Dear NPCA,
In This Issue:
Featured Park: Women's Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls, NY
Campaign Feature: Paving Through Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
You're Invited:
NPCA’s Annual Dinner Salutes the Parks
Florida March for Parks
Annual Report Now Online
Did You Know?
Featured Park: Women’s Rights National Historical Park
Every time women exercise their right to vote, purchase their own home, or control their own wages, they owe a debt to the women of the First Women’s Rights Convention of 1848, considered by many historians to be the formal beginnings of the American women’s rights movement. Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls and Waterloo, New York, preserves the historic site where Americans began to shift their conceptions about the role of women in our society. What better time than March—Women’s History Month—to focus on the story of these courageous women who fought for freedom?
The park features the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, site of the 1848 convention, and home of the women's rights movement’s most important figure, Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Cady Stanton worked with fellow advocates such as Susan B. Anthony to secure women the right to vote. She consistently demonstrated the courage of her convictions by speaking up for the rights of women, even in the midst of fierce resistance. The 25-year-old Women’s Rights National Historical Park not only documents her amazing life, but also includes the Jane and Richard Hunt House, where the historic convention was initiated and the Thomas and Mary Ann M’Clintock House in Waterloo, where the convention was planned. The park’s visitor center includes a museum with exhibits detailing the history of the women's rights movement through the early 1990s, showcases the film “Dreams of Equality,” and features a statue exhibit entitled “The First Wave” depicting the planners of the First Women's Rights Convention.
You know what Elizabeth Cady Stanton knew: Committed people working together on important issues can have a big impact. Make a difference today and help NPCA protect our parks for future generations. 
Campaign Feature: Paving Through Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
The North Shore road debate still rages on. In January, The National Park Service published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) cataloging the environmental damage that would be caused by construction of the North Shore Road. The road would cut a 35-mile gash through the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and destroy one of the largest remaining roadless areas in the eastern United States, at a cost of at least $600 million to U.S. taxpayers. The Park Service is accepting public comments on the proposal through March 20, 2006. Send your comments on the North Shore road today!
2005 Annual Report Now Available Online
NPCA began 2005 with three key strategic priorities: increase funding for the National Park System, increase funding for NPCA’s own efforts, and expand our national outreach through our regional offices—all vital steps in our larger goal of protecting the national parks for present and future generations. And we’ve made significant strides in all three areas. We helped boost the federal budget for park operations while also gaining momentum for the Centennial Act. We secured a $20-million gift from one of our members. And we set the groundwork for new regional offices in the Great Lakes, Southwest and Northeast…
We invite you to read the full report to learn more about our efforts to protect parks for future generations.
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT NOW
There’s more to the park story than the scenery. Help NPCA as we develop innovative solutions to protect our national parks.
You’re Invited
- NPCA’s Annual Dinner
Protecting American’s Heritage: Salute to the Parks
On March 29, 2006, NPCA will host its annual Salute to the Parks at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. The dinner honors Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), sponsor of the California Desert Protection Act, which established more than 7 million acres of park land. The event also features a tribute to Pulitzer Prize-winner James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, a book that renewed interest in many historic park units.
Not only is this a wonderful celebration of our parks, it’s a chance to support NPCA’s work. For more information about the event, contact Wendy Audie at waudie@npca.org or 800-628-7275.
Florida March for Parks Event
On April 1, more than 400 community advocates will march to celebrate diversity in the parks and support the restoration of the Everglades. Organizers of the event hope to increase the number of diverse visitors to the park, and advocate for more funding for projects that will restore natural water flow and return the Everglades to its natural and healthy state.
The festivities take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chekika Campground in Everglades National Park. The event will feature several keynote speakers, food, guided park tours, raffles, and important information on restoration efforts. For more information, contact Marisa Jaffe at mjaffe@npca.org.
Did You Know?
According to air-quality experts, each year the amount of acid deposition of sulfur oxides in the Great Smokies is comparable to 200 railroad tank cars spilling sulfuric acid in the park. As you can imagine, this excess acid has a horribly damaging effect on the park’s ecosystem.
Great Smokies is one of the Ten Most Endangered Parks
Code Red Report
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.
