Chapter 1: A spectrum of challenges--National Park Service--WASO-INFO


		Wilderness waters in Dundas Bay at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve are among those that will be closed to commercial fishing as a result of The Wilderness Act, a 1997 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision, and federal legislation passed in 1998. Photo Credit: National Park Service Download a PDF file of this section of this report (449 KB). Home

				The condition of natural systems is not on the minds of most park visitors. Intent on experiencing the special character of the parks, they see instead the alluring scenery and awe-inspiring natural phenomena that are commonly believed to indicate healthy ecosystems. Yet behind this veneer is a multitude of deleterious influences that constantly wear down the integrity of these systems. As events in 1998 suggest, the spectrum of challenges to natural resource preservation has never been broader or more complex. To preserve natural resources, the National Park Service requires the professional insights of technical specialists and research partners trained in a variety of disciplines and armed with an understanding of the many factors that drive natural systems. Although more information is needed on the condition of resources and the dynamics of ecosystems, the following stories demonstrate that the National Park Service is meeting many preservation challenges through the acquisition and application of scientific information and technical expertise. Articles Commercial fishing issues in Glacier Bay resolved through legislation by James Tilmant and Chad Soiseth Mining and power generation along the Natchez Trace Parkway by Kerry Moss and Mark VanMouwerik Personal watercraft use to be regulated in the parks by Chip Davis The politics of prescribed fire at devils tower by Chas Cartwright and Kurt Pindel Blackstone River protects nature in a changing cultural landscape by Nancy Brittain Agencies search for reasons for amphibian decline by Kathy A. Tonnessen and Gary Williams

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Last Updated: 08/16/99
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This article is from Natural Resource Year in Review--1998, published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, in June 1999 (publication D-1346)