Editing National Park Service (section)

===Discretionary spending===
[[File:NPS Budget (2001-2006).jpg|thumb|NPS ''Operations of the National Parks'' budget from FY 2001-FY 2006]]

Discretionary spending includes the Operations of the National Parks (ONPS), from which all park operations are paid. The [[United States Park Police]] funds cover the high-profile law enforcement operations at some of the large parks, including [[Gateway National Recreation Area]], [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]], and the [[National Mall]]. The ''National Recreation and Preservation Program'' and the ''Urban Park and Recreation Fund'' are outreach programs to support state and local outdoor recreational activities.<ref name="FY2006" />

The ONPS section of the budget is divided into six operational areas. These areas include:

====Resource stewardship====
These are funds and people directed towards the restoration, preservation, and maintenance of natural and cultural resources. The resource staff includes biologists, geologists, archeologists, museum curators, preservation specialists, and a variety of specialized employees to restore and preserve cultural buildings or natural features.<ref name="FY2010" />

====Visitor services====
The NPS allocates funds obtained from its visitor services for use in public programs and for educational programs for the general public and school groups. Park rangers trained in providing walks, talks, and educational programs to the public frequently conduct such programs. Media specialists prepare exhibits along trails, roads and in visitor contact facilities, as well as written brochures and web-sites.<ref name="FY2010" />

====Park protection====
This includes the staff responding to visitor emergencies (criminal, medical, search and rescue), and the protection of the park's natural and cultural resources from damage by those persons visiting the park. The staff includes [[National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers|law enforcement rangers]], [[United States Park Police|park police]], lifeguards, criminal investigators, and communication center operators.<ref name="FY2010" /> In many instances they also work with [[List of state and territorial fish and wildlife management agencies in the United States|state and territorial fish and wildlife management agency rangers]].

====Facility maintenance and operations====
This is the cost of maintaining the necessary infrastructure within each park that supports all the services provided. It includes the plows and heavy equipment for road clearing, repairs and construction. There are buildings, trails, roads, docks, boats, utility pipes and wires, and a variety of hidden systems that make a park accessible by the public. The staff includes equipment operators, custodians, trail crews, electricians, plumbers, engineers, architects, and other building trade specialists.<ref name="FY2010" />

====Park support====
This is the staff that provides for the routine logistical needs of the parks. There are human resource specialists, contracting officers, property specialists, budget managers, accountants and information technology specialists.<ref name="FY2010" />

====External administrative costs====
The NPS pays external administrative costs to outside organizations that provide the logistical support that the NPS needs to operate its facilities. These costs include rent payments to the [[General Services Administration]] for building space, postage payments to the postal machine vendor and other direct payments.<ref name="FY2010" />

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;"
|-
! Functional area
! FY 2010 (in thousands)<ref name="FY2010" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/upload/FY_2010_greenbook.pdf |title=Budget Justification and Performance Information, Fiscal Year 2010, National Park Service, The United States Department of the Interior, 2009 @ nps.gov |access-date=September 24, 2014 |archive-date=April 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412201254/http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/upload/FY_2010_greenbook.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
! % of total
|-
| Resource stewardship
| {{right|$347,328}}
| {{right|15.3%}}
|-
| Visitor services
| {{right|$247,386}}
| {{right|10.9%}}
|-
| Park protection
| {{right|$368,698}}
| {{right|16.3%}}
|-
| Facility maintenance and operations
| {{right|$705,220}}
| {{right|31.1%}}
|-
| Park support
| {{right|$441,854}}
| {{right|19.5%}}
|-
| External administrative costs
| {{right|$155,530}}
| {{right|6.9%}}
|-
| Total (2010)
| {{right|$2,266,016}}
|
|}