NPCA Notes
Public Lands Day
On September 28, an estimated 70,000 volunteers at close to 500 sites across the country will participate in the ninth annual National Public Lands Day. The event, the largest grassroots volunteer effort organized on behalf of America's parks, rivers, lakes, forests, and beaches, is directed by the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation and other nonprofit organizations, including NPCA. Volunteers will build trails and bridges, restore facilities and historic structures, plant trees, and improve wildlife habitat. Event organizers expect more than $8 million of work to be done.
Anacostia Brochure
Anacostia National Park released its first-ever park brochure in May. The brochure was a joint venture between the Cultural Resources Diversity Initiative of the National Park Service and NPCA's D.C. Community Partners Program. The teams received $20,000 in funding and grants, partly from the National Park Service's Challenge Cost Share Program, and raised another $15,000 to complete the endeavor.
They began work on the project in January 2001. The brochure provides details about the historical and cultural aspects of the Washington, D.C., park and its surrounding neighborhoods. NPCA's Alan Spears, co-chair of the project, said the brochure "establishes some context for D.C., and will hopefully be a source of great pride for all Washingtonians."
Most Polluted Parks
Data compiled by Appalachian Voices, a nonprofit organization working to protect the forests of the Appalachian Mountain region, concludes that the five parks with the most polluted air in the United States, in order, are: Great Smoky Mountains, Mammoth Cave, Shenandoah, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, and Acadia.
The rankings are based on measures of visibility, ozone pollution, and acid precipitation gauged by the National Park Service since 1991. The burning of fossil fuels is the primary cause of air pollution. Significant reductions in pollutants such as nitrogen, sulfur and carbon dioxide are needed to protect the parks for present and future generations.
—Jenell Talley
