Philadelphia – 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 Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Gettysburg National Military Park, Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, Independence National Historical Park, Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Steamtown National Historic Site, Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, and Valley Forge National Historical Park, as a result of the more than $900 million in stimulus funding provided by Congress.
“This important reinvestment in the crumbling infrastructure of our national parks is a step that will create jobs in large and small communities nationwide, and help to restore our nation’s heritage for our children and grandchildren,” said National Parks Conservation Association President Tom Kiernan. “There is much more to do to restore our national parks, but this is progress.”
The Department of the Interior’s list of National Park Service infrastructure projects includes rehabilitating Independence tower at Independence National Historical Park; rehabilitating historic buildings at Valley Forge National Historical Park and Gettysburg National Military Park, and Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site; replacing an oil heating system with a geothermal system at Fort Necessity National Battlefield; reconstructing observation towers at Johnstown Flood National Memorial; stabilizing railroad equipment at Steamtown National Historic Site; and repairing and increasing efficiency of buildings at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River.
“This reinvestment in our national parks is an investment in our quality of life, our heritage, and our future,” said Cinda Waldbuesser, senior Pennsylvania program manager. “It lays a strong foundation for restoring our imperiled national park heritage by 2016, the centennial of the National Park Service, while helping communities throughout the Commonwealth and the country.”
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.
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. For example, Gettysburg National Military Park provides a return of $2.20 to Pennsylvania’s state and local economies for every $1 the federal government invests in the park’s budget. In addition, the report found that the park generates more than $15 million in annual economic benefits, and that park visitors generate more than $95 million annually in local revenue while supporting nearly 3,000 local non-park jobs.
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