x
Breaking News
More () »

National Park Service celebrates 102 years of protecting America's public treasures

102 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson established the National Park Service to protect America's wilderness from development for generations to come.

Look to the Great Smoky Mountains today and take in the gorgeous view of its relatively untouched majesty, and be sure to thank the National Park Service for dedicating the last 102 years to protecting a vast amount of that view and its diverse inhabitants for generations to come.

102 years ago today, the National Park Service was formally founded by President Woodrow Wilson as part of the National Park Service Organic Act of 1916. Since then, the national park system has grown to 401 parks covering 84 million acres in every state and territory.

These sites are not just limited to natures, they also include monuments, the White House, battlefields, military parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores and other areas of the country designated important to protect from development for the public to experience and enjoy for future generations.

The Department of the Interior is responsible for the management and conservation of federal land, and the park service operates as one of the bureaus within the department.

National monuments have traditionally enjoyed broad public support, in part because of the economic benefits they can bring to local communities. The Interior Department has estimated that the lands under its management hosted 443 million visitors in 2015, generating $45 billion in economic output and nearly 400,000 jobs.

The GSMNP was listed as being the most popular of the 59 national parks by far in 2016 with 11.3 million visitors, more than doubling the number of visits in the next most popular national park, the Grand Canyon.

Today highlights just how vital a role the park service plays in our lives, particularly in East Tennessee where we can enjoy the Smokies at any time.

Before You Leave, Check This Out