President Woodrow Wilson signed legislature creating the National Park Service on August 25, 1916. This division within the Department of the Interior had the sole purpose of overseeing and protecting the then forty national parks and monuments and those future parks and monuments not yet founded. Prior to this enactment the Department of the Interior was responsible for the fourteen already recognized national parks and twenty-one national monuments but there was no organization to manage and protect them.
With the creation of the National Parks service came duties that included providing places of refuge for individuals seeking recreation spots and places where families can see the wildlife but not get too close to it. In 1936 the NPS overtook the responsibility for recreational development. Not only do they have the official say in how to protect and monitor the national parks, the extension of their duties made it their job to ensure that the national parks were available for all individuals to enjoy.
Currently under the jurisdiction of the NPS there are “384 areas that cover more than 83 million acres in 49 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands” (Macintosh 1999) These areas are recognized by the Department of the Interior and are awarded special recognition and federal protection.
In addition to just providing special recognition and federal protection, officials employed with the National Parks Service work to preserve the natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration for this and future generations. This is the main premise of the National Parks’ Mission Statement, which states that the duty of the National Park Service is:
"...to promote and regulate the use of the...national parks...which purpose is 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." (National Park Service Organic Act, 16 U.S.C.1.)
Like many sectors of the government that have existed for a lengthy span of time, alterations have been made when new ideas were confronted. For example in 1963 a committee of scientists restructured the management of natural resources along ecological lines. Chairperson A. Starker Leopold stated, “As a primary goal, we would recommend that the biotic associations within each park be maintained, or where necessary recreated, as nearly as possible in the condition that prevailed when the area was first visited by the white man” (Mackintosh 1999). This emphasis of ecological awareness and environmental protection led to the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. This legislature created the National Register of Historic Places, which is responsible for listing properties, publicly and privately owned, that receive federal recognition and special considerations when issues of project planning are confronted. The NRHP emphasizes the significance and preservation of historic places.
The National Park Service does not only deal with historical and environmental significance, but also prehistoric and archaeological resources. In 1935, Congress passed the Preservation of Historic Sites Act. This act was a direct result of the NPS’ understanding that there should be a stronger legal standpoint for the preservation of historical properties. Specialized individuals were authorized by the Department of the Interior to conduct research, to restore, preserve, and “maintain historic properties and determine which possess exceptional value as commemorating or illustrating U.S. history” (Macintosh 1999). The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 required that all historical parks be entered into the National Register of Historic Places.
As part of the branch overseeing archaeological importance legislation was passed in 1979 to protect archaeological sites and objects. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 was passed as a way to attempt to protect archaeological sites and objects while still upholding the Parks’ Mission statement by allowing these sites to be accessible to the public. Prior to the passage of this act, archaeologists did not exhibit very high standards dealing with archaeological field reconnaissance and excavations of these prehistoric sites and many times damaged evidence that would help reconstruct past lifeways. This act attempted to correct this shoddiness.
More recently the Parks and other archaeologists have been rethinking the importance of archaeology once more and there has been an attempt to instill more respect for the prehistoric burials of Native Indians. The passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 has given significant rights back to the Native descendants of sites excavated by archaeologists. According to this legislation, all human remains, burial artifacts, and associations will be returned to the most likely descendent of the particular archaeological site. This act results in conflicts between museums and other cultural centers and Native Indian groups because the artifacts have switched ownership and belong to the Native Indians once again.
California in particular has undergone several alterations. The creation of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), formed by the passage of Public Law 92-589 (H.R. 16444) on October 27, 1972, sanctioned the expenditure of $61,610,000 for the acquisition of lands and interests in lands. This includes all Army lands such as Fort Mason, Crissy Field, Forts Cronkhite, Barry and Fort Baker. In accordance to the act the GGNRA
“shall utilize the resources in a manner which will provide
for recreations and educational opportunities consistent with
sound principles of land use planning and management. The
Secretary of the Interior shall preserve the recreation area, as
far as possible, in its natural setting, and protect it from development
and uses which would destroy the scenic beauty and natural
character of the area”(Mackintosh 1999).
The GGNRA has acquired control rights to all archaeological and historical places within specified regions in the bay area counties, most of which include San Francisco, and Marin counties. What is significantly unique about the GGNRA is that it is a “national park area that was run by national park standards, but equally administered by a congressionally created entity” (Rothman 2003). The Presidio was part of this sanctioned area. Once a large military stronghold, it has since come under control of the GGNRA to ensure that valuable historical and archaeological resources are preserved and that the public has the ability to enjoy these valuable commodities.
The Presidio Archaeology Lab, along with the Presidio Trust, was formed as a way to endure that these commodities are well preserved and the professionals employed there have significant experience to aid in this protection process. The Presidio Lab has been the division responsible for excavating, analyzing, and curating archaeological resources in the NPS and providing their advisements regarding steps needed to be taken so that the Parks’ mission statement will be upheld.
Sources:
Mackintosh, Brian
1999 The National Park Service: A Brief History.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/hisnps/NPSHistory/briefhistory.htm
6 Dec. 2003.
Anonymous
2003 National Park Service Organic Act, 16 U.S.C.1.)
http://www.cr.nps.gov/ 6 Dec. 2003
Rothman, Hal
2003 Golden Gate: Division of Cultural Resources and Museum Management.
http://www.nps.gov/goga/history/index.htm 6 Dec. 2003
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