Court Denies Claim Because NPS Management Policies Are Not Legally Binding

In a recent decision, a district court reiterated the principle that the National Park Service’s internal management policies are merely guidelines, and not the equivalent of law.  Based on that principle, the court denied a request for reconsideration based on the argument that the National Park Service had failed to comply with its own internal guidelines.  The court held that “the NPS Management Policies [] ‘are intended only to provide guidance within the Park Service, not to establish rights in the public generally,’[], and they are not enforceable against the NPS.”