Cover Page MENU     Contents     Acknowledgements     Brief History of the CCC     National Park Service Role     NPS Camps      Contributions     Overall Accomplishments     Appendix     Bibliography		The Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service, 1933-1942: An Administrative History Chapter Four: Contributions TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE The rapid growth of the ECW program during its early years posed a number of problems for Park Service superintendents. They believed that the Park Service did not have enough experienced technicians to effectively monitor the work, and thus protect wildlife and avoid undue disturbance of the natural scene. Even with experienced technicians, unforeseen problems could arise. [22] The very size and the scope of the ECW work added to the difficulty of properly protecting the pristine nature of some park lands. Park Service Wildlife Division technicians, project supervisors, and superintendents would sometimes disagree on the impact that a project would have on park wildlife. In these cases, the matter would be referred to the Washington Office for resolution, but while the issue was being decided, work would continue in the parks, sometimes resulting in damage to the natural environment. At other times, ECW work would be undertaken without any consultation with park naturalists as to what effect the work would have on the park's natural environment. These problems continued throughout the period of ECW/CCC work. [23] During 1934 the conservation work program increased. More landscaping was done in park areas. In Lassen Volcanic National Park this consisted of seeding and sodding, constructing trails around the park's volcanic peak, removing old buildings, and maintaining roads. Also, work began on wildlife investigations and conservation programs. The Park Service in August of 1934 began using ECW funds to hire people with technical backgrounds to conduct scientific investigations and supervise ECW projects involving conservation. [24] In 1935 the Wildlife Division, to keep up with the increased demand for their services, hired 24 biologists, foresters, geologists, and natural science specialists as temporary ECW employees. To carry out the work of the Wildlife Division more efficiently, the country was divided into east and west regions with the western divisional boundary formed by the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The western region was further divided into three subregions--the Pacific Northwest, the Pacific Coast area, and the Southwest. From the commencement of the ECW program until the end of 1935, this enlarged staff undertook studies in Mesa Verde, Yosemite, Crater Lake, Mount Rainier, Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Wind Cave, Great Smoky Mountains, Mammoth Cave, Shenandoah, and Grand Canyon national parks, and Lava Beds, Death Valley, and Mount Olympus national monuments. The work ranged from constructing vegetation maps to various biological studies of birds, fish, and mammals. [25] In 1935 the Washington Office permanent staff expressed concern over the quality of work being produced by the newly hired ECW technicians. In an attempt to improve supervision and quality control, Conrad Wirth directed that all correspondence of the new staff members be reviewed by supervisory personnel. Further, those ECW technicians in field areas were required to send in monthly reports on their work. These reports were to be sent to Washington where they would be given to appropriate professionals to evaluate. [26] During 1936 the Wildlife Division had 23 people working on ECW projects. Also in 1936, 21 geologists were hired (using ECW funds) to develop preservation programs for geological features in national parks and monuments, prepare interpretive material, select trail locations, furnish technical advice concerning engineering geology, and perform geological research. The geologists prepared more than 35 geological reports on existing or proposed NPS areas and 284 geological summaries of these areas. This group also provided interpretive and exhibit construction work at Dinosaur National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and Fossil Cycad National Monument, and established a Park Service policy to prevent overdevelopment of caves. [27] During 1938, the Wildlife Division was forced to curtail its programs and reduce staff by 17 people as part of the nationwide CCC reduction. Later funding reductions caused even greater curtailment of the program. [28] NEXT> Archeological and Historical Work
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