Historic wildlife places are cultural resources that shed light on America’s evolving relationship with nature. By protecting these historic locations, we gain a better understanding of how a nation came to cherish its wild places and embrace our shared heritage.
Discover native animals at Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary in South Carolina, where Spanish moss drips from Cypress trees. Experience life in a replica plankhouse while meeting heritage breed farm animals.
National Parks
Yellowstone National Park was the world’s inaugural national park when established in 1872, featuring mountains, geysers, and wildlife species such as endangered black-footed ferret. National parks must balance preservation with public access and enjoyment in order to remain sustainable sanctuaries; early management strategies of Yellowstone often included either ignoring less visible species altogether, or interfering less actively in their battle against nature without interference by managers.
One strategy was to alter nature for the benefit of visitors to national parks. Unfortunately, this involved manipulating species populations – alteration which park proponents rarely recognized as an issue. Now the National Park Service administers 63 national parks plus various associated areas like preserves, seashores, battlefields and monuments; their growth reflected contemporary intellectual, social and economic changes that fostered an appreciation of wilderness as well as a growing concern to protect natural and cultural resources.
National Historic Sites
National Historic Sites are places that tell the history of America through the lives of its people. They serve as witnesses to events like births of future presidents, meetings of governing bodies, scientific breakthroughs and battles that changed history.
To qualify as a National Historic Landmark, a property must possess outstanding national significance in any of the areas of architecture, engineering, archeology, culture or history. Furthermore, this site must be associated with someone of great historical importance or embody some ideal of American society.
Determination of significance occurs through a process that actively engages sponsors (usually owners), State Historic Preservation Officers and preservation consultants in its assessment. Preparing a National Register nomination involves research, analysis and documentation that takes time and dedication; NPS assists this effort through its National Register programs as well as special studies overseen by its National Historic Landmarks Advisory Board.
National Wildlife Refuges
Millions of visitors flock to national wildlife refuges annually for outdoor recreational pursuits like hunting, fishing and birding – as well as to refresh body and spirit as well as gain knowledge about our environment and cultural history.
Refuges differ from national parks by prioritizing biological diversity over aesthetic appeal. From bald eagles and whooping cranes to tallgrass prairie and grizzly bears, refuges provide a place where iconic American species once threatened with extinction can find refuge from disappearance.
Aldo Leopold pioneered wildlife refuges into public and political discourse with his creation of Florida’s Pelican Island in 1903. Since then, 567 wildlife refuges covering over 150 million acres nationwide provide wildlife shelter and help ensure its continued existence – these wild spaces also play an integral part in providing habitat to local economies while acting as storm buffers.
National Monuments
The Antiquities Act permits presidents to create national monuments under their authority to safeguard historical landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, scientific objects of interest located on land owned or controlled by the US Government – such as historic cliff dwellings in Arizona or New Mexico or glaciers in Alaska. This gives a President the flexibility needed to meet preservation needs across a spectrum.
Monuments differ from National Parks and Wilderness areas by prohibiting extractive activities like mining, drilling and logging; with certain exceptions on an individual basis–as well as typically restricting off-road vehicle use. They are usually managed by both the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service with some areas being jointly administered with National Park Service.
Community-led campaigns for monument status must engage local communities in creating management plans that reflect their priorities, values, and heritage. Doing so can foster fair relationships with our shared national heritage land.
