**Mission of the National Park Service**

> The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and
> cultural resources and values of the national park system for the
> enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.
> The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of
> natural and cultural resources conservation and outdoor recreation
> throughout this country and the world.
>
> (National Park Service Management Policies 2001)

Both archeological research and public interpretation are integral parts
of the mission of the National Park Service. Given the extent of land,
number of archeological sites, and number of people who visit our
National Parks, the importance of both archeology and interpretation is
far-reaching. This section provides an overview of the four-module
program presented in this manual for effective interpretation of
archeological resources, beginning with a discussion of the history of
archeological research and developments in public interpretation efforts
in the National Park Service.

**Interpretation of Archeological Resources**

The inventory of cultural resources within National Parks has grown
substantially in recent decades to include new aspects of our past.
Thus, interpretation is necessary to explain to visitors how this new
archeological research contributes to a fuller understanding of our
nation's history. The primary role of the interpreter is to

-   ![](media/image1.jpeg){width="1.6090277777777777in"
    height="1.1895833333333334in"}Represent the heritage of the nation
    reflected in our National Parks;

-   Ensure the natural, cultural, and recreational heritage reflected in
    our national parks is available and accessible to everyone;

-   Provide experiences that strengthen the recognition, understanding,
    enjoyment, and preservation of the nation's heritage; and

-   Create the opportunity for visitors to ascribe meanings to
    resources, to establish intellectual and emotional connections to
    those resources, leading to concern for the protection of the
    resources.

This last point is the seed of resource stewardship and, thus, is the
goal of interpretation: [revelation based on facts]{.underline}, not
simply the presentation of information.

**National Park Service Mission**

Beginning with the designation of Yellowstone as a national park in
1872, by 1916 the Department of Interior had been given administrative
control over 14 national parks and 21 national monuments, comprising the
first national park system in the world. These early parks contained
areas of breathtaking natural scenery, abundant wildlife, and ruins of
ancient Native American settlements. In 1916, the National Park Service
was established within the Department of Interior to oversee these parks
and monuments and any other lands so designated in the future.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="1.6090277777777777in"
height="0.9534722222222223in"}In managing these areas, the National Park
Service was directed to

> conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the
> wildlife 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. (National Park Service Organic Act of
> 1916, 16 U.S.C.I.)

Thus, from the time of the creation of the Park Service, the mission
included elements that essentially required archeological research and
public interpretation. Today, the expanse of Park Service lands, the
wide range of archeological sites, and the large (and growing) number of
visitors increase the challenge in meeting the Park Service mission.

Since the creation of the National Park Service in 1916, social and
cultural changes have altered the position natural and cultural
resources hold in American society. Advances in archeological methods
and research priorities, together with large-scale identification
surveys, have expanded the inventory of cultural sites to include a wide
range of time periods, socio-economic classes, and various cultural
communities represented in the archeological record. The designation of
new parks also has increased the diversity in cultural resources
represented in our park system.

**Meeting the Mission**

Archeology and interpretation are essential components of efforts to
fulfill the Park Service mission. Both archeological research and public
interpretation help identify the resources that deserve protection and
stewardship and assist in the public enjoyment of these resources. In
promoting greater understanding of the public benefits of cultural
resources, interpretation helps promote the stewardship of those
resources.

Today, "resources" includes a wide range of artifacts, buildings, ruins,
landscape features, even undiscovered archeological sites. Thus,
archeological surveys are necessary to identify where, what kind, and
how many resources are under Park Service control. Evaluation and
analysis are required to determine the appropriate place these resources
hold, or should hold, in our national collective memory. Furthermore,
many natural resources, such as those found in the earliest National
Parks, have become cultural icons and, thus, are integral parts of our
cultural heritage.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="1.6090277777777777in"
height="1.695138888888889in"}Public interpretation is required to ensure
that park visitors can fully enjoy the range of natural and cultural
resources located within our National Parks. Archeological research has
become increasingly specialized as a result of advances in methods and
theory. Therefore, interpretation, which itself is becoming increasingly
more sophisticated, has taken on greater importance in making
archeological information accessible and comprehensible to the public.