National Park Service Conservation, From Bats to Buildings

Townsend's big-eared bats in Lava Beds National Monument. NPS photo by Shawn Thomas.

The National Park Service's central mission is to preserve and protect natural and cultural resources for future generations, backed by laws that keep being adapted as environmental needs change. Audrey Nelson, an NPS Workforce Management Fellow with the Northwest Youth Corps, writes that every job in the Service, behind the scenes or in the field, serves that goal, and that her time there has brought people from across the region and many backgrounds, special projects, webinars, training and new challenges. She describes three kinds of conservation the Service does.

Protecting wildlife: bats

Conserving native plants and animals is a constant aim, and bats are one of the species the Service protects. They matter to ecosystems and to people: they pollinate many plants, spread seeds and draw tourists, and they eat huge numbers of insects, saving farmers millions of dollars in pest control and crop costs.

White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease, kills millions of bats a year. Parks such as Acadia National Park fight it by studying and managing bat populations, protecting habitat and teaching visitors. Measures include:

• limiting visiting hours and numbers;
• screening visitors so infected clothing and footwear do not carry the fungus in;
• keeping dedicated gear for particular caves.

Restoring a river: the Naugatuck

Connecticut's Naugatuck River was once polluted and dangerous, hemmed in by dams and flood walls and cut off from the communities along it. Decades of work by many organisations and partnerships have removed some dams, added fish ladders to others and cleared the trash. Water quality has improved dramatically, fish have been restocked and habitat restored, and people have returned to fish, kayak and hike. Nearby communities have built greenways, paths and waterfronts to get residents outdoors. The Park Service helps build such partnerships and find funding for projects like the Naugatuck River Greenway restoration.

Remembering the past: historic places

Preserving significant places and events is another priority. Manzanar National Historic Site, Pearl Harbor National Memorial and the Natchez Trace Parkway are a few of the parks that acknowledge the past and teach the public about it. The Service works with communities through preserving historic buildings and sites, interpretation, exhibits, markers and monuments, articles and local partnerships, protecting cultural resources for the future.

Sources

• Audrey Nelson, NPS Workforce Management Fellow, in partnership with Northwest Youth Corps, "National Park Service Conservation: From Bats to Buildings," A Day in the Life of a Fellow, National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/national-park-service-conservation-from-bats-to-buildings.htm
• A photograph of a mural by a local artist is not reproduced here.
• Words on this page from people and organisations outside the federal government are paraphrased; rewritten in hubnx's own words.