Lesson 15 - Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Flashcards
When was the first National Park created?
When was the National Park Service created?
Yellowstone was the first national park designated in 1872.
The National Park service was created on August 25, 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act of 1916.
John Muir
John Muir was an early advocate for the creation of a national park system. He wrote extensively for popular publications bringing national attention to sites that would ultimately become national parks including Glacier Bay and Mount Rainier. He also championed protecting the Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt created five national parks and signed the Antiquities Act and used its provisions to create 18 national monuments, including the Grand Canyon. He created 51 federal bird sanctuaries, four national game refuges, and more than 100 million acres of national forests.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the depression dramatically improved the national parks through the Civilian Conservation Corps. Under President Roosevelt there was an expansion of the park system, including the addition of civil war battlefields and the Lincoln Memorial into the care of the National Park system. He also helped to create Olympic and Kings Canyon National Parks and directed funds to purchase land to create the Smoky Mountains National Park (the first time federal funds were used to purchase park land).
Types of Parks
Parks are generally thought of as natural, semi-natural or planted spaces set aside for recreation or the protection of natural habitat. States operate state park systems that include an array of landscapes. For example, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources operates the state’s park system.
Linear parks are significantly longer in length than in width. The New York High Line is an example of a linear park.
Neighborhood parks provide access to basic recreation opportunities for residents of the neighborhood. They are typically within walking and bicycling distance of most residents and are small in size, typically five or fewer acres.
Community parks serve an area from one to five miles are typically 20 to 100 acres in size providing a mix of amenities to serve the community.
Regional parks may be managed by a special park district and serves multiple jurisdiction. Parks have level of service standards. For example standards include percentage of the population within ½ a mile of a neighborhood park or trail. In the State of Washington, a service level of A would have 75% or more of the population within ½ a mile of a neighborhood park or trail, 5 miles of a community park and 25 miles of a regional park.
Terminology
A Greenway is any scenic trail or route set aside for travel or recreational purposes.
Scenic resources are landscape patterns and landscape features that are aesthetically pleasing and contribute to the distinctness of a community or region.
A Viewshed is the area that is visible through line of site from a location. Napa County California has a viewshed ordinance to protect the views from certain locations in the County.
A Wildlife Corridor is the linkage that joins two similar wildlife habitats. The Natural Resource Conservation Service provides guidance on conservation corridor planning.
Conservation Easements are legal agreements between a property owner and a land trust or other organization in which the property owner agrees to place restriction of the use of the property to protect natural resources. The Natural Resource Conservation Service has an agricultural conservation easement program, as an example.
Transfer of Development Rights programs allow for the transfer of development rights from an area that is designated for low density development to an area planned for growth. The Lincoln Institute has an article explaining the basics of TDR programs.
Antiquities Act of 1906
The Antiquities Act of 1906 established that archeological sites on public lands are public resources and obligates federal agencies to manage the land to preserve sites for future generations. Additionally, the law authorizes the President to protect landmarks, structures, and objects of historic or scientific interest by designating them as National Monuments. For example, in 2016 President Obama designated the Mojave Trails National Monument, which contains 1.6 million acres of ancient lava flows and sand dunes.
Organics Act of 1916
Organics Act of 1916 established the National Park Service to manage national parks and national monuments.
Historic Sites Act of 1935
Historic Sites Act of 1935 sought to organize federally owned parks, monuments and historic sites under the National Park Service. It also declared that it is national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national importance. The Act authorized the performance of preservation work.
Wilderness Act of 1964
Wilderness Act of 1964 created the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Act defined wilderness as “an area of undeveloped Federal land retailing its primeval character and influence without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions”. According to the National Park Service, as of 2016 there are more than 106 million acres of federal public lands designated as wilderness.
National Wild and Scenic River Act of 1968
National Wild and Scenic River Act of 1968 seeks to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of current and future generations. Rivers may be designated by Congress. As of 2014, the National System protected 12,709 miles on 208 rivers in 40 states and Puerto Rico.
