Parks for America

Cover

Contents

Foreword

Summary

Findings and Recommendations

Planning Elements

Parks for America

Angel Arch, one of countless spectacular formations in the Canyonlands of Utah, dwarfs moon and man, seen through and beneath its span. Such splendors merit park protection.

Currently there is an unprecedented surge of interest and concern across the country in meeting the outdoor recreation needs of the Nation. This was recognized in the late President Kennedy's special message to the Congress on natural resources in February 1962, in which he pointed to the inadequacy of present facilities and resources to meet the needs of a fast-growing and increasingly mobile population. Significantly, he noted that: "Actions deferred are frequently opportunities lost, and, in terms of financial outlay, dollars invested today will yield great benefits in the years to come."

In January of that year the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission presented its report, Outdoor Recreation for America, to the President and to the Congress. This provides a much-needed guide for a sound long-range approach to meeting outdoor recreation needs.

One of the major recommendations in the Commission's report was that a Bureau of Outdoor Recreation be established in the Department of the Interior. This Bureau was established by Secretarial Order in April 1962. In May 1963, the Congress passed the Organic Act of the Bureau (Public Law 88—29). One of the Bureau's functions is the formulation of an integrated nationwide outdoor recreation plan with regional provisions, to be used for overall planning and programing purposes. Accordingly, the functions of Nationwide Planning and Cooperative Services were transferred from the National Park Service to the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. The scope of these two functions under the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation has been broadened to include not only parks but the broad spectrum of prospective outdoor recreation opportunities.

At the time the Bureau was established, the National Park Service, in cooperation with the States, had just completed a draft of this volume consisting of a report on existing nonurban park and related recreation areas and on approximately 2,800 potential areas. This is the Service's last report in the field of broad, nationwide park planning. These duties have passed to the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.

It was decided that the report should be published, since it summarizes the experience and conclusions of the National Park Service in this field. It should prove valuable to the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation and to private, local, and State organizations concerned with recreation planning.

The proposals in the report must be regarded as the views of the National Park Service. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. Suggestions incorporated in this report will be strengthened and modified as their relation to comprehensive outdoor recreation plans covering all aspects of outdoor recreation becomes clarified.

Between the time this report was originally drafted and its publication, two studies have been initiated under the leadership of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. These are a study of Parkways and Scenic Highways requested by the Recreation Advisory Council, and a Study of Wild Rivers requested by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior. The recommendations resulting from these two studies may not agree with the recommendations in this volume with respect to parkways, scenic roads, and free-flowing streams.

Two other considerations should be noted. First, the data in this volume were compiled prior to April 1962 and have not been updated since that time. Second, the data in this report and that in Study Report No. 2 of the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission are not in agreement. This does not necessarily reflect major flaws in either report. Rather, it demonstrates differences in methods of collecting and evaluating data from a variety of sources.

With this report as one of its working tools and with the background of the accumulated experience of the National Park Service, the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation has assumed responsibility for nationwide planning and surveys designed to help increase the supply of all kinds of outdoor recreation, including parks and related recreation areas.

It is the hope of the National Park Service that this report will serve as a starting point for the broader studies of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, and that the same fine cooperation between the States, their political subdivisions, and the Federal Government that has been so helpful in the past will be extended to the new Bureau so that the best possible park and recreation programs may be produced for the benefit of the American people.

This report is published at the request of many of the States to assist in their park planning and legislative programs. The Department of the Interior acknowledges with sincere appreciation the fine co-operation received from the States, the Federal agencies, and local planning groups which made the publication of this report possible.

STEWART L. UDALL,
Secretary of the Interior.

Oregon's MacKenzie River provides excitment for white-water boatmen along its scenic course. Throughout America, free-flowing streams like this need protection. (Oregon State Highway Department)

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Last Modified: Mon, Sep 6 2004 10:00:00 pm PDT
parks_america/foreword.htm