National Park Service Founder’s Day is a holiday observed on the 25th of August to commemorate the day when U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act in 1916. This act established a territory within the U.S. and specifies how it is to be governed or an agency to manage certain federal lands.

This would essentially create the National Park Service—an organization that protects over 400 natural areas in all of the 50 U.S. states, in the District of Columbia, and in all U.S. territories. That’s over 84 million acres under the purview of this organization, and managing all these lands is a task worth honoring on this holiday.

The History of National Park Service Founder’s Day

When President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act into law on August 25, 1916, it created the National Park Service. At the time of its creation, there were only about thirty-five different national parks and monuments for the agency to manage. However, over the years, this number has grown considerably, and the National Park Service is now a part of the Department of the Interior.

Incredible Facts About the National Park Service

We’ve included some facts about the National Park Service below that we feel would be most entertaining to everyone reading about National Park Service Founder’s Day. Let’s take a look at them before we discuss some ways this holiday can be observed.

• There are 128 historical parks or sites, 25 battlefields or military sites, 19 preserves, 18 recreation areas, 10 seashores, four lakeshores, and two reserves under the National Park Service.
• There are also 140 national monuments and parks under this agency.
• The annual budget of this agency is in excess of $2.6 billion.
• In 2016, Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine was designated a National Monument under the National Park Service.

Observing National Park Service Founder’s Day

We would like to suggest that everyone take the time to visit a national park near them or to at least make a list of the national parks that they’d like to see. It’s also a good day to learn more about the National Park Service and its history over the past 105+ years. Everyone should also use the hashtag #NationalParkServiceFoundersDay to spread the word about this important holiday.