If you care about national parks consider the National Parks Conservation Association and all that they do to help the feds meet their obligations to manage our parks well. They could not do it without us!
here are some highlights from letter they recently sent out recapping 2008 . . . .
Thank you. Thank you because, without you, we would not have had the successes we did for our national parks. The countless letters, phone calls, and generous financial support helped NPCA make a real difference last year.
How much of a difference?
By just one measure, NPCA members and advocates generated nearly 455,000 letters in support of our national parks! As a result, here are some of the victories we had for national parks in 2008:
*Gateway ArchGateway Arch*. As you may know, our Midwest regional office has been working to stop a development proposal on the grounds of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis for more than a year. While NPCA was in support of improving the riverfront and enhancing the area around the Gateway Arch, we favored an open, public process that would revitalize the area while maintaining the integrity of the grounds. NPCA and our members submitted letters to the editor as well as comments on the future of the general management plan. And in November, former Senator John Danforth withdrew his bid to build a museum and other commercial businesses on the Arch grounds.
*EvergladesEverglades National Park*. In June 2008, Governor Charlie Crist of Florida announced the state's plans to purchase 187,000 acres of sugar cane and citrus farmland from U.S. Sugar Corporation for $1.75 billion.
"It's terrific news for the Everglades," says John Adornato, regional director of NPCA's Sun Coast office in Florida. Securing the farmland south of Lake Okeechobee, he says, will help improve water quality and increase water flow to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. Everglades restoration is a huge priority for NPCA, so this was welcome news.
*Snowmobile in YellowstoneSnowmobiles in Yellowstone.* In a victory that NPCA and our supporters have been hoping for, a federal court ruled that the Bush Administration's decision authorizing snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park violates the fundamental legal responsibility of the National Park Service to protect the clean air, wildlife, and natural quiet of national parks, including Yellowstone, for the benefit of all visitors. The court found that the Administration authorized snowmobile use despite scientific conclusions by the National Park Service that the decision would result in significant increases in noise and unhealthy exhaust, which disrupt the experiences of visitors, and traffic that harms Yellowstone's wildlife, including bison.
*Coal-fired power plant Clean Air in National Parks* The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Administration has abandoned plans that would have allowed coal-fired power plants and other facilities seeking to locate near national parks and wilderness areas to circumvent pollution limits specifically established to protect these areas. If this rule had been finalized, there could have been more power plants and factories emitting more air pollution into America's national parks.
Although we achieved some tremendous victories this year, there are still some important threats to national parks that remain unresolved.
*Loaded Guns in Our National Parks.* Most notably, in December the Bush Administration finalized a rule allowing visitors to carry loaded guns in national parks. NPCA's campaign <http://act.npca.org/ct/O1dqwvp1DX2h/keep_parks_safe> to prevent changes to the existing rule requiring guns to be unloaded and stowed away within national park boundaries began more than seven months ago, with our defeat of a legislative effort by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) to change the existing rules.
After this initial victory, the Bush Administration continued in its effort to change the regulations procedurally. Unfortunately, NPCA was not successful in beating back this administrative effort. Despite the nearly 50,000 comments from NPCA supporters like you--and the tens of thousands more from our ally organizations--in opposition to the effort, the Bush Administration went ahead with their plans, announcing that beginning in January 2009, loaded guns would now be allowed in national parks where state regulations permit concealed weapons to be carried.
In response, NPCA filed suit in federal court to have these new regualtions set aside. We will keep you updated on any new developments.
*Where do we go from here? *
Although 2008 was a great year for our national parks, there is still a lot of work to do in 2009. With a new President and many new members of Congress, we have an unprecedented opportunity to make a real difference for our national parks. Although our country is going through some tough economic times, we recognize the value that our national parks could bring in creating jobs and stimulating our economy.
Investing $2.5 billion in the National Park Service could create as many as 57,000 new jobs. A recent study conducted by NPCA <http://act.npca.org/ct/Oddqwvp1DX2n/stimulus> (PDF, 3MB) determined that every $1 invested in national parks generates at least $4 in economic value to the general public.
We need to make sure our elected officials get this message loud and clear--that funding for parks is an investment in America's economic recovery and securing our heritage for our children and grandchildren.
All of your efforts have paid off, and we hope we can count on you as 2009 gets underway and we continue to work to protect our national parks. To find out more about NPCA's priorities for 2009, visit us online. <http://act.npca.org/ct/O7dqwvp1DX28/reinvest_2016>
From everyone at NPCA, thank you for your generosity and support.
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This message was sent to you by the National Parks Conservation Association.
E-mail us at
npca@npca.org <mailto:npca@npca.org>, write to us at 1300 19th Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036, or call us at 800-NAT-PARK (800-628-7275).
