National Park Service Centennial

Published: August 25, 2016

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Celebrating 100 years of caring for our National Parks

“In all, last year, more than 305 [million] people visited America's national parks. And for this centennial, we're asking all Americans to "Find Your Park" so that everyone, including those from underserved communities, can experience these wonders.”

President Barack Obama, in remarks at Yosemite National Park, California, on June 18, 2016, from the Compilation of Presidential Documents (PDF)

The National Park Service was established on August 25, 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson signed into law An Act to Establish a National Park Service (Organic Act). A bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Park Service has been charged for 100 years with caring for our national parks.

In honor of the centennial, take part in the celebration, buy publications produced by the National Park Service, such as the "2016 National Park Service Centennial: Official Index of the National Park Service", or learn more about the National Park Service in these U.S. Government publications:

Title 54 of the U.S. Code, governing the National Park Service and Related Programs (PDF),
Federal Register documents issued by the National Park Service,
Federal Register documents regarding the National Register of Historic Places, and
Bills introduced in both the House (H.R. 4680) (PDF) and Senate (S. 2257) (PDF) to "prepare the National Park Service for its Centennial in 2016 and for a second century of promoting and protecting the natural, historic, and cultural resources of our National Parks for the enjoyment of present and future generations."