 |
Vol.
XXVII, No. 1—January/February, 2002
The writer Wallace
Stegner, who served as Assistant Secretary of the Interior in the Kennedy
Administration, once called national parks "the best idea we ever
had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our
best...." Since Yellowtone National Park was established in 1872,
the National Park System has grown to encompass 83 million acres (34 million
hectares) in 385 areas within 49 States, the District of Columbia, American
Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the U.S. virgin Islands. Its mission
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." Conserving endangered species is
an important part of that mission. |
