Back in 1872, with the Yellowstone National Park Act, public lands were preserved "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people" to be administered by the Federal Government. Then, in 1916, with the National Park Service Organic Act, a "...service to be called the National Park Service, which shall be under the charge of a director...," was created within the U. S. Department of the Interior. This was the beginning of the NPS, as we know it today. The NPS oversees the restoration, preservation, and maintenance of historic and special places and its wildlife for all Americans and foreign visitors to enjoy and for America's future generations to visit.

Most Americans, at one time or another, have visited a national park - stopping for elk crossing the road while driving into Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado - looking into the faces of stainless steel statues while the park ranger with his Smokey Bear hat explains how the sculptor revealed the ethnic cross section of American serviceman in those faces at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC - contemplating the meaning of freedom while staring at the Minute Man Statue and thinking about the "shot heard around the world" from the Old North Bridge in the Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, Massachusetts - looking at the photographs of people seeking out a new homeland at the Ellis Immigration Museum in the New York Harbor. America's national parks provide Americans and foreign visitors with many opportunities to learn about the history of America as well as exquisite landscapes for exploration, recreation, and relaxation.

These parks, and many others, throughout the U.S. are maintained by the NPS. This is a very large job, and the NPS employs many people, 20,000+, in all types of occupations (park rangers, historians, biologists, forest aids and technicians, naturalists) to help in maintaining and preserving America's national parks and its cultural resources. In the late 1980's, the NPS began partnering with the National Business Center's (NBC) predecessor - the Denver Administrative Service Center (DASC) - to get help with its many administrative functions. Over the years, the DASC and now the NBC have supported the NPS by providing business solutions for automated personnel management, payroll, financial management, quarters management, and drug and alcohol testing.

Barry Gronenberg, NPS spokesperson located in Oakland, California, commented that "The National Park Service is an extremely large and diverse organization that brings with it many unique pay categories and specifications. The NBC has ensured that all of our employees are paid correctly and in a timely manner. All in all, considering the size and complexity of our organization, there have been relatively very few problems in this regard and we are very pleased with their service and assistance."

With this administrative support from the NBC, the NPS can focus on its core mission of maintaining and preserving our national parks and the invaluable natural resources within them for all generations of Americans.