Resource extraction on a large scale has recently begun in some national parks, dwarfing the modest diggings and pickings of old-time gold bugs and causing consternation in Congress. As a result, a rash of measures have been introduced which would curtail, regulate or ban mining operations within the boundaries of the National Parks. The legislative action was prompted in large measure by increases in mining activity within the boundaries of Death Valley National Monument, where 10 open pit (strip) mines are presently operating, producing approximately 169,000 tons of borates and 100,000 tons of talc annually. Mining activity within the Park has increased dramatically since 1971, and nearly 200 new mining claims are being filed each year.

Six units of the National Park System currently lack legal protection from mining: Death Valley National Monument, Mt. McKinley National Park, Glacier Bay National Monument, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Coronado International Memorial, and Crater Lakes National Park. The only other "unprotected" park in which mining is currently taking place is Mt. McKinley, which produces 100 tons of antimony per year.