Greetings,
In This Issue
Featured Park: Gettysburg National Military Park
Help NPCA Preserve the Battlefield Park
Fix Our Parks Goal Surpassed
New Report: Money Grows on National Park Trees
Stop the Slots: Don’t Gamble With Gettysburg
Your Holiday Shopping Can Benefit NPCA
Jack's Holiday Wish List
This January, Head to the Everglades with NPCA
Featured Park: Gettysburg National Military Park
In the summer of 1863, the farming community of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, became the site of the bloodiest battle in the Civil War. The fierce fighting left 51,000 casualties in its wake, turning farm fields into graveyards and churches into hospitals. The battlefield's first visitors were thousands of relatives searching for dead and wounded soldiers. The preservation of the battlefield and the establishment of Gettysburg National Cemetery are a testament to the resolve of Gettysburg residents to not only rebuild their town but also to honor the fallen. Today, visitors who come to learn more about the battle can tour the battlefield and see more than 1,400 monuments and markers, or choose to walk with a ranger through Gettysburg National Cemetery.
Over the years, Gettysburg has continued to be a treasured and popular destination. As a result, the park has faced continuous threats from commercial development. At the end of the 19th century, developers built railroads and tourist facilities at the edge of sacred battlefield lands, but many of these inholdings were eventually sold to the government and removed.
NPS is currently engaged in an ambitious program to restore the battlefield grounds to the way they looked in 1863. This will allow visitors to understand how small features of the landscape, such as fences and orchards, played a large role in both the battle's outcome and the life and death of individual soldiers.
Watch the Slideshow >>
Help NPCA Preserve the Battlefield Park
Gettysburg National Military Park is a revered historical landmark, and with the help of dedicated supporters like you, NPCA has played a key role in ensuring its protection. NPCA played a leading role in ensuring that a new visitor center and museum at the park more thoroughly interpreted the battle and displayed a host of invaluable, historic artifacts. Now efforts are under way to build a casino within cannon shot of Cemetery Ridge. We are committed to preserving the battlefield park and all of America's national parks for generations today and those that will come after.
Please make a tax-deductible year-end contribution today >>
Fix Our Parks Goal Surpassed:
NPCA wants to thank the hundreds of supporters who donated to our Fix Our Parks campaign. We not only hit our $10,000 goal, but we also blew past it, raising more than $23,000! It's not too late to support our campaign. NPCA will use your donation to help push Congress and the Bush administration to restore our national parks before their 100th anniversary in just ten years. Click here to give >>
Five Ways to Fix Our Pledge--There's Still Time!
If you haven't yet signed NPCA's 5 Ways to Fix the National Parks Pledge, there's still time! NPCA has launched a major campaign to fix these problems before the National Park System's 100th anniversary in ten years. We have a plan. And the first steps start with you. Sign the pledge today!
New Report: Money Grows on National Park Trees
NPCA has contracted with independent economists Hardner & Gullison Associates, LLC, to produce a new analysis: U.S. National Park System: An Economic Asset at Risk. This assessment relies on a cost-benefit analysis developed by the federal government under the Reagan Administration; economic impact analysis; and economic growth analysis. This unusual three-pronged approach provides a new, overall view of the significance of national parks to national, regional, and local stakeholders.
Through system-wide analysis and the study of 12 individual parks, the report shows that the National Park System plays a major role in attracting and sustaining local businesses and communities in areas near parks. In fact, the economic analysis shows that the U.S. National Park System generates at least four dollars for state and local economies in return for every one tax dollar invested in the national parks' annual budget.
Download the Report >>
Stop the Slots: Don't Gamble With Gettysburg
In November, hundreds of people gathered at Gettysburg National Military Park to commemorate the 143rd anniversary of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. As the premier classroom on the Civil War, Gettysburg allows visitors to follow in the footsteps of America's heroes. For history buffs and park visitors, building a casino within cannon range of this historic family-friendly town seems unthinkable.
As the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board considers the highly controversial application to build a casino near Gettysburg, numerous polls and surveys have found overwhelming opposition to the plan in Pennsylvania and nationally. As an active member of the "Stop the Slots Coalition," NPCA has worked with park activists to sign petitions and write key decisionmakers to help protect the historic character of Gettysburg, a national icon.
Add Your Voice! On December 20, the Gaming Control Board will vote on the final decision. Make your voice heard! We encourage you to attend the upcoming public hearing on December 13 or write a letter to the Gaming Control Board. For more information, visit:
www.stopthegettysburgslots.org.
Your Holiday Shopping Can Benefit NPCA
This year while doing your holiday shopping online, you have two great opportunities to give a portion of your purchase price to NPCA.
Giveline
Giveline.com is a revolutionary online store created for the community-minded shopper. Every transaction in the store generates a charitable contribution to NPCA. Giveline.com offers a huge selection of books, movies, music, electronics, and more! Quickly log in with your email, create a password, select NPCA as your nonprofit, and you're off and shopping. With your purchases Giveline.com will contribute between 7 and 33 percent of product sales to NPCA, with a storewide average of nearly 16 percent per transaction. This is great place to do one-stop online shopping, while helping protect and enhance America's national parks.
iGive
iGive.com is an online shopping mall with more than 678 top-notch online merchants including Land's End, Barnes & Noble, DELL, Neiman Marcus, 1-800 FLOWERS, Delia's, Macy's, and more! Daily specials offer great discounts and up to 26 percent of EACH purchase is donated to NPCA! Enter your email in the "JOIN HERE" section, fill in the brief member information window, select NPCA as your nonprofit, and begin shopping.
Jack's Holiday Wish List
It's that time of the year again--eggnog, family gatherings, holiday trips, and maybe, if you're lucky, a moment under the mistletoe with that special someone. And while Jack and his family may experience all the joys the season has to offer, the first thing on Jack's wish list to Santa will be a fully-funded National Park System.
We know you understand the importance of protecting these critical places for future generations. And we love hearing your stories. If you haven't done so already, be sure to share some of your favorite park experiences with us. Email your story to Dionna Humphrey, Associate Director of Advocacy at
dhumphrey@npca.org
This January, Head to the Everglades with NPCA
January 22-28, 2007
Come explore Everglades National Park, with NPCA. We will go on a swamp walk through Big Cypress National Preserve and take a glass-bottom board tour of the third-largest coral reef in the worldat Biscayne National Park. Join us to learn more about these stunning sites and the issues facing their inhabitants.
Book your trip online or call our travel office at 1-800-488-4080 to book your trip.
Click here for more trip details >>
From All the Staff at NPCA,
Thank you for your time and dedication to helping enhance and protect our national parks for present and future generations. NPCA's park protection work is made possible by the generous support of people like you. An introductory membership is just $15, and includes a subscription to our award-winning National Parks Magazine, recently recognized for excellence in coverage of environmental tourism by the Society of American Travel Writers. Join us Today!
National Park Explorer is a publication of the National Parks Conservation Association. E-mail us at TakeAction@npca.org, write to us at 1300 19th Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036, or call us at 800-NAT-PARK (800-628-7275).
Are you having trouble making a donation online? Call us at 1-800-628-7275 Monday - Friday from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time and one of our associates will be able to assist you.
Visit us online at www.npca.org.
