Chicago, Ill. – The nation’s leading voice for the national parks, the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) today praised the Department of the Interior announcement of the specific job-creating projects that will be completed in national parks, including Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, as a result of the more than $900 million in stimulus funding provided by Congress.
“This is a strong reinvestment in the national parks of Ohio, with five projects at Cuyahoga Valley National Park and much-needed repair at Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial leading the list. This is an important step toward revitalizing national parks for our children and grandchildren, while creating jobs today,” said National Parks Conservation Association Midwest Regional Director Lynn McClure.
In December, the National Parks Conservation Association published Working Assets: Reinvesting in National Parks to Create Jobs and Protect America’s Heritage, a report which called on Congress and the Administration to include national parks in economic recovery legislation and offered examples of ready-to-go, job-creating infrastructure projects in national parks nationwide. The final bill passed by Congress in February included a measured investment of $900 million toward the Park Service’s massive, $9-billion backlog of critical maintenance and preservation projects.
“These announcements come at a critical time, especially for the aging Perry’s Victory Memorial,” McClure added. “It has been closed to visitors in the recent past, and offered limited access to the top of the 352-foot monument due to fear for visitor safety. And although this funds only a small portion of necessary repairs at Perry’s Victory, it is a great step forward in preservation.”
Congress directed approximately $750 million toward national park infrastructure projects through the Department of the Interior; approximately $170 million is provided for national park road repair needs through the Department of Transportation.
An economic study commissioned by NPCA found that every federal dollar invested in national parks generates at least four dollars economic value to the public.
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