GOLDEN GATE N.R.A., CALIF.- Want a piece of "The Rock"?
You're in luck. Chunks of concrete rubble from Alcatraz, the famous prison that lodged Al Capone and "The Birdman," are for sale. For nine dollars, visitors can own a piece of Alcatraz and help preserve the park site; proceeds from the sale will help cover a fraction of the costs of an $8.5 million restoration project for the island's aging buildings.
News of the "Save the Rock" sale made headlines in America and even reached the front page of Japan Today. The web site that sells the rocks (www.savetherock.org) started receiving 100,000 daily hits, showing the program's potential to raise money. By teaching visitors about park preservation, the program also raises awareness.
"This was very well received by visitors and the public," said Richard Weideman, chief of public affairs at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which contains Alcatraz. "People continue to be attracted to the mystery of Alcatraz - and they want to buy a piece of 'The Rock' for themselves and to support the park."
Park officials hope that the "Save the Rock" program will raise tens of thousands of dollars. An added benefit, said Weideman, is that the park would have had to spend thousands to remove the rubble from buildings under restoration, including the cell house.
"We've encapsulated as much as we can on the island, but there's really no place to dump it," he said. "We looked for a creative way to not only get rid of the rubble but also teach visitors about the restoration project. The rocks come with a brochure that teaches the importance of cultural resources and park preservation. We're providing visitors with an interpretive message."
But others believe the park is sending the wrong message. Some Park Service staff worried that the program would cheapen the significance of the island's historic structures and set a dangerous precedent.
"This was very tough for a lot of people," said Weideman. "Some felt that we shouldn't be selling a piece of history, that we'd be saying to people that it's all right to take a piece of a national park with you. But we feel strongly that the message is exactly the opposite. Not only are we removing rubble that we'd have to pay to get rid of, we're helping pay for the restoration of Alcatraz."
Still, NPCA officials say that the program should not blur the big picture: the need for increased funding to the parks.
"We appreciate this innovative approach to helping fund the restoration project at Alcatraz," said Ron Tipon, NPCA's senior vice president of programs, "but it does not replace the need for significant federal dollars for maintenance and operation of the site."
