Interdisciplinary Resource Protection and Law is a blended online and in-person class designed to teach NPS employees the competencies to recognize resource injuries and protect National Park System resources.
The links below provide supplemental information on class topics including primary legal sources, job aides, policy documents, and in-depth articles on specific topics. Click a topic to open the list.
Unit C: How to Protect Resources
This unit focuses on legal and management tools NPS employees can use to protect resources.
Archeological and Paleontological Resource Laws
Laws and Policies
- American Antiquities Act (54 USC Ch. 3203)
- Archeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) (16 USC § 470aa-mm)
- Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) 18 USC 1170 and 25 USC 3001 et seq
- Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA) (16 USC § 470aaa 1-11)
- Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 147 – notice of the final PRPA regulations
- NPS-28 – Cultural Resources Management Guidelines
- Director’s Order 28A: Archeology
Articles and Reports
- “A Preliminary Inventory of National Park Service Paleontological Resources in Cultural Resource Contexts” (Kenworthy and Santucci, 2006)
- Effigy Mounds: Serious Mismanagement Report
- “Fossils, Objects of Antiquity and the Antiquities Act” (pp15-17) (Santucci, 2006)
- “Fossil Cycad National Monument: A History From Discovery To Deauthorization” (Santucci and Ghist, 2014)
NPS Websites
System Unit Resource Protection Act (SURPA)
- Comparison of Damage Assessment Authorities
- Court Ordered Restitution Payment Instructions
- Director’s Order 14: Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration
- Director’s Order 14 Handbook (Damage Assessment and Restoration Handbook) (2003)
- NPS Resource Protection Branch
- Overview of SURPA Notification and Deposit Procedures
- SURPA Acronyms
- SURPA Checklist
- SURPA Payment Form
- System Unit Resource Protection Act (SURPA) (54 USC 100721-100725)
Wildlife Laws
- Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act 16 USC 668-668d and 50 CFR 22
- Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) 16 USC 1531 et seq. and 50 CFR 14, 17, and 23
- Kleppe v New Mexico (426 U.S. 529 (1976))
- Lacey Act (16 USC 3371 et seq.)
- Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) 16 USC 1361 and 50 CFR 18 and 216
- Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) (16 USC 703-712)
- NPS Organic Act (54 USC 100101(a) et seq.)
Pollution Laws
National Response Center
Laws
- Clean Air Act
- Clean Water Act
- Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Additional Guidance
Planning and Compliance
NPS Policy
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- NPS Management Policies – Chapter 2: Park System Planning
- Director’s Order 12: Environmental Impact Analysis
- NPS NEPA Handbook (2015)
- Director’s Order 13A: Environmental Management Systems
- Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resources Management (NPS – 28)
- Natural Resource Management Reference Manual (NPS 77)
- Director’s Order 77-1: Wetland Protection
- Director’s Order 77-2: Floodplain Management
- Policy Memorandum 22-03: Fulfilling the National Park Service Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters
Additional NPS Websites and Resources
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- Categorical Exclusions and NEPA eLearning
- Compliance Flowchart
- Historic Preservation
- Navigating Project Development and Compliance Reviews Guidebook
- NEPA guidance
- Park Planning
- Planning and Compliance intranet
- Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) – external
- Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) – internal
- Tribal Consultation resources
- Tribal Preservation Program
Environmental Protection Laws and Executive Orders
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- Clean Air Act, 1970 (as amended)
- Clean Water Act, 1977 (as amended)
- Comprehensive Environmental Response and Liability Act (CERCLA, aka Superfund), 1980
- Endangered Species Act, 1973
- Executive Order 11988, Floodplains Management, 1977
- Executive Order 11990, Wetlands Protection, 1977
- National Environmental Policy Act, 1969
- Resources Conservation and Recovery Act, 1976
- Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, 1968 (as amended)
- Wilderness Act, 1964
Cultural Resources Protection Laws and Executive Orders
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- American Antiquities Act, 1906
- American Indian Religious Freedom Act, 1978 (as amended)
- Archeological and Historic Preservation Act, 1974
- Archaeological Resources Protection Act, 1979 (as amended)
- Executive Order 13007, Indian Sacred Sites, 1996
- Historic Sites Act, 1935
- National Historic Preservation Act, 1966 (as amended)
- Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 1990 (as amended)
Additional Resources
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- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
- Citizen’s Guide to Section 106 Review
- Council on Environmental Quality
- Endangered Species Program – US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Endangered Species Program – NOAA Fisheries
- National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers
- National Conference of State Historic Preservation Offices
- NEPA and NHPA: A Handbook for Integrating NEPA and Section 106
- NEPA.gov
The Wilderness Act
NPS Policy
- NPS Management Policies – Chapter 6: Wilderness Preservation and Management
- Director’s Order 41: Wilderness Stewardship
- Reference Manual 41: Wilderness Stewardship
- Keeping It Wild in the National Park Service: A User Guide to Integrating Wilderness Character into Park Planning, Management and Monitoring
- Wilderness Stewardship Plan Handbook: Planning to Preserve Wilderness Character
Additional Resources
- Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute
- Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center
- Minimum Requirements Decision Guide – includes:
- Wilderness Act
- Wilderness Areas of the United States Interactive Map
- Wilderness Connect (interagency wilderness resources)
- Wilderness Forever Future by Doug Scott, Policy Director, PEW Wilderness Center
Visitor Use Management
- Acadia NP: Visitor Use Management Plan for the Isle au Haut District
- Federal Outdoor Recreation Trends: Effects on Economic Opportunities
- George Wright Society Journal: 125 Years of Social Science Research in America’s National Parks
- Interagency Visitor Use Management Council
- Interpreting Critical Natural Resource Issues in Canadian and United States National Park Service Areas – Whatley, 1995
- Maintaining the Quality of Park Resources and Visitor Experiences A Handbook for Managers
- NPS Air Tour Management
- NPS Management Policies – Chapter 8: Use of the Parks
Continue to Unit D: Actions to Protect Resources When Injury Occurs