For more than 100 years, the National Parks Conservation Association has been America’s leading voice for the national parks. As an independent, non-partisan nonprofit advocacy organization, we have stood up for national parks before Congress, the White House, and the courts through nineteen Presidential administrations.
The Park Protection Fund is strengthening our capacity to defend national parks. Right now, we are focusing NPCA’s resources on the most urgent threats facing our parks where we believe we can have the greatest impact. This is what you’re supporting when you give to NPCA’s Park Protection Fund.
Line at Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Lines at national parks will likely continue to grow as there are fewer park rangers to operate entrance booths, campgrounds and visitor centers.
Grandmother and young granddaughter look out to Crater Lake while hiking. Proposed budget cuts of over $1 billion threaten to close approximately 350 national park sites, severely impacting visitor experiences across the country.
Flags fly at Stonewall National Monument in New York. The park’s webpages were recently scrubbed of any mention of the trans community, including webpages about activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, key players in the Stonewall Uprising who later founded one of the first LGBTQ youth shelters in America.
Mojave National Preserve in California has come under threat from increased energy extraction.
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, NY. References to slavery were temporarily removed from Park Service webpages about the Underground Railroad.
Zion National Park in Utah, recently a target for a concerning legislative amendment that would authorize the selling of public lands surrounding the park.
What You’re Supporting:
Defending the National Park Rangers and Staff
The National Park Service has lost more than a quarter of its permanent staff since January. Those remaining face uncertainty about their job status, hiring freezes and the looming threat of a mass staff termination. NPCA speaking out for the people who protect park resources and ensure visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience. Your support of the Park Protection Fund empowers us to call on Congress and the administration to prevent further cuts to park staff.
Protecting the History of National Parks
The Department of the Interior has been asked to evaluate parks, monuments, memorials and more, and rewrite the stories deemed to contain “partisan ideology.” Every single of America’s national parks preserves our shared history and culture. And though that history can sometimes be difficult to reckon with, park visitors should be able trust that the stories found in our national parks are true and objective accounts of an era. With support from the Park Protection Fund, NPCA is committing to ensuring our parks tell a full and complete American story.
Defending Parks Against Drilling and Mining
When companies drill and mine for oil, gas or minerals at the edges of park boundaries, the harm doesn’t stay there. The infrastructure, air pollution and water runoff can bleed into our parks, devastating the natural landscapes parks are supposed to preserve. NPCA is protecting national parks and their surrounding landscapes from the threats of place-based oil and gas and hardrock mining development and policies while advocating for the highest standards of conservation and preservation for these lands.
Stopping the Public Land Selloffs
National parks are bordered by other types of public lands, connecting larger landscapes and helping keep our parks – and the air, water and wildlife within them – pristine and wild. However, decision-makers continue to threaten to sell off public lands through congressional, judicial or administrative action. NPCA is opposing the sale of public lands, bringing together coalitions of park supporters, community leaders, other conservation groups, and more to stop attempts to sell off public lands.
Our Strategy:
We take a multi-pronged approach, working on Capitol Hill, in communities and, when needed, in the courtroom to protect and preserve our national parks. Our staff and policy experts advocate at the federal, state and local level. Our communications team works to increase public awareness and respond quickly to emerging threats. NPCA’s field and regional staff build lasting relationships with local communities, business leaders, Tribal leaders and more to garner more support for our national parks. Our top-notch legal team stands ready to act when the situation arises. Your support of the Park Protection Fund allows NPCA to work nimbly and strategically to address threats to national parks regardless of the political climate
When you support NPCA’s Park Protection Fund, you become part of a distinguished legacy of park protection stretching back more than a century. Your gift ensures that the places that have inspired generations of Americans – from the towering cliffs of Yosemite to the deep canyons of the Southwest to the pristine waters of Acadia – remain protected for future generations.
HELP PROTECT OUR NATIONAL PARKS Donate to NPCA’s Park Protection Fund
For more information, or to discuss how you can support NPCA’s Park Protection Fund, please contact Kimberly Rowsome, Deputy Vice President of Development, at krowsome@npca.org or at (202) 853-5443.
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Parks Group Raises Questions and Concerns Over New National Park Fee Policy
"Any policy that keeps people from visiting our national parks is a problem...it’s unclear how these changes will be implemented to reduce impacts on park visitors and staff." - Emily…
