NEWS & PUBLICATIONS

Congress Goes to Boston to Examine National Park Funding Needs

- WHAT: Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), Chairman of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee of the House Government Reform Committee, is holding the third in a series of congressional hearings intended to examine the funding needs and challenges facing America’s national parks. Previous hearings were held in Gettysburg, Penn., and Washington, D.C.

The National Parks Conservation Association will provide testimony about the funding needs and management challenges of Cape Cod National Seashore, Acadia National Park, and other park sites in the northeast, including the Longfellow National Historic Site in Cambridge. On August 16, NPCA released a new State of the Parks assessment of the Longfellow house, rating the park in “fair” condition.

The National Park Service and Friends of Acadia will also provide testimony.

WHERE: Faneuil Hall in Downtown Boston, Great Hall, 2nd Floor

WHEN: August 24, 2005, 10 a.m. - Noon

WHY: These congressional hearings are the first focused effort by Congress in decades to examine the funding needs of the national parks in-depth, and to identify solutions to meet the challenges. Information gathered during the hearings is being used by Rep. Souder to establish a comprehensive record of the needs of the nation’s parks -— one that mirrors and expands upon existing data gathered from other sources.

Rep. Souder is the co-founder of the House National Parks Caucus and lead co-sponsor of the National Park Centennial Act, which was introduced in March as a new means to provide funding for the maintenance and natural and cultural preservation needs in the parks. Rep. Barney Frank (D-4-MA) is a co-sponsor.

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