Interdisciplinary Resource Protection and Law is a blended on-line and in-person class designed to provide NPS employees with the competencies necessary to recognize resource injuries and take action to protect National Park System resources.
The links below provide supplemental information on the topics covered in the class including primary legal sources, job aides, policy documents, and in-depth articles on specific topics. Click a topic to open the list.
Unit A – What Are the Resources to be Protected?
This unit covers natural and cultural resources and their values, and the connection between resource condition and visitor enjoyment.
Natural Resources
Additional eLearning Opportunities
- Orientation to National Park Service Natural Resource Management
- Exploring the Four Pillars
- Air Resources in National Parks
Articles and Reports
- Wildlife Management in the National Parks (The Leopold Report) (1963)
- Ten Ecological Processes that Capture Ecosystem Function – excerpt (1999)
- Ten Ecological Processes that Capture Ecosystem Function – complete article (1999)
- National Park Service Science in the 21st Century: Recommendations Concerning Future Directions for Science and Scientific Resource Management in the National Parks (2004)
- Revisiting Leopold: Resource Stewardship in the National Parks (2012)
NPS Policy and Director’s Orders
- Management Policies Chapter 4: Natural Resource Management
- Director’s Order 47: Soundscape Preservation and Noise Management
- Director’s Order 77-1: Wetland Protection
- Director’s Order 77-2: Floodplain Management
Online Resources
- NPS Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate
- 36 CFR Part 2 – Resource Protection, Public Use and Recreation
- Night Skies podcast
- Deep Listening article
- Forest Resources in the National Park System
- USFWS Endangered Species Page
- NPS At-Risk Species Page
Cultural Resources
Additional eLearning Opportunities
NPS Policy and Director’s Orders
- Management Policies Chapter 5: Cultural Resource Management
- Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management
- Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management
- Director’s Order 28A: Archeology
Laws
- Antiquities Act of 1906 (54 USC 320301-320303)
- Archeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) (16 USC § 470aa-mm)
- National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 USC 300101 et seq.)
Regulations
- 36 CFR Part 2 – Resource Protection, Public Use And Recreation
- 36 CFR Part 60 – National Register Of Historic Places
- 36 CFR Part 62 – National Natural Landmarks Program
- 36 CFR Part 65 – National Historic Landmarks Program
- 36 CFR Part 68 – The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties
- 36 CFR Part 79 – Curation Of Federally Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections
- 36 CFR Part 800 – Protection Of Historic Properties
- 43 CFR Part 7 – Protection Of Archaeological Resources
On-line Resources
- Cultural Resource Identification & Evaluation (Denver Service Center)
- NPS Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate (CRPS)
- NPS Resources for Historic Preservation
- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
- Find your State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
- Find your Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO)
Visitor Enjoyment
Continue to Unit B: Why Protect NPS Resources