I'm a former National Park Service person - part of their climate change team - so want to add a note to this map and a caution about what it shows:
There are currently 423 units of the national park system. All of these are national parks. The units with the designation National Park (the 59 or so shown on this map) are by and large a function of history. "National Park" was used for units set up in the early history of the NPS, which is when many of the large parks known for their scenery were set up. Congress began to diversify national park designations - National Seashore, National Recreation Area, National Historical Site, etc. - in the mid-20th century. These aren't any less national parks, they just have more descriptive names.
Why recognizing this matters - the 423 units of the national park system cover many aspects of US history - and include many that are trying bring more balance and equity to national-scale stories - ex. Stonewall National Monument, Cesar Chavez National Monument, Rosie the Riveter National Historical Site. But none of these are named Nat
... show moreI'm a former National Park Service person - part of their climate change team - so want to add a note to this map and a caution about what it shows:
There are currently 423 units of the national park system. All of these are national parks. The units with the designation National Park (the 59 or so shown on this map) are by and large a function of history. "National Park" was used for units set up in the early history of the NPS, which is when many of the large parks known for their scenery were set up. Congress began to diversify national park designations - National Seashore, National Recreation Area, National Historical Site, etc. - in the mid-20th century. These aren't any less national parks, they just have more descriptive names.
Why recognizing this matters - the 423 units of the national park system cover many aspects of US history - and include many that are trying bring more balance and equity to national-scale stories - ex. Stonewall National Monument, Cesar Chavez National Monument, Rosie the Riveter National Historical Site. But none of these are named National Park. So when maps that show only National Parks are made and shared, they are cutting out major parts of US heritage that are also protected and important to see.
Thanks for the space to share this!
#Heritage
#Climate Heritage
