America's national parks were created to preserve some of the most inspirational natural and cultural landmarks of the nation. Even though our national parks should be among the best places to experience crystal clear air, many are plagued by poor air quality—air so dirty that it rivals polluted urban areas. NPCA has been hard at work to protect the air in our national parks. This month we would like to share some of this work with you and also take you to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky—a park that features diverse wildlife, winding rivers, the world's longest cave, and sadly, some of the most polluted air in the park system.
In This Issue
Featured Park: Mammoth Cave National Park
NPCA At Work: Clean Air for the Parks
Campaign Update : We've Made it Easier Than Ever to Protect Our National Parks!
Center for State of the Parks: New Report Features Catoctin Mountain Park
In the Spotlight: Your Purchase Can Help Our National Parks!
Did You Know?
Featured Park: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
With over 350 miles of passageways, Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world. No other cave even comes close. And explorers aren't even done mapping it yet! The cave system features five separate levels of subterranean rooms, narrow passageways, deep shafts, and underground rivers, all some 400-feet underground. While many visitors come to explore the depths of the cave, Mammoth Cave National Park also protects more than 52,000 acres of land, including rolling hills, sinkholes, and the Green River Valley. Outside the cave, visitors enjoy views from ridge tops covered with oak and hickory forests, deep valleys, and scenic bluffs. The park is home to a variety of animals including eastern white-tailed deer, bobcats and great blue herons. With more than 200 different bird species, birders may well be able to add a few dozen new species to their life list.
The natural wonders of the park are quite diverse, but they can be overshadowed by polluted air. According to NPCA's research, Mammoth Cave National Park is one of the five most polluted parks in the park system. The haziest days in Mammoth Cave are worse than those in any other national park or wilderness area and often match that of urban areas. The park is downwind of large, coal-fired power plants that produce much of the sulfur pollution responsible for hazy skies. NPCA is fighting on both the national and local levels to clear the air in our parks to ensure the long-term health of the parks and their visitors.
If you go: Mammoth Cave National Park is located in central Kentucky, about 35 miles northeast of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and about 90 miles southwest of Louisville. Make reservations for the cave tours before you go, especially between the months of April and October. Tours of the caves are popular and fill up quickly.
Clean Air In Our Parks
Watch the Park Web Cam > >
Help Protect America's National Parks
NPCA is working to restore clean, clear air in our national parks so that our families and yours can enjoy outdoor adventures in our parks for generations to come. With your help, NPCA will work to ensure that clean-air laws are strengthened and strictly enforced, and that pollution is reduced at the power plants and industrial facilities that are its primary source. Help us ensure that our parks receive the protection they deserve by making a special gift to NPCA today.
NPCA At Work: Clean Air for the Parks
Last year, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) introduced a power plant clean-up bill known as the Clean Air Planning Act (CAPA). Among other things, the bill would reduce power plant emissions responsible for acid rain, hazy park skies, mercury contamination of fish, and global warming. But the bill would have allowed too much pollution to remain in the environment, while undermining laws needed to get further emissions reductions to restore our parks and protect public health.
NPCA has been working with Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), one of the bill's original co-sponsors, to strengthen the language of CAPA to afford greater protection to parks and public health. NPCA is grateful to Sens. Alexander and Carper for their leadership on a bill that would provide a comprehensive and balanced solution to pollution from coal-fired power plants. The bill was re-introduced on May 3rd, and NPCA will keep you informed on its progress.
Clean Air Planning Act of 2006 Fact Sheet Read NPCA's Thank You Letter to Senators Carper & Alexander
Celebrating Victories for the Parks!
Healthy Air Act Protects Parks
NPCA's Mid-Atlantic regional office is delighted to announce that on April 6, 2006, the Maryland legislature passed the Healthy Air Act. This act represents a historic victory for our national parks in Maryland. The Healthy Air Act will help to reduce air pollution in Catoctin Mountain Park, C&O Canal National Historical Park, Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network. Clean air means better views in the parks, healthier environments for park wildlife, improved air quality for outdoor activities, and so much more.
Bringing this bill to fruition was a group effort. NPCA worked along side The Healthy Air Coalition, a coalition including health professionals, faith-based groups, civic groups, and conservation groups, who worked tirelessly and effectively to advance the bill to promote clean air in Maryland. NPCA is especially grateful to key legislative leaders for guiding the bill successfully through the legislature and to Gov. Robert Ehrlich, who signed the bill into law. Working together we can take big steps to keep the air in our parks clean!
We've Made it Easier Than Ever to Protect Our National Parks!
After a long, grueling process, we're finally ready to unveil our brand new action center! You may have noticed some design changes in this issue of Explorer—but you'll notice even more changes in our Take Action Center, where new-and-improved features include a list of current campaigns, recent e-mail messages, frequent legislative updates, an elected officials look-up feature, a subscriber feature, and a tell-a-friend function. Best of all, you won't have to log in when you take action!
Your personal action center has come a long way too: You can track your offline activities with ease—recording calls to your congressional representatives, visits to congressional offices, and any events where you volunteered. You will even have a "to-do" list to refer to, so you can keep track of which parks issues still need your attention! Finally, the new system will feature a zip code +4 lookup for all activists, which will help match you with the right lawmakers.
We hope you enjoy these changes as much as we do. Just think of how easy it will be to become a super activist!
Thanks for all that you do. And here's to a bright, promising future together, protecting our parks for future generations.
Center for State of the Parks: Catoctin Mountain Park
Catoctin Mountain Park in Western Maryland earned the highest natural resource rating of all the parks assessed by NPCA's Center for State of the Parks program. Catoctin features an impressive second-growth ecosystem, with good water quality, healthy trees, and healthy mountain air buzzing with sounds of wildlife.
But it's not all good news. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, park staff have had to perform additional duties related to homeland security and law enforcement. As a result, park staff have less time to spend on resource management and interpretation.
Our Mid-Atlantic office is working with state and federal agencies to ensure that Catoctin Mountain Park is fully staffed and fully funded to guarantee the protection of its natural and cultural treasures.
Your Purchases Can Help Our National Parks
Every time you make a purchase with your NPCA Chase Visa, you support NPCA programs. For every $10 you charge with your NPCA Visa, NPCA will receive 6 cents toward our efforts on behalf of national parks. Apply today! To learn more about the NPCA Chase Visa call 1-888-215-3049 or complete the NCPA Visa application online.
Did You Know?
Nearly a quarter of U.S. rivers and nearly a third of U.S. lakes post notices warning people to limit their consumption of fish caught in those waters due to the presence of mercury. This highly toxic metal is increasingly turning up in fish and the animals that eat them in national parks such as Everglades, Mammoth Cave, and Great Smoky Mountains. A nearly-completed EPA study reveals that coal-fired power plants are responsible for much of the mercury found in downwind areas.
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.
