Final answer:
The concept of the national park is false to have been founded in 1916 as the first national park, Yellowstone, was established in 1872. The 1916 National Park System Organic Act formalized the National Park System and established the National Park Service.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept of the national park was not founded in 1916. The idea of preserving natural areas for public use and the establishment of the first national park, Yellowstone National Park, occurred earlier, with Yellowstone being designated in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant. The statement in the student's question is false, as the national park concept predates 1916. It was in 1916, however, that the National Park Service (created by the National Park System Organic Act) was established to manage all national parks.
Early Efforts and the National Park System Organic Act
Artists and writers who journeyed through the American West played a crucial role in nurturing a sense of national pride and the emergence of the national park concept by conveying the beauty of the untamed wilderness areas. The Yosemite Grant Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864 and the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act of 1872, were significant early steps toward the preservation of natural areas. The 1916 National Park System Organic Act was instrumental in formalizing the national park system, emphasizing that parks should be maintained unimpaired for future generations.