National preserve

National Preserve is a type of National Park Service protected area designated by the United States Congress that has characteristics normally associated with U.S. National Parks but where certain natural resource-extractive activities such as fishing, hunting, mining, and oil/gas exploration and extraction are permitted.^[1] The types of activities permitted in each national preserve varies depending on the enabling legislation of the unit.^[2]

The first national preserve in the U.S. was Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, followed soon after by Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, both established in 1974.^[3][4]

National preserves in Alaska were created by a provision of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980, allowing only regulated hunting, fishing and trapping for sport and subsistence purposes.^[2]

See also

• National Park System
• Protected areas of the United States

References

1. http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/designations.htm Designations of National Park System Units
2. 16 USC 3201 - Administration of national preserves
3. Trani, Margaret Katherine (2001). "Southern Forest Resource Assessment" (PDF). USDA Forest Service: 30.
4. National Park Service - Big Cypress National Preserve