In February, NPCA will present its "Friend of the National Parks" award to 238 returning members of the 108th Congress. This marks the fourth time NPCA has recognized members of Congress who are working to protect national parks through their votes.
"The national parks need friends in Congress, and these people are among the best," says Craig Obey, NPCA's vice president for government affairs. "Floor votes are one significant way members of Congress demonstrate their commitment to the national parks. Another way is leadership on park-specific efforts, for which NPCA rewards members of Congress with its Park Achievement Award."
The award for each Congressional session is a framed reproduction of a 1930s Works Progress Administration poster of a national park.
To be named as a recipient of the award, the 47 senators had to vote correctly on at least three out of five park-related issues, including a vote to increase funding for natural resource and environmental programs such as national park programs, a vote for legislation to ban commercial advertising on the National Mall, and a vote for legislation to stop the aggressive outsourcing of National Park Service jobs.
This year's 191 representatives were chosen for voting correctly on at least four of six park-related issues, including a vote to ban the use of snowmobiles within Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks (twice), a vote to prevent the slaughter of Yellowstone bison, and a vote against legislation to prematurely authorize a highly controversial land exchange at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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