The National Park Service, created in 1916 and now over one hundred years old, has become an immensely popular concept with visitation equal to the national population of the United States every year. Along the way, the Service has picked up a few issues and stresses that endanger the mission of the NPS. Its unique mission is to preserve and protect America's significant natural, cultural, and historical areas for future generations in an unencumbered condition. The areas that are America's Living National Treasures. Those issues need to be addressed to allow the National Park Service to uphold its mission and continue to protect our National Treasures for future generations. This book is dedicated to the identification of some of those issues and presents possible solutions, by capturing the author's experiences over his 35 year career, depicting what working for the Service entails and its challenges. Once the reader has a better feel for work of the National Park Service, there are specific sections dealing with the author's concerns for the future and the changes needed today to bring the Service back to its prime.

America's national parks are more popular than ever, drawing record numbers of visitors every year. This special issue is a celebration of these parks, representing the best of the geographic and biological diversity of the far-flung U.S. park system. Packed with extraordinary photographs (as well as intriguing data and detailed descriptions), these pages serve not only as a guide to the parks' individual charms, but also as an appreciation of their unmatched—and fragile—natural splendor.

Six of the Earth's most remarkable parks on six different continents showcased - from the dense rain forest of Manu National Park in Peru to the rich wildlife of South Africa's Kruger to the desert beauty of Jordan's Petra. Dramatic, informative, and breathtakingly beautiful, the journey through each of these parks explores an amazing corner of the globe.

"Audrey's love of nature and the national parks is equaled only by her love for people." -Juan Martinez, National Geographic Emerging Explorer, Wyoming "Audrey opens up the country to us in a whole new way. She weaves the beauty, history and culture she has found in our national parks into a spellbinding story that makes me want to get out there even more." - Rue Mapp, founder, Outdoor Afro, California "In Our True Nature, Audrey Peterman expresses the joy and wonder to be found in our national parks. Her effervescent words bubble with the enthusiasm she has for the parks and all they bring to humanity." - John Poimiroo, CEO, National Parks Promotion Council "Audrey's writing is so vivid, I feel like I am there with her, whether it's in the wilds of Alaska or the historic town of Harpers Ferry, Virginia. This is a welcome guide for anyone interested in history, beauty, nature, travel, adventure or just understanding what it means to be an American." -Al Calloway, historian and writer, Florida ________ Audrey Peterman is a national award winning environmentalist. A native of Jamaica and a citizen of the US, she and her husband Frank co-authored the book, Legacy on the Land: A Black Couple Discovers Our National Treasures and Tells Why Every American Should Care. Since 1995 she has visited more than 160 of the 397 units of the National Park System and is an advocate for their continued protection.

This book provides the first comprehensive economic valuation of U.S. National Parks (including monuments, seashores, lakeshores, recreation areas, and historic sites) and National Park Service (NPS) programs. The book develops a comprehensive framework to calculate the economic value of protected areas, with particular application to the U.S. National Park Service. The framework covers many benefits provided by NPS units and programs, including on-site visitation, carbon sequestration, and intellectual property such as in education curricula and filming of movies/ TV shows, with case studies of each included. Examples are drawn from studies in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Everglades National Park, and Chesapeake Bay. The editors conclude with a chapter on innovative approaches for sustainable funding of the NPS in its second century. The framework serves as a blueprint of methodologies for conservationists, government agencies, land trusts, economists, and others to value public lands, historical sites, and related programs, such as education. The methodologies are relevant to local and state parks, wildlife refuges, and protected areas in developed and developing countries as well as to national parks around the world. Containing a series of unique case studies, this book will be of great interest to professionals and students in environmental economics, land management, and nature conservation, as well as the more general reader interested in National Parks.

**A New York Times Bestseller!** Based on the wildly popular Instagram account, Subpar Parks features both the greatest hits and brand-new content, all celebrating the incredible beauty and variety of America’s national parks juxtaposed with the clueless and hilarious one-star reviews posted by visitors. Subpar Parks, both on the popular Instagram page and in this humorous, informative, and collectible book, combines two things that seem like they might not work together yet somehow harmonize perfectly: beautiful illustrations and informative, amusing text celebrating each national park paired with the one-star reviews disappointed tourists have left online. Millions of visitors each year enjoy Glacier National Park, but for one visitor, it was simply "Too cold for me!" Another saw the mind-boggling vistas of Bryce Canyon as "Too spiky!" Never mind the person who visited the thermal pools at Yellowstone National Park and left thinking, “Save yourself some money, boil some water at home.” Featuring more than 50 percent new material, the book will include more depth and insight into the most popular parks, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Acadia National Parks; anecdotes and tips from rangers; and much more about author Amber Share's personal love and connection to the outdoors. Equal parts humor and love for the national parks and the great outdoors, it's the perfect gift for anyone who loves to spend time outside as well as have a good read (and laugh) once they come indoors.

The first and oldest national park in the world can be enjoyed mile by mile with this complete travel guide. Along with fascinating facts and anecdotes, readers will learn of Yellowstone's geyser basins and the frequency of the geysers, out-of-the-way hikes, and flora and fauna. Easy-to-understand scientific explanations and diagrams complement an array of short walks, the right season for camping, and the park's campgrounds and facilities. Updated road logs highlight more than 100 historical points of interest, including the often misidentified locale from which artist Thomas Moran painted his "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" masterpiece and where five stagecoach robberies occurred along the Grand Loop Road. New text examines areas that have changed in recent years, including the reconstructed Canyon-to-Dunraven Pass and the newly completed North Rim Drive at the Grand Canyon. Additionally, numerous new photographs feature historical and contemporary images.

A guide to national parks in the West provides information on attractions, accommodations, restaurants, when to go, plants and animals, and activities for each park.

"Fifty-Nine Parks collaborated with some of the world's foremost contemporary artists and designers to create original posters that celebrate the unique beauty of the U.S. National Park system. Each poster is a contemporary take on the W.P.A. posters of the 1930s, resulting in a one-of-a-kind tribute to the majesty of the national parks"--