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Take Action: Fracking Boom Threatens Health of National Parks

If the administration does not establish rules that effectively regulate environmental impacts of fracking, more than 100 of our most treasured national parks may be harmed. Tell the president that fracking must be done in a way that protects our parks.

Support the Centennial: A Chance to Reinvigorate Our National Parks!

Tell your members of Congress to sign on to a letter to President Obama in support of the upcoming national park centennial. With their support, we can celebrate 100 years of national parks and prepare the system for another century of service.

Let's Not Delay Grand Canyon Cleanup

Help protect air quality at Grand Canyon. Tell the EPA that its proposed pollution control for reducing nitrogen oxides from the Navajo Generating Station is the right choice, but that it must be installed in five years.

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Northwest Regional Office: Who We Are

Seattle, WA

1200 5th Avenue, Suite 1925
Seattle, WA 98101

Main: 206.903.1444
Fax: 206.903.1448
Email: nwro@npca.org

Meet the Staff

DID YOU KNOW...

For every dollar spent by the U.S. government on national parks, $10 is returned to the park’s local economy.

NPCA saw a clear need for a presence in the Pacific Northwest due to a number of unique threats to its parks. The rivers and streams of Olympic, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and John Day Fossil Beds support several species of fish, including salmon that are continuously threatened by pollution and habitat loss. Meanwhile, parks in Washington State face poor air quality and dense traffic congestion due to their proximity to large cities.

NPCA has worked to expand the northwest boundary of Mount Rainier National Park to alleviate crowding and intrusion from surrounding areas. NPCA's Northwest office also prevented Mount Rainier from outsourcing its Park Service jobs – a practice that could have potentially threatened the high quality of our parks' protection and visitors' experiences. NPCA staff has worked with elected officials, tribal communities, and residents to achieve these and other objectives.

NPCA and Coalition Partners Highlight Success on the Elwha Restoration Project

NPCA and NatureBridge organized an event on January 22 highlighting the progress made on the Elwha River Dam Removal and Restoration, with help from the National Park Service. Co-sponsors of this event included American Rivers, American Whitewater, and the Student Conservation Association. Jeff Duda, Research Ecologist with the USGS, and Jerry Freilich, Research Coordinator at Olympic National Park gave the keynote presentation. The enthusiastic crowd of just over 300 people packed into the presentation room at REI—standing room only. Jeff and Jerry’s presentation discussed the history of the dam, the current research being conducted on the river, the progress of the removal, and plans for future research on the river. NPCA, NatureBridge, and American Rivers also made short presentations on their involvement in the project, followed by a question-and-answer session. Before the program began, a slideshow showing the dam-removal process from September to the present day ran on a big screen.

As of November 2012, the Elwha Dam, located outside of the park, has been completely removed. The Glines Canyon Dam, located inside Olympic, is three-quarters of the way removed. Both Lake Aldwell and Lake Mills, the reservoirs created behind the dams, have been drained and the river is returning to its original channel. National Park Service staff and NPCA volunteers have already begun the massive revegetation process in which 400,000 plants will be set in to the ground recently uncovered by the draining lakes.

To view updated photos of the project, check out these webcams.