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• Park Buck Island Reef National Monument This Caribbean park protects a small uninhabited island and the pristine elkhorn coral barrier reef that surrounds it, all about a mile and a half off the coast of St. Croix. Considered one of the finest marine gardens in the Caribbean, the monument protects a pristine underwater environment and habitat for rare and threatened species, including endangered leatherback and hawksbill turtles. Snorkelers can enjoy an interpretive underwater trail, one of only three such trails in the country.
• Park Cabrillo National Monument This park celebrates the explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the first European to set foot on the California coast. A museum exhibition documents Cabrillo's life and travels, as well as early California native peoples and industries. The site also features abundant natural beauty: hillsides covered with flowers, birds nesting in the trees and lizards darting across every pathway. A lookout point near the park's Old Point Loma Lighthouse provides one of the best places anywhere on land to observe migrating gray whales.
• Victory New National Monument Honors Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley A new national park site will ensure that the tragic death of Emmett Till and the strength and resolve of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, are never forgotten.
• Park Buffalo National River The Buffalo is America's first national river and one of the last undammed rivers in the contiguous United States. Its 135 miles flow freely through beautiful Ozark forests and bluffs of limestone and sandstone, offering challenging whitewater conditions in the upper section and calmer Class I rapids in the middle and lower sections. There are not many roads or established overlooks in the park; the best way to experience the beauty of the water is to be out on it, navigating the cliffs, springs, waterfalls and multicolored rock. Just be alert and prepared for fast-changing conditions.
• Park Boston National Historical Park See 350 years come to life in a city that shaped the history of America as a colony and an independent nation. Walk the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail to explore 16 historic sites in the heart of the city, including the site of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere’s house, the Old North Church and the Bunker Hill Monument — all icons of the American Revolution. In addition, visitors can see the U.S.S. Constitution, one of the first ships in the U.S. Navy, commissioned by President George Washington in 1797.
• Report Center for State of the Parks: Virgin Islands National Park Recognizing the significance of the natural and cultural resources found within Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, NPCA’s Center for State of the Parks assessed the current conditions of these resources.
• Park Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site Sacagawea, the Indian guide, joined the Lewis and Clark expedition from her home in the Knife River Indian Villages. This historic site celebrates the culture and tradition of the Northern Plains Indians.
• Press Release Amache Japanese American incarceration site on verge of becoming national park site Feb 2022 Unanimous Senate and House passage puts preservation campaign waged by survivors, descendants and advocates near completion
• Press Release Justice Prevails for Blackfeet Nation: Appeals court upholds protection of sacred Badger-Two Medicine Jun 2020 Blackfeet traditionalists, sportsmen and conservationists celebrate tremendous victory and urge permanent protections for Badger-Two Medicine
• Press Release National Parks Conservation Association views Utah Public Lands Initiative as a Missed Opportunity Jan 2016 Representatives Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz released their draft legislation known as the Utah Public Lands Initiative. NPCA’s goals include protecting and conserving the larger shared landscape, while allowing for recreational opportunities, appropriate development, and robust economies. Unfortunately, the current draft does not meet such objectives.
• Press Release U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior Place a Time-Out on Gold Mine Proposals Near Yellowstone National Park Nov 2016 Two-year pause on new gold mine exploration on more than 30,000 acres of public lands near Yellowstone.
• Blog Post Love Letters to Mojave National Preserve Mar 2017 | By Kati Schmidt Reflections and recommendations from an ever-growing base of fans, including #ThoseParkGuys from the hit show, “Rock the Park”!
• Blog Post Judge’s Ruling a Victory for Buffalo National River Jan 2015 | By Emily Jones A win for Arkansas’ Buffalo River: A judge will hold two agencies liable for a flawed environmental review process of a factory farm six miles upstream.
• Press Release Supreme Court Guts EPA’s Ability to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Pollution, Escalating the Climate Crisis in National Parks and Communities Jun 2022 Today’s decision creates a fallout of implications for public lands and ecosystems that will be felt for generations.
• Blog Post A National Park Made for Life Lists Jun 2017 | By Jim Stratton No matter what experiences you like to “collect,” Channel Islands has it all — including glimpses of the rare island scrub-jay
• Blog Post How Charles Pinckney Changed My View of National Parks Apr 2016 | By Jim Stratton Exploring America’s most fascinating and least known places: A new series from a traveling park lover.
• Press Release Successful Land Exchange Moves Forward to Preserve Grand Teton National Park Dec 2010 Land purchase is major step toward future preservation of park's landscapes
• Press Release Florida Fisherman and Park Champion to Receive National Award Dec 2021 Dr. Marty Arostegui's work protecting this national treasure will have lasting impacts for our country and future generations of divers, fishers, boaters, and other national park visitors.
• Blog Post How National Parks Led Me to My U.S. Citizenship Dec 2016 | By Keiko Takioto Miller Public lands belong to all of us. Sometimes, they help us realize that we belong to them, too.
• Press Release Pilot Program at Grand Teton National Park Informs Future of Composting in Teton County Nov 2017 As part of the Zero-Landfill Initiative to reduce the amount of visitor-generated waste that national parks send to the landfills, Grand Teton National Park and Teton County are making great inroads with new composting waste removal efforts.
