This web page is a joint effort of the National Park Service's Air Resources Division (ARD) and the Fish and Wildlife Service's Air Quality Branch (AQB). We work closely together in an attempt to pool expertise, reduce costs, and approach the management of air quality issues in a uniform and consistent manner for our respective parks and refuges. This is helpful because the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service are both bureaus of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Both bureaus report to the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

The NPS is charged with the preservation and protection of the almost 400 national parks, monuments, battlefields, and other units. The Fish and Wildlife Service is charged with managing and protecting the 438 wildlife refuges that have been designated by Congress and the President as important to our nation. National parks greater than 6,000 acres in size and national wilderness areas greater than 5,000 acres receive special protection under the Clean Air Act. For more information on NPS law and policy, visit our Law & Policy web pages. The NPS manages 48 Class I areas, and the FWS manages 21 Class I areas. The Federal land manager responsibilities related to Class I area protection under the Clean Air Act have been delegated to the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

The U.S. Forest Service has similar responsibilities under the Clean Air Act and Wilderness Act as the NPS and FWS. The U.S. Forest Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is charged with managing national forest lands for the use of the public. The Forest Service manages 88 Class I areas, and the Federal land manager responsibilities under the Clean Air Act have been delegated to the Forest Supervisors.