[at-l] National parks

[jbryankramer at msn.com (J Bryan Kramer)]

They are not functionally the same, the laws covering a National Park and a
National Monument are quite different. You can collect rocks in some
National Mounuments for example but never in a National Park. I suspect all
these other catagories have their own quirks and priorities too.

Bryan

"Si vis pacem para bellum"

> There seems to be a lot of heat (and very little light) being
> generated about whether the Appalachian National Scenic Trail is
> a national park.
>
> The Trail is not a National Park as such: it is not the
> Appalachian Trail National Park. But, functionally, and legally,
> it IS a national park, just as Gettysburg National Military Park
> is a national park, and the National Mall in Washington is a
> national park, and White Sands National Monument is a national
> park. If you break the law on NPS land, you are under the
> jurisdiction of a NPS park ranger, and it doesn't matter whether
> the land has "National Park" in its official title or not. A
> large percentage of A.T. land is National Park Service-managed
> federal land, purchased with your tax dollars for the corridor
> through which the footpath of the A.T. passes.
>
> So, you're arguing semantics--the difference between a molar and
> a bicuspid. They have different names, but they're both teeth.
> Here's how the Park Service explains it:
>
> ==========
>
> The numerous designations within the National Park System
> sometime confuse visitors. The names are created in the
> Congressional legislation authorizing the sites or by the
> president, who proclaims "national monuments" under the
> Antiquities Act of 1906. Many names are descriptive --
> lakeshores, seashores, battlefields --but others cannot be neatly
> categorized because of the diversity of resources within them. In
> 1970, Congress elaborated on the 1916 National Park Service
> Organic Act, saying all units of the system have equal legal
> standing in a national system.
>
> National Park: These are generally large natural places having a
> wide variety of attributes, at times including significant
> historic assets. Hunting, mining and consumptive activities are
> not authorized.
>
> National Monument: The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorized the
> President to declare by public proclamation landmarks,
> structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest
> situated on lands owned or controlled by the government to be
> national monuments.
>
> National Preserve: National preserves are areas having
> characteristics associated with national parks, but in which
> Congress has permitted continued public hunting, trapping,
> oil/gas exploration and extraction. Many existing national
> preserves, without sport hunting, would qualify for national park
> designation.
>
> National Historic Site: Usually, a national historic sitecontains
> a single historical feature that was directly associated with its
> subject. Derived from the Historic Sites Act of 1935, a number of
> historic sites were established by secretaries of the Interior,
> but most have been authorized by acts of Congress.
>
> National Historical Park: This designation generally applies to
> historic parks that extend beyond single properties or buildings.
>
> National Memorial: A national memorial is commemorative of a
> historic person or episode; it need not occupy a site
> historically connected with its subject.
>
> National Battlefield: This general title includes national
> battlefield, national battlefield park, national battlefield
> site, and national military park. In 1958, an NPS committee
> recommended national battlefield as the single title for all such
> park lands.
>
> National Cemetery: There are presently 14 national cemeteries in
> the National Park System, all of which are administered in
> conjunction with an associated unit and are not accounted for separately.
>
> National Recreation Area: Twelve NRAs in the system are centered
> on large reservoirs and emphasize water-based recreation. Five
> other NRAs are located near major population centers. Such urban
> parks combine scarce open spaces with the preservation of
> significant historic resources and important natural areas in
> location that can provide outdoor recreation for large numbers of people.
>
> National Seashore: Ten national seashores have been established
> on the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts; some are developed and
> some relatively primitive. Hunting is allowed at many of these sites.
>
> National Lakeshore: National lakeshores, all on the GreatLakes,
> closely parallel the seashores in character and use.
>
> National River: There are several variations to this category:
> national river and recreation area, national scenic river, wild
> river, etc. The first was authorized in 1964 and others were
> established following passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.
>
> National Parkway: The title parkway refers to a roadway and the
> parkland paralleling the roadway. All were intended for scenic
> motoring along a protected corridor and often connect cultural sites.
>
> National Trail: National scenic trails and national historic
> trails are the titles given to these linear parklands (over 3,600
> miles) authorized under the National Trails System Act of 1968.
>
> Affliated Areas: In an Act of August 18, 1970, the National Park
> System was defined in law as, "any area of land and water now or
> hereafter administered by the Secretary of the Interior through
> the National Park Service for park, monument, historic, parkway,
> recreational or other purposes." The Affiliated Areas comprise a
> variety of locations in the United States and Canada that
> preserve significant properties outside the National Park System.
> Some of these have been recognized by Acts of Congress, others
> have been designated national historic sites by the Secretary of
> the Interior under authority of the Historic Sites Act of 1935.
> All draw on technical or financial aid from the National Park Service.
>
> Other Designations: Some units of the National Park System bear
> unique titles or combinations of titles, like the White House and
> Prince William Forest Park.
>
> Source:
> http://www.nps.gov/legacy/nomenclature.html
>
> --Rhymin' Worm
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