Cumberland Island National Seashore
Just off the Georgia coast, Cumberland Island National Seashore provides a glimpse of resort living during the gilded age. Its unspoiled beaches and lush marshes are accessible only by ferry. The Spanish-moss laden forests and historic ruins are teeming with animal life, including loggerhead turtles and wild horses. The island also serves as an important stopover point for migratory birds.
In addition to a rich wildlife habitat, Cumberland Island has 87 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places that reflect four centuries of North American history. Settlement by Spanish explorers began in the 16th century and plantations flourished after the Revolutionary War. At the end of the Civil War, freed slaves formed a settlement here, but the island was largely abandoned until the 1880s, when the Carnegie family established a lavish estate on land from two defunct plantations.
Contributions from the Carnegie family and Mellon Foundation, in conjunction with the work of dedicated environmentalists and the National Park Service, saved Cumberland Island from development in the 1970s. In 1972, Congress designated Cumberland Island a National Seashore to preserve this secluded treasure.
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Unnatural Disaster
Global Warming and Our National Parks
 The gradual, accelerated warming of our planet will have disastrous consequences for America's national parks. Glaciers in Alaska's parks and Washington's North Cascades and Mount Rainier will continue to disappear; Joshua trees will no longer exist at Joshua Tree National Park; and a rising sea will drown Everglades National Park and portions of historic sites such as Colonial National Historical Park, site of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown.
Although the situation seems dire, NPCA's report, Unnatural Disaster, says we can still halt the most severe effects of climate change if we act now. NPCA offers recommended actions for federal, state, and local governments, along with tips for individuals that can help slow, and in some cases, halt the damage to our national parks. Read Our New Report > >
Battle Won at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
 The Jefferson County Commission in Charles Town, West Virginia recently denied a proposed rezoning that would have allowed 2 million square feet of commercial space on land nearly surrounded by Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (WV). This victory will help preserve the area's historic character for generations of park visitors.
Many thanks to our members and activists who spoke out on this issue. NPCA fought this proposal with the help of a broad coalition that included local businesses, local governments, and local, state, and national organizations. For more information, contact Erin St. John at 304.250.7833 or estjohn@npca.org.
Port Chicago National Memorial Bill Introduced in Congress
 Over the past 6 months, NPCA's San Francisco office has been working with local leaders and Congressman George Miller to make Port Chicago National Memorial in Concord, California, more accessible to the public. Thanks to legislation introduced on July 19, 2007, Port Chicago is on the road to operating a visitor center and bringing on more rangers to inspire and educate schoolchildren. NPCA looks forward to advocating for Congressman Miller's bill.
The Port Chicago explosion was the largest U.S. home front disaster during World War II, killing 320 men, 202 of whom were African American. The explosion, work stoppage, and subsequent mutiny trial provide insights into the injustice of racial discrimination, the African-American experience in the U.S. military, and life on the home front during the Second World War. These events ultimately led to the desegregation of the armed services in the United States.
Working to Save Underground Railroad Sites
 The U.S. House of Representatives stood up for America's history and heritage, passing H.R. 1239, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2007. The bill authorizes much-needed funding for this critical Park Service program, ensuring the preservation of historic sites, artifacts, and personal stories of those who resisted enslavement.
Representatives Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and Michael Castle (R-DE) have demonstrated significant bipartisan leadership to ensure that this chapter of America's history continues to be told. Thanks to their hard work, and the support of the bill's 67 co-sponsors, we are now one step closer to preserving more of the inspiring stories of the Underground Railroad.
NPCA played an integral part in organizing both the legislative and grassroots components of this campaign. Our thanks go out to all those who helped support this effort. We are now working to encourage the U.S. Senate to take up this legislation. Please contact Alan Spears at 202.454.3384 or aspears@npca.org for additional information or visit our fact sheet online.
Valley Forge Threatened by Development
 The historic landscape of Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania is imminently threatened by a poorly conceived development proposal on private land in the park. The American Revolution Center (ARC) seeks an ordinance change to allow commercial development on the park's historic commissary grounds.
The proposal would allow ARC or another developer to build a hotel, conference center, and museum on the historic Pawling Farm, where units of the Continental Army were encamped throughout the winter. This is the site where General George Washington established the army's commissary operation to bring order and security to distribution of precious camp supplies, ending the starvation of the troops. Commercial development on this land is inappropriate and unacceptable within the boundaries of one of America's preeminent historical sites.
NPCA is currently working with friends and members to stop this development. To date, more than 400 people have sent postcards to the Lower Providence Board of Supervisors urging them to deny this ordinance, many have written letters to newspapers expressing their concerns, and many more attended the first two meetings before the Lower Providence planning commission and board of supervisors.
For additional information or to help fight this threat, please contact Cinda Waldbuesser, NPCA's Pennsylvania Program Manager at cwaldbuesser@npca.org or call 215.399.4136.
Meet NPCA super activist Gail Richardson
 Talk about a happy ending! NPCA super activist Gail Richardson from Montana had life-changing experiences in our national parks, and her journey still continues to this day. Here's what Gail had to say:
"Yellowstone and Grand Teton changed my life. I came as a teacher from Nebraska to Wyoming in 1975 on a 2-week horse-pack trip following the death of my father. I needed the solitude and the solace of nature. I fell in love with the majesty of the two parks and their wildlife.
After working in Jackson, Wyoming, I moved up to Yellowstone to work for the park concessionaire and met my future husband working at Old Faithful Inn! He was a tour bus driver and I a travel and information agent. Later, I was one of the first two women snowcoach drivers in Yellowstone National Park! We worked in Yellowstone for 10 years.
Even though we now live in Bozeman, Montana, we go to Yellowstone National Park and other parks and wild lands as often as possible to renew ourselves in the grandeur of nature. I guide small natural history groups into our national parks. Hiking, backcountry skiing, canoeing, wildlife watching and birding are our favorite things. We continue to explore national parks of (mostly) the West and Southwest, always awestruck by their uniqueness and sublime beauty. Thanks NPCA for all you do to preserve our national treasures."
And we thank you Gail, for all you've done to share your love of national parks with others.
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