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IM P OR TANC E OF P A RK WAT E RS ater is the life-giving substance of our national parks. In its myr- iad forms -seeps, springs, wet- lands, aquifers, geysers, streams, lakes, oceans -water is funda- mental to the natural processes and visitor enjoyment of our parks. From desert to rainforest, wetland to glacier, water shapes the land and sustains life. From Acadia to Death Valley, Everglades to Wrangell-St. Elias, water is key to the features, scenery, wildlife, recreation and aesthetics that are central to all that is preserved and experienced in our national parks. Yellowstone -the Lake, the River, the trout streams, the geysers, hot pots and steaming pools. The Colorado River coursing through the Grand Canyon. Secluded narrows and meandering music in the Virgin River at Zion. High mountain lakes and rushing streams in Glacier and Rocky Mountain. Hidden springs and seeps in Death Valley and Organ Pipe -secret oases sustaining profuse life in our desert parks. Water is habitat, home and sustenance to plant and animal life, including many endangered species. The sediment-laden flows of the undammed Yampa River in Dinosaur provide critical habitat for the endangered Colorado squawfish and humpback chub. Higgins Eye pearly mussels find their last refuge in a short reach of the St. Croix and Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The vast freshwater wetlands of Everglades are essential for more than a dozen endangered species whose life cycles are insep- arably linked to the natural ebb and flow of the park's sheet water flows. A remote cavern in Death Valley's harsh desert is the only home of the endangered desert pupfish. And mossy seeps high on Zion's sand- stone walls are the only home of the Zion snail. Water is inspiration, recreation and refreshment to humans. The wonders of waterfalls, springs and geysers, and the pleasures of swimming, rafting, hik- ing, fishing and boating park lakes and streams, draw and delight park visitors. Yet, outside the parks, humans are rapidly jeop- ardizing the waters they cherish and enjoy within the parks. Demands to use all available water for urban, energy, agricultural and industrial development are increasingly coming into conflict with protection of the waters in our parks. Similarly, pollution from activities outside park boundaries, and even within our parks, is damaging the quality of park waters. Once remote and isolated from the impacts of our ever-expanding civilization, parks and park waters are increasingly threatened by industrial activity, resource extraction, and urban and agricultural devel- opment on their watersheds.