The Power of the Llano Estacado: Jerry Rogers, Historian, Museum Director,and Federal CRM Leader

2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-141
Author(s):  
Robert L. Spude ◽  
Jerry L. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Early Attachment ◽  
The World ◽  
Governmental Support ◽  
Park Service

This biographical interview with Jerry Rogers begins with his background in Vega, Texas, his early attachment to historical landscapes there, and his education. The bulk of the interview then focuses on his career of over thirty years with the National Park Service (NPS). Major topics include changing policies and organizational structures under the Nixon, Carter, Reagan, and Clinton administrations; the politics and strategies involved in gaining popular and governmental support for NPS programs; steps taken to more efficiently process historical nominations and decentralize decision-making; NPS's struggle to acquire the Manassas battlefield; the development of standards for historic landscapes; and the sobering ecological trends facing the park service and the world in the coming years.

scholarly journals Visualizing When, Where, and How Fires Happen in U.S. Parks and Protected Areas

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 333
Author(s):  
Nicole C. Inglis ◽  
Jelena Vukomanovic
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Park ◽  
Fire History ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Park Service

Fire management in protected areas faces mounting obstacles as climate change alters disturbance regimes, resources are diverted to fighting wildfires, and more people live along the boundaries of parks. Evidence-based prescribed fire management and improved communication with stakeholders is vital to reducing fire risk while maintaining public trust. Numerous national fire databases document when and where natural, prescribed, and human-caused fires have occurred on public lands in the United States. However, these databases are incongruous and non-standardized, making it difficult to visualize spatiotemporal patterns of fire and engage stakeholders in decision-making. We created interactive decision analytics (“VISTAFiRe”) that transform fire history data into clear visualizations of the spatial and temporal dimensions of fire and its management. We demonstrate the utility of our approach using Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park as examples of protected areas experiencing fire regime change between 1980 and 2017. Our open source visualizations may be applied to any data from the National Park Service Wildland Fire Events Geodatabase, with flexibility to communicate shifts in fire regimes over time, such as the type of ignition, duration and magnitude, and changes in seasonal occurrence. Application of the tool to Everglades and Big Cypress revealed that natural wildfires are occurring earlier in the wildfire season, while human-caused and prescribed wildfires are becoming less and more common, respectively. These new avenues of stakeholder communication are allowing the National Park Service to devise research plans to prepare for environmental change, guide resource allocation, and support decision-making in a clear and timely manner.

Born of fire: In search of volcanoes in U.S. national parks, four striking examples

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. Walkup ◽  
Thomas J. Casadevall ◽  
Vincent L. Santucci
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Volcanic Hazards ◽  
Volcanic Complex ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
The World ◽  
Park Service ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACT Geologic features, particularly volcanic features, have been protected by the National Park Service since its inception. Some volcanic areas were nationally protected even before the National Park Service was established. The first national park, Yellowstone National Park, is one of the most widely known geothermal and volcanic areas in the world. It contains the largest volcanic complex in North America and has experienced three eruptions which rate among the largest eruptions known to have occurred on Earth. Half of the twelve areas established as national parks before the 1916 Organic Act which created the National Park Service are centered on volcanic features. The National Park Service now manages lands that contain nearly every conceivable volcanic resource, with at least seventy-six managed lands that contain volcanoes or volcanic rocks. Given that so many lands managed by the National Park Service contain volcanoes and volcanic rocks, we cannot give an overview of the history of each one; rather we highlight four notable examples of parks that were established on account of their volcanic landscapes. These parks all helped to encourage the creation and success of the National Park Service by inspiring the imagination of the public. In addition to preserving and providing access to the nation's volcanic heritage, volcanic national parks are magnificent places to study and understand volcanoes and volcanic landscapes in general. Scientists from around the world study volcanic hazards, volcanic history, and the inner working of the Earth within U.S. national parks. Volcanic landscapes and associated biomes that have been relatively unchanged by human and economic activities provide unique natural laboratories for understanding how volcanoes work, how we might predict eruptions and hazards, and how these volcanoes affect surrounding watersheds, flora, fauna, atmosphere, and populated areas.

Why Administrative Histories Matter

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 236-263
Author(s):  
Joan M. Zenzen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
Park Service ◽  
History Of ◽  
Intellectual Integrity ◽  
A Site ◽  
Inform Decision Making

This article chronicles the history of administrative histories within the National Park Service. Administrative histories describe the history of a site or a group of parks. They can be important resources for management decisions. Managers, however, often do not know about or pay attention to these documents. Some managers have even threatened the intellectual integrity of these histories. Despite these issues, administrative histories matter: they fill an acute need by park superintendents and others to inform decision making and help with reporting and preservation.

Exploring Traditional Use and Association Through the Ethnographic Overview and Assessment for Assateague Island National Seashore

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-46
Author(s):  
Kristin Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Eastern Shore ◽  
Traditional Use ◽  
The World ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Ocean City ◽  
Assateague Island

Assateague, a dynamic barrier island extending from just south of Ocean City, Maryland, to the northern portions of Virginia's eastern shore, was added to the National Park Service (NPS) system in 1965 (Mackintosh 1982) and now draws roughly 2 million visitors per year (Bentley 2008). Prior to the Seashore's establishment, however, the island and its environs drew a range of people from fishermen to land developers. While today's Eastern Shore communities continue many of their traditional lifeways related to the island, they now share its resources with tourists from around the world who are drawn to the seeming pristine beaches and famed wild ponies, managed today by two federal agencies (NPS and United States Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]).

Shared conservation of America's geological heritage through the National Natural Landmarks Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-196
Author(s):  
Heather Eggleston ◽  
Tim Connors
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Basic Program ◽  
Geological Heritage ◽  
Natural Heritage ◽  
The World ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Science And Education

ABSTRACT The National Natural Landmarks Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of sites that contain outstanding biological and geological resources. Sites are designated by the Secretary of the Interior for their condition, illustrative character, rarity, diversity, and value to science and education. The National Park Service administers the program and works cooperatively with landowners, managers and partners to promote conservation and appreciation of the nation's natural heritage. There are currently 599 National Natural Landmarks nationwide; with nearly 60% of the sites determined to be significant, in full or in part, because of the geologic resources they contain. Besides fostering the basic program goals of natural heritage recognition and advancing science and education, some National Natural Landmarks are the best remaining examples of a type of feature in the country and sometimes in the world.

Philanthropy and the National Park Service

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Vaughn ◽  
Hanna J. Cortner
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Park Service

A Question Of Relevance

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-123
Author(s):  
Michael A. Capps
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Interpretive Approach ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Educational Component

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is an example of one memorial site that has successfully managed to retain relevance for nearly one hundred years by adapting to changes in scholarship and the expectations of its visitors. Initially created as a purely commemorative site, it has evolved into one where visitors can actively engage with the Lincoln story. By embracing an interpretive approach to managing the site, the National Park Service has been able to add an educational component to the experience of visiting the memorial that complements its commemorative nature.

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