dams and water control projects that tamed the rivers to channel the life giving water essential for people to settle and thrive in the West.
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area: In addition to vast natural heritage, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area also has significant agricultural heritage.Places of interest include, but are not limited to Blue Ridge Parkway, two National Forests, ten State Parks, and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Erie Canalway National Heritage Area: This canal system is the oldest continuously operating canal in the nation.Built between 1817 and 1825, the Erie Canal was the most successful and influential public works project in North America.The canal's 363 miles helped to make New York City a successful international port.
Cache La Poudre River Corridor: This area has contributed to Western water law and the evolution of complex water delivery systems.Visitors can see the many head gates, flumes, water measurement devices, and intricate network of ditches along the Cache la Poudre River, all created to modify the river's flow in an attempt to meet the water need of urban development.
Showing results 1-10 of 91
- Type: Article
The American government and the American people were aware of the conflicts brewing in Europe, Asia, and Africa in the 1930s. Still hurting from the losses of World War I and in the grip of the Great Depression, there was little congressional or public interest in getting involved. In fact, there were efforts to keep America out of the conflict.
- Type: Article
The conservation movement of the early 1900s helped to create the National Park system and establish crucial protections for the nation's animals, plants, and landscapes. But some conservationists also embraced exclusionary ideas and policies that caused incalculable harm to people. These stories are part of NPS history. Understanding them is necessary to build a more inclusive future.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Capulin Volcano National Monument, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Hot Springs National Park, Yellowstone National Park
No comprehensive data has been compiled about women government employees working in national parks before the NPS was founded on August 25, 1916. Their numbers are undoubtedly few but perhaps not as small as we might imagine. The four early NPS women featured here were exceptional in their own ways, but they are also proxies for the names we no longer remember and the stories we can no longer tell.
- Type: Article
This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front, with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a designated American World War II Heritage City. The lesson has photographs, secondary source readings, and a newspaper excerpt to show the contributions of Pittsburgh and its people to the War effort, and the change and development of the area. The lesson also has analysis of propaganda posters. There is an optional environmental history reading and activity.
- Type: Article
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park invites you to participate in our upcoming exhibit “Memorias de las Misiones / Memories of the Missions.” ¿Sabías que tu memoria podría ser parte de una exhibición de mapas de memoria? El Parque Histórico Nacional Misiones San Antonio te invita a participar en la exhibición “Memorias de las Misiones”.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
- Offices: Southern California Research Learning Center
Botanists have been collecting and pressing samples of plants they find in the wild for nearly 200 years. Around the world, there are numerous institutions with vast herbarium collections of plant pressings that are more valuable today than when they were collected! Plant specimens collected in the past are of great value because they can tell modern-day scientists a lot about past environments and conditions.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Cape Cod National Seashore, Rocky Mountain National Park, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Curiosity Kits inspire exploration and learning of history through place. These multi-piece resources include articles that explore historic places and provide educational activities for life-long learners. This kit focuses on Katharine Lee Bates, author of what became the song “America the Beautiful.” Learn about some of the places associated with her life and work. You’ll also find activities and discussion questions for learners of all ages.
- Type: Article
This article explores how extensively humans interacted with the environment in the past. Archaeology and mapping technologies are used to discover how much past humans interfered in Alaska's ecosystems.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument
The Kents are complex historical figures. They are associated with the conservationist movement, yet they were also involved in politics. William served in Congress and fought to exclude Chinese and Japanese immigrants from this country, while Elizabeth Kent participated in the women’s suffrage movement.
- Rocky Mountain National Park
Factors Affecting the Wilderness Experience
- Type: Article
- Locations: Rocky Mountain National Park
What sights and sounds influence a wilderness experience for backcountry visitors in Rocky Mountain National Park?
Last updated: May 6, 2021