THE AIR UP THERE
In America’s five most polluted national parks— Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, Mammoth Cave, and Sequoia & Kings Canyon—are making headlines again, thanks to an article in the June 2005 issue of Smithsonian magazine. Charles Petit’s piece spells out why parks are suffering from air pollution, and just what the federal government plans to do about it. NPCA President Tom Kiernan is quoted in the piece, along with other clean-air advocates from the Park Service and Sierra Club. To read more, visit www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues05/jun05/haze.html
NPCA is putting clean air at the forefront of its advocacy efforts with the help of newly hired clean air specialist Mark Wenzler. With the help of a generous grant from the Turner Foundation, Wenzler is leading NPCA’s charge to enforce the Clean Air Act’s special protections for air quality in our national parks, fighting attempts to weaken these protections by the White House and Congress.
BOULDER, CO-In In what many consider a positive development for mountain bikers, the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) recently signed a five-year agreement with the National Park Service to promote access to off-road cyclists. For conservation reasons, both parties agreed that access to hiking trails will still be limited to hiking and backpacking, but NPS’s recognition of the health benefits and enjoyment of cycling means there’s a good chance more dirt roads will be open to mountain bikes and, eventually, some trails may be opened as well. IMBA and the Park Service will get things rolling by partnering on two pilot projects this year, and discussing future locations suitable for mountain biking.
Washington, D.C.-Although it’s difficult to track park visitation figures with any certainty, the National Park Service says that visitation has continued to climb in recent years, following sharp drops immediately after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Last year, the ten most visited sites were:
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Gateway National Recreation Area
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- George Washington Memorial Parkway
- Natchez Trace Parkway
- World War II Memorial
- Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
- Grand Canyon National Park
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What’s more, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, and Yellowstone all made the Travel Industry Association of America’s list of American treasures people would most like to visit.
