President's Outlook
Those of us who live in the nation's capital are very much aware of the history represented here. But New York City is also a historic town. In fact, it was the nation's first capital, and Federal Hall, in downtown Manhattan, the nation's first capitol building.
Federal Hall represents the birthplace of democracy. It was here that George Washington took his oath of office and where the Bill of Rights, the first amendments to the Constitution, were signed and adopted.
Like many historic sites within the National Park System, Federal Hall has many financial needs - many in fact that it landed on NPCA's list of America's Ten Most Endangered National Parks two years ago. This hallmark to history was in sad shape. Its exhibits were more than 30 years old because the Park Service could not afford to update them, and cracks had been in the walls since the 1930s when the city built a subway beneath the building. Then on September 11, 2001, the collapse of the World Trade Towers caused the equivalent of a seismic shock in Lower Manhattan, damaging the building even more.
Federal Hall is fortunate. It has received a $16.5 million congressional appropriation for repairs, which will begin this fall. Not all parks are as fortunate, but many are just as needy. The current backlog of maintenance projects for the National Park System is estimated to be between $4.1 billion and $6.8 billion. The park system also operates with a $600 million annual shortfall. The maintenance backlog and funding shortfall means that this summer you may see parks in need of repair, services may be cut, and exhibits may be closed. NPCA has issued two reports that address these issues, the Endangered Ranger and the Burgeoning Backlog.
This summer I intend to travel with my family to many national parks in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions to see for myself how these funding shortfalls are affecting our national parks. I will give you a full report in the fall issue of the magazine.
As you know, the national parks are extremely important to all of us. They tell the stories of our country, and they also tell our own personal stories and preserve our family memories. The most important thing that NPCA can do is help to ensure that these special places - these touchstones of America's history - are protected, celebrated, and interpreted for the next generation. You help us to do this by supporting our work, and we thank you for that.
Thomas C. Kiernan
