NPS arrowhead seal. Science and Natural Resource Management for the National Parks: Milestones, 1916–2016 (U.S. National Park Service) The Organic Act gives birth to the National Park Service (NPS), declaring that the purpose of the bureau is “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 a manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” The law is a complex mandate for preservation combined with the purpose of managing the parks as spaces for human activity. Over the coming century, science will prove invaluable for understanding the workings of nature and our history as a nation, and how best to serve and manage the parks and visitors.