National Parks Criteria
How Park Units Are Established
National Park Service (NPs) units are created in two ways: an act of Congress or a presidential proclamation. When Congress creates an addition to the National Park System it determines the name, approximate boundary, and designation — park, monument, or historic site, for example — for the new area and makes reference to the general concepts under which it will be managed. Usually, establishment of a new national park unit begins with a special resource study conducted by the National Park Service. New areas designated by Congress often result from NPs studies conducted at the direction of Congress, through authorization…
