What is the Mission of the National Park Service?
Have students look up the information on the mission of the National Park Service. Discuss its meaning. • Read The Lorax. • Think about a favorite place of yours. How would you feel if your place was no longer available? How might this story (The Lorax) relate to us studying the national parks? • Make a prediction about what would happen to many of these places if we didn’t have national parks. How does the mission of the National Park Service relate to The Lorax? Adaptations: Have the mission of the National Park Service readily available for students. Discuss in detail what the mission statement means. Continue with the above activity. Extensions: • Have students explore the creation of the first national park. Why was the first park created? What were the circumstances? Who were the main players in the creation of the first national park? • Have students research national parks from other countries. How are they like our national parks? How are they different? What does the fact tha
The Mission of the National Park Service is spelled out in several pieces of legislation, beginning with the Organic Act of 1916 that created the National Park Service. Briefly, that law provides the “fundamental purpose of the said parks, monuments and reservationsis to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.
