Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2023, Environmental Studies

This paper compares the process and outcomes from the reclassification of Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands from national monuments to national parks. Carlsbad was initially established as a national monument in 1923 and then redesignated as a national park in 1930. White Sands, however, was created as a national monument in 1933, but did not obtain national park status until 2019. This article reconstructs the sequence of events and decisions that led to the creation and redesignation of these two National Park Service (NPS) units, paying close attention to the significant difference in time separating their establishment as national monuments and eventual redesignation to national parks. To accomplish this, historical data relevant to these NPS units was analyzed from the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University archives, including congressional and gubernatorial records, newspaper accounts, and personal correspondences. Budget and visitation statistics for the parks are also included, where relevant, to highlight the tangible impacts of redesignation.

Committee: Geoffrey Buckley (Advisor) Subjects: Environmental Studies; Geography; History; Natural Resource Management