Does Congress Love Our National Parks?

Washington, D.C. - The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the nation's leading national park advocacy organization, today posted its biannual list of park supporters in Congress on the Web. Those members, 37 senators and 165 representatives, were recognized with a Friend of the National Parks award for pro-park voting records in the 106th Congress (1998-2000). Visitors to the Web site can type in their zip codes to learn if their representatives and senators voted to protect national parks, and if not, send them an email encouraging them to do so.

"Our national parks rely on Congress for protection under federal law and for adequate funding," said NPCA President Thomas Kiernan. "This award honors those who stood up to defend the precious places that symbolize our history and our nation's natural wonders. All of Congress should join them. Americans want our national parks protected; they can now find out exactly who is failing them."

The Friend of the National Parks award was established in 1999 to track and publicize congressional members' votes on significant park issues. The parks group examined eight key House votes and five key Senate votes from the 106th Congress to determine which members voted to support national park or related public land legislation. Senators who voted pro-park four out of five times received the award as did House members who supported parks on seven out of eight votes.

A complete list of the winning members of Congress and vote descriptions are available online.