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the newest is on top, the oldest on the bottom of the stack.
The
following types of parks are not unique to Florida, but are included for
comparison.
NATIONAL FOREST
National Forests are areas owned by the federal government
and managed by the United States Forest Service, which is part of the United
States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas focuses on
timber harvesting, livestock grazing, water management, wildlife management,
and recreation.
Unlike national parks and other federal lands managed by the
National Park Service, commercial use of national forests is permitted, and in
many cases encouraged. In the United States there are 158 National Forests
containing over 190 million acres of land. These lands comprise almost 9
percent of the total land area of the United States, an area the size of Texas.
NATIONAL PARK
The National Park Service is a bureau of the U.S.
Department of the Interior founded in 1916. There are nearly 400 Parks, Monuments,
and other places that host more than 275 million visitors every year, and cover
84,000,000 acres of land. The NPS also helps administer dozens of affiliated
sites, the National Register of Historic Places, National Heritage Areas,
National Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Historic Landmarks, and National
Trails.The fundamental purpose of the NPS “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 manner and by such
means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Yellowstone National Park was established by Congress as
the nation’s (and the world’s) first national park on March 1, 1872.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is the largest unit with 13.2
million acres.
Photo- Boardwalk inside the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge
The easiest way to tell FORESTS from PARKS, is to look at the State and National Forests. If it's not a FOREST or a Grassland, then it is managed by the State or National Parks Department. In Florida that includes State Parks, Geological Parks, Archeological Parks, Historic Parks, State Preserve Parks, Museum State Parks, Wildlife State Park, Botanical State Park, Underwater Archeological Preserve State Parks, and Beach State Parks. Nationally it includes National Sea Shores, Historic Sites, and National Monuments.
The National Wildlife Refuge system is a unique, and is similar to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Photo- Observation Tower at the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
PRIVATE PRESERVES
Many environmental organizations are taking an active
role in wildlife conservation. The five largest national and state land trusts protect
over 14 million acres of land in the United States. Land trusts are nonprofit
organizations directly involved in protecting environmentally significant
lands. These are not public lands per se, but many invite the public to their
lands to educate and “infect them with the awe due to nature.”
The Nature Conservancy is the largest private nonprofit
conservation organization. With over one million members, it manages the
largest system of private sanctuaries in the world, protecting over 70 million
acres worldwide.
Photo- Sculpture at the entrance of the Boardwalk
at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Operation Stronghold, Ducks Unlimited, the Isaac Walton
League, Boone and Crockett Club, and the Audubon Society also have preserves and
nature centers. There are hundreds of small land trusts and preservation
societies across the United States saving wilderness and most invite the public
to share their preserves and parks.
(c) 2012 "Boardwalks and Long Walks: Rediscovering Florida" Will Holcomb
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