Whitefish, Mont. – The nation’s leading voice for the national parks, the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) today praised the Department of the Interior’s Earth Day announcement of the specific job-creating projects that will be completed in national parks 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 for Glacier includes repairs to backcountry trails and campgrounds, renovation of historic park structures, and the rehabilitation of park comfort stations to provide ADA access.
“These stimulus projects will create local jobs and will enhance the public’s opportunity to enjoy Glacier National Park,” said Will Hammerquist of the National Parks Conservation Association Glacier Field Office. “We are looking forward to the pending announcement of stimulus funds for Glacier from the Department of Transportation. Going-to-the-Sun Road is vital to our region’s economy and securing additional funding to complete reconstruction is a top national priority for NPCA. “
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. A 2008 study by Michigan State University found that Glacier National Park supports over 2,100 jobs in northwest Montana and has an annual economic impact of $101 million dollars. (Author Daniel J. Stynes)
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