Unanimously concurred.

“National Parks should differ as widely as possible from one another in their physical aspects, and the National Park System should represent a wide range of typical land forms of supreme quality.”

We suggest that the phrase “a wide range of typical land forms of supreme quality” be modified to read “a wide range of typical land forms, biotic communities, or extensive archeological or historical exhibits of supreme quality.”

We further suggest that the word “typical” be omitted as being in consistent with the phrase “supreme quality”.

“To preserve the National Park System, it must be recognized: (1) that any infraction of standards in any park constitutes an invasion of the system; and (2) that the addition to the system of any park below standard lowers the standard of the system. Every proposed use of any park in defiance of National Park Standards and the admission to the system of any park falling short of the standards must be resisted. Areas essentially of state-park caliber or primarily of local interest must not be admitted to the National Park System.”

Unanimously concurred.

Section III of paragraphs numbered National Park Standards is repeated below with the for purpose of discussion, which follows:

1. The first official step toward National Park creation by Congress is the introduction of a bill. According to Congressional precedent since the beginning of the system in 1872, the bill is referred to the Committee on Public Lands, which in turn refers it to the Secretary of the Interior for a report on its standards and availability.
2. The Secretary of the Interior refers the bill to the National Park Service for examination of the area and for report back to him. Such examination should be made at the expense of the National government, not of the local community which would profit by the park’s creation. In this procedure lies the great safeguard of the standards.
3. Exact metes and bounds from studies made by the National Park Service should be established by Congress in the organic act of every new park.
4. Congress should not empower individuals, committees, or commissions to choose new National Parks or to determine their contents and boundaries, but it should depend upon the government’s one permanent expert park organization, the National Park Service, which alone possesses the requisite knowledge, tradition, and experience, united with responsibility to the people.
5. Committees to consider boundary problems should be strictly advisory to the National administration, to which alone they should be empowered to report.
6. National Parks and additions thereto should be created only from lands now in the possession of the Federal government or from areas presented to the government free from private holdings.
7. Land offered for creation of a new National Park, whether in national or private possession, should not be considered by Congress, nor should the proposed park be promoted, until it is thoroughly studied by the National Park Service and found fully up to standard.
8. Areas required to round out existing National Parks should be added at the earliest opportunity, but only if recommended by the National Park Service; and wherever possible park areas should be rounded out so as to include feeding grounds for the wild life found therein.
9. It is the fixed policy of the Federal government to purchase no land for new National Parks, but it should purchase at once alienated areas within the boundaries of existing parks. This distinction is fundamental and exceedingly important.
10. All existing National Parks now up to the standards set forth should remain as created, subject to modification only upon the favorable recommendation of the Secretary of the Interior and the Director of the National Park Service, based upon expert investigation.
11. National Parks not up to National Park Standards should be transferred to some other classification in the national domain or turned over to states for local care and use.
12. Appropriations should be adequate to enable the National Park Service to protect existing parks and their forests against fire, vandalism, and any other agencies of destruction, and to maintain the system in accordance with National Park Standards.”

Referring to paragraphs 1, 2, 4 and 5 above, we are agreed that it would be desirable to have the investigation of an area conducted prior to the time that the bill is introduce in Congress.

We believe that more study should be given to the question of whether the proposed national parks should be investigated by:

(a) solely the National Park Service;

(b) the National Park Service in cooperation with advisors appointed from without the government service, or;

(c) by either or both of the above agencies in cooperation with other government bureaus.

Paragraph 3 of Section III is unanimously concurred.

In considering paragraph 6 of Section III, we believe that the criterion for the creation of a new National Park or an addition to a National Park should be principally whether or not the area meets the National Park standards as defined above. We believe that if the area in question does meet these standards, the government should take a definite part in its acquisition rather than leaving it solely to private initiative.

Paragraph 7, Section III, unanimously concurred.Paragraph 8, Section III, unanimously concurred.

Paragraph 9, Section III, referred to discussion of paragraph 6 of this section.

Paragraph 10, unanimously concurred.

Paragraph 11, the phrase, “turn over to States for local care and use” was questioned by several delegates, who held that there was danger in including this phrase and that it might be inadvisable to provide for reclassification only in this manner. Other delegates approved the phrase as it stands. No unanimous decision was reached.