2011: A Banner Year for Parks
NPCA members make great things happen for our national parks. Your membership also means that NPCA has the resources it needs to defend, protect and preserve our parks for future generations. From the historic Civil War battlefields of Virginia and Pennsylvania to the vast reaches of Grand Canyon and Olympic, our national parks are better protected than they were just a year ago!
Here are a few examples of how NPCA members and supporters created positive change for our national parks in 2011:
- Thanks to NPCA's persistent advocacy, the biggest dam removal project in U.S. history is now underway in Olympic National Park, restoring the Elwha River and soon welcoming the return of spawning salmon.
- After months of debate, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board finally denied the application for a license to open a casino within a half mile of Gettysburg National Military Park.
- The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) agreed to phase out 18 units at dirty, coal-fired power plants and install modern pollution controls on three dozen additional units by 2018, which will improve air quality in national parks like Great Smoky Mountains and Mammoth Cave.
- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that his department would protect one million acres of federal lands around Grand Canyon National Park by banning the area from uranium mining for the next 20 years.
- Using the Antiquities Act for the first time in his presidency, President Barack Obama proclaimed Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, our country's newest national monument in November.
- NPCA achieved another major victory for air quality by securing an agreement from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that all 50 states reduce air pollution in our national parks. Adequate pollution reduction plans will result in healthier air for people and parks.
- With pressure from more than 30,000 activists, Walmart announced that it would abandon plans to build a superstore on a privately owned portion of the Wilderness Battlefield adjacent to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
- Thanks to NPCA's supporters, the Wyoming State Legislature approved plans for the U.S. Department of the Interior to purchase state trust lands located within the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park, protecting the park's iconic vistas and vital wildlife habitat.
- Last April, nine representatives from local tribes and state and federal agencies finalized an agreement allowing bison from Yellowstone National Park to freely migrate onto 75,000 acres of additional habitat just north of the park.
- After years of advocacy by NPCA's supporters, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would not hear an appeal from Kaiser Ventures to develop the nation's largest garbage dump next to Joshua Tree National Park, putting an end to the appeals process and protecting California's fragile desert landscape.
With only four years left until the National Park Service celebrates its centennial in 2016, it is more important than ever that we continue to advocate for adequate funding and protections for our national parks. You stood with us during a prolonged funding battle this year, and 2012 is shaping up to be just as tough.
We hope you’ll continue to stand with us as we work to ensure the national parks receive the funding and protections they need to continue to tell the stories of our diverse natural and cultural history.
Rest assured that NPCA will be working hard this year to protect and enhance these awe-inspiring places. And as you know, we can’t do it without you!
Do More
- You can help today by liking NPCA on Facebook and following us on Twitter so you’ll be sure to never miss a breaking opportunity to take action to help protect the parks.
- Visit our Action Center to find actions you can take to protect the parks.
- Join NPCA or renew your membership today.
