The National Park Service Anniversary
Special | 1m 43sVideo has Closed Captions
The National Park Service, founded in 1916, celebrates its birthday every August 25!
The National Park Service was founded on August 25, 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act into law. Before then, national parks were managed individually by the Department of the Interior with no unified system. Today, the N.P.S. maintains and preserves over 430 sites across the U.S., like Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, and the Grand Canyon!
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History in a Nutshell is a local public television program presented by SCETV
The National Park Service Anniversary
Special | 1m 43sVideo has Closed Captions
The National Park Service was founded on August 25, 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act into law. Before then, national parks were managed individually by the Department of the Interior with no unified system. Today, the N.P.S. maintains and preserves over 430 sites across the U.S., like Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, and the Grand Canyon!
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipWhy do America's most iconic parks still look this incredible?
It all started on August 25th: The formation of the National Park Service.
On this day in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act into law.
Before then, iconic places like Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks were managed individually by the Department of the Interior, with no unified system.
Thanks to the efforts of business leaders, conservationists and naturalists, the concept for a dedicated agency with the sole purpose of preserving America's most popular landscapes for future generations gained momentum.
One of the most influential advocates for this new agency was Stephen Mather, a wealthy businessman who promoted the parks and convinced Congress that they needed professional management.
Mather later became the first director of the National Park Service in May, 1917.
President Wilson's Organic Act gave the National Park Service a mission that remains largely unchanged today: "To conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same... by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."
Today, the N.P.S.
manages more than 430 sites across the United States, including national parks, monuments, battlefields, historic sites, seashores, and scenic trails.
Together, these sites preserve America's natural beauty, history, and cultural heritage for millions of visitors each year.
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History in a Nutshell is a local public television program presented by SCETV