The National Parks Conservation Association was established in May 1919 under the guidance of Stephen Tyng Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, and 100 other business leaders, scientists, and scholars. Mather recognized the need for an independent citizen organization to help protect the fledgling park system, which was formed just three years before. Since its founding, NPCA has grown from hundreds of members to hundreds of thousands, but our basic mission has not wavered: "To protect and enhance America's National Park System for present and future generations." Our mission is even more important today because the pressures on the national parks from problems such as pollution, urban sprawl, overcrowding, under-funding, and commercial exploitation are greater than ever.