National Parks Group Applauds Secretary Salazar for his Leadership to Revitalize Gateway National Recreation Area
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PRESS RELEASE
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | |
| Date: | April 9, 2013 |
| Contact: | Alison Zemanski Heis, Media Relations Manager National Parks Conservation Association; Phone: 202.454.3332; Cell: 202.384.8762 Alexander Brash, Northeast Senior Regional Director, National Parks Conservation Association; Phone: 212.617.2989; Cell:917.420.0876 |
National Parks Group Applauds Secretary Salazar for his Leadership to Revitalize Gateway National Recreation Area
“We applaud the leadership of Department of Interior Secretary Salazar, Park Service Director Jarvis and City of New York Mayor Bloomberg for their leadership in advancing a new vision for revitalizing Gateway National Recreation Area to become a truly iconic urban national park. With the improvements underway the park will better connect to and serve the surrounding communities as well as the 53 million tourists that visit the Big Apple each year. Recently named to the Top 10 most visited sites in the National Park System, Gateway is New York City’s greatest unrealized asset and we are thrilled by today’s updates about the important projects that are moving forward to help revitalize Gateway National Recreation Area.
“All who love and enjoy our national parks look forward to the plans that NPCA helped initiate to better connect communities to this urban jewel and that will now be brought to life under the Cooperative Management Agreement between the National Park Service and the City of New York, including the establishment of a Jamaica Bay Conservancy. We look to this new park conservancy to take the lead on advancing the public’s vision for Jamaica Bay, including the establishment of the Jamaica Bay Science and Resilience Center, the nation’s largest campground, and the restoration of the park’s wetlands.
“With more than five miles of waterfront, wetlands, grasslands, and beaches, Gateway National Recreation Area is a great outdoors escape for New Yorkers and the millions more that come to visit the city. We are encouraged by Secretary Salazar, Director Jarvis and Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership and willingness to build new, lasting partnerships and look forward to working together to have Gateway become America’s most iconic urban national park.”
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