WATER RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP IN THE U.S. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

On August 25, 1916, President Wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service (NPS), within the Department of the Interior. This “Organic Act” directed the NPS “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." This conservation-enjoyment-protection mandate also applies to park water resources. Parks face many water resources challenges - some inherited, some created unintentionally by other management actions, and some driven by dynamic change in the environment that require unique and creative management solutions. Also, unlike most park resources, that are located largely within park boundaries, or are completely under the management control of the NPS, park water resource issues and management often involve greater challenges that arise because surface water and aquifer boundaries extend beyond park boundaries and because the legal authority to allocate and manage water resources typically resides with the states. Thus, parks have to consider resource issues at a larger landscape/seascape scale, and manage collaboratively with neighbors and partners to protect, manage and restore water resources. Additionally, water resource funding and expertise may be limited within parks, resulting in the need to partner with other agencies, states, universities, friends groups, or regional and national NPS offices. Lastly, park water resource issues may have broader legal, political, socioeconomic, and cultural implications requiring park managers to consider more than just the science alone when making a management decision. This presentation explores the process of how parks identify water resource needs and issues, how they obtain the necessary science, and how they develop and apply that science to make water resource management decisions. Specific challenges to decision making and park water resource management will be presented and explored including the various NPS decision making levels, regulations, trans-boundary issues, partnership building, funding, personnel/expertise, and making science-based decisions that also appropriately consider legal, political, socioeconomic, and cultural impacts.