Dear NPCA,
In February Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) will hold a Congressional hearing in Atlanta, Georgia, to highlight the important role the National Park Service plays in preserving and celebrating the diversity of the American experience. The hearing will be held at the Martin Luther King National Historic Site, the ideal site for such a compelling discussion. To help set the stage for the hearing, this issue of Explorer introduces you to this park and the important role it plays in preserving history of America's Civil Rights Movement and the cultural experiences of the 1930s and 1940s. Cultural sites provide a "place-based" opportunity for learning about our history, giving visitors a powerful sense of how the past shapes who we are today.
In This Issue:
Featured Park: Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site
Campaign Update: Public Comments on the Proposed Revisions to the Management Policies Are Due by February 18th!
Center for State of the Parks: New Report Features Biscayne Bay
Diversity and the National Parks: Congressional Hearing in Atlanta Focuses on Diversity
In the Spotlight: Meet Kurt Repanshek–National Park Traveler & Blogger
Featured Park: Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site 
Imagine a young child running up the steps of a spacious Victorian home on a humid summer day to join his family for supper. Picture a boy sitting in the parlor struggling with his piano lessons. Envision him walking two blocks to attend Sunday church services with his family. Martin Luther King, Jr. did this and much more as a child in Atlanta. When you climb the steps of his boyhood home, pass through the doors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, or walk past the preserved homes on Auburn Avenue, you learn how King's childhood and his family's prominence as community leaders shaped his own religious and political beliefs. By stepping back in time you begin to understand the journey that led him to organize the Montgomery bus boycott, deliver an impassioned speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, earn Time magazine's Man of the Year honors in 1963, and garner a Nobel Peace Prize.
The site honors the full circle of King's life. After King’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968, when he was only 39, his family brought him home to lay his body to rest. His tomb remains in a site near the King Center, which also houses the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, founded by his widow, Coretta Scott King. As her recent death reminds us, the generation that struggled to create a truly free society is slowly passing away. National sites such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site play an important role in preserving this history to inspire future generations.
about the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Campaign Update: Public Comments on the Proposed Revisions to the NPS Management Policies Due by February 18th! 
As you may be aware, the Department of Interior has proposed a revision to the policies that govern the day-to-day management of our national parks. Those changes could have a significant, long-term impact on our national treasures. The Department of Interior has given no justification for rewriting the current 2001 policies, and NPCA has been working tirelessly on this campaign with our allies and champions in Congress to stop the rewrite.
If you haven't done so already, please take action on this important issue. There are two ways to take action: The National Park Service is accepting comments on this issue through February 18, 2006. Click here to submit comments to the Park Service. You can also write your Members of Congress directly and ask them to urge the Department of Interior to stop the rewrite.
For more information about NPCA's management policies campaign, visit our " Stop the Rewrite" campaign page.
Center for State of the Parks: Turning the Tide at Biscayne Bay 
Located near Miami, Florida, Biscayne National Park is the largest marine park in the National Park System. The park includes the third-largest coral reef system in the world, the longest stretch of mangrove forest remaining on Florida's eastern seaboard, and many endangered species, including the West Indian manatee. These natural treasures need to be protected. According to NPCA's latest State of the Parks report, Biscayne's natural and cultural resources are in poor condition and in need of immediate attention.
NPCA's assessment scored the overall condition of natural resources at Biscayne 58 out of 100, which ranks park resources in "poor" condition. The park faces a compromised coral reef framework; dramatic declines in important fish populations; the alteration and destruction of coastal wetlands; and mounting development pressure that strains the limited freshwater supply and generates excess pollution.
NPCA's Suncoast office is working hard to make sure decision-makers know of Biscayne's critical needs and is advocating for more funding to ensure the long-term health of the park. You can help protect these marine treasures by participating in Biscayne's park planning efforts. For more information on how to comment, visit these sites:
- The Fisheries Management Plan project
- The General Management Plan
- The CERP Biscayne Bay Wetlands Project
- The Restoration Plan/Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
Download the Full Report
Tips for Protecting Marine Life in the Parks
Congressional Hearing in Atlanta Focuses on Diversity in National Parks 
On February 9th Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) will hold the ninth in a series of Congressional hearings focusing on the state of America's national parks. This field hearing will focus on issues of cultural diversity and national parks in the Southeast. Representatives of the National Park Service are expected to provide testimony, as is Audrey Peterman, publisher of Pickup and Go!, an environmental/travel periodical, and member of NPCA's Board of Trustees. Souder's congressional hearings represent Congress's first focused examination of the parks in decades, and should yield solutions to the many challenges facing the Park System today.
Read Audrey Peterman’s essay "Continental Divide" in National Parks magazine
In the Spotlight: Park Blogger 
Are you interested in getting the latest news and insightful opinions on the national parks from a frequent park traveler and park supporter? Meet Kurt Repanshek, author of America's National Parks for Dummies and National Parks of the West For Dummies. Kurt blogs frequently on the national parks on his site National Park Traveler. As a frequent park visitor, Kurt gives an important perspective on what is happening in the parks. Recent discussions covered topics ranging from "How Quiet Should the Grand Canyon Be?" to "How Big Is the Park Service's Backlog?" He also offers tips on gear, itineraries, and park lodges. Check it out to learn more for your next trip or to keep your finger on the pulse of the parks.
Protect Our Treasured National Parks Today 
Together, we must protect our treasured national parks today, and for generations to come. That's why we're fighting to uphold park protection laws and to call a halt to the rewrite of the National Park Service management policies. Our analysis reveals that the revisions would weaken protections for our national parklands. Your donation today will help us rally park supporters, organize listening sessions, and more. Please make a special gift today.
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. Join Us Today!
National Park Explorer is a publication of the National Parks Conservation Association. Contact us at TakeAction@npca.org or write to us at 1300 19th Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036.
Visit us online at www.npca.org.