• Press Release New Dog Rule Refines Access, Protection for 2nd Most Visited National Park Feb 2016 A decade in the making, the proposed dog rule for Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) aims to balance resource protection with the many forms of recreation enjoyed at the 2nd most visited national park site.
• Press Release National Parks Group Applauds Recommendations to Expand, Greater Protect Santa Monica Mountains Feb 2016 NPCA supports the final "Rim of the Valley" proposal by the National Park Service, which could add 170,000 acres of important waterways, historic and cultural sites, and open spaces to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
• Press Release Victory! New Marine Reserve at Biscayne National Park to Protect Coral Reefs and Replenish Fish Populations Jun 2015 National Park Service announces creation of a marine reserve in Biscayne National Park.
• Press Release County Commission Approves Oil Refinery Next to Theodore Roosevelt National Park Jul 2016 Despite opposition from current and former national park superintendents, the Billings County Commission in North Dakota approved rezoning for an industrial scale oil refinery, to be built less than three miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
• Press Release Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Off-road Vehicle Plan Ignores Threats to Park Resources Mar 2018 The National Park Service’s proposed special regulations for off-road vehicle management at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area misses the mark, ignores park impacts.
• Press Release On the Heels of Proposed Grizzly Delisting, Lawsuit Challenges Wildlife Management at Grand Teton National Park Mar 2016 NPCA is fighting a dangerous, precedent-setting decision by the National Park Service that puts wildlife at risk in Grand Teton National Park.
• Press Release Wildlife-Rich Lands Protected with Transfer of Antelope Flats to Grand Teton National Park Dec 2016 Department of Interior purchased 640 acres of Wyoming State Educational Trust lands known as the Antelope Flats parcel. The wildlife-rich lands were transferred to the National Park Service and are an important addition to Grand Teton National Park.
• Blog Post What We Stand to Lose at Glacier National Park Apr 2018 | By Ulla-Britt Reeves Climate change is affecting more than just the glaciers: perspectives from a 50-year park veteran.
• Press Release Proposed Oil Refinery Threatens Theodore Roosevelt National Park Oct 2016 Meridian Energy Group, Inc. is one step closer to building a 55,000 barrel-per-day crude oil refinery near Theodore Roosevelt National Park . The fast-moving proposal is opposed by NPCA, current and former superintendents of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and many people in the state and local area.
• Blog Post GirlTrek Takes On National Parks and Helps Black Women and Girls Take Back Their Health Sep 2013 | By Sandria M. Washington During the month of August, black women and girls from across the country laced up their boots and stepped out to walk in national parks as part of GirlTrek’s Summer Trek Series, a partnership with the National Park Service to support “Healthy Parks, Healthy People.” GirlTrek, a national nonprofit and health organization that inspires and empowers black women and girls to live their healthiest lives simply through walking, believes parks are our greatest health resource. GirlTrek also believes that when women walk, things change.
• Press Release Forest Service Advances Proposal, Poses Harm to Olympic National Park Nov 2016 In a move that stands to forever harm the natural quiet soundscape of Olympic National Park, the U.S. Forest Service released its final review of proposed roads and infrastructure to be used within Olympic National Forest. Such infrastructure would support electronic warfare training operations by the U.S. Navy.
• Press Release Defending the Air at Theodore Roosevelt National Park Jul 2018 “National Parks Conservation Association refuses to stand by and allow Meridian Energy Group to pollute the air within and surrounding Theodore Roosevelt National Park with its proposed oil refinery.”
• Press Release Analysis Finds Proposed Refinery a Major Source of Pollution for Theodore Roosevelt National Park Aug 2017 Independent analysis raises numerous concerns about air pollution from Meridian Energy Group’s proposed oil refinery near Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s boundary in North Dakota. The North Dakota Department of Health and the National Park Service are currently reviewing an air permit application by the company.
• Press Release Wild Lands Permanently Protected Near Glacier National Park Oct 2019 Today’s oil and gas lease retirement announcement is historic in our decades’ long effort to protect the Badger-Two Medicine area, sacred to the Blackfeet Nation and connected to Glacier National Park.
• Press Release Grand Teton National Park Wildlife, Visitors to Benefit from Final Moose-Wilson Road Plan Sep 2016 The National Park Service's final Moose-Wilson Corridor plan puts Grand Teton National Park on track to preserve the corridor’s unique resources for the long term. The popular road corridor is home to grizzly bears, moose, wolves and other iconic wildlife as well as significant Native American archaeological resources.
• Press Release Gettysburg National Military Park Safe from a Casino – For Now Jun 2017 In a victory for national park and historic preservation, an ill-advised proposal for a racetrack and casino near Gettysburg National Military Park was cancelled.
• Blog Post The World’s First National Park Cave Dec 2014 | By Jennifer Errick National parks protect the country’s most treasured landscapes, including a wealth of natural resources under the Earth’s crust. The United States was the first place in the world to designate a cave as a national park.
• Report Center for State of the Parks: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Recognizing San Antonio Missions National Historical Park’s significance to our shared national heritage, NPCA’s Center for State of the Parks endeavored to determine the conditions of the cultural resources protected within the park.
• NPCA at Work Support the Proposed Chesapeake National Recreation Area The Chesapeake Bay is worth inclusion in the National Park System to enhance public access and protection.
• Report Center for State of the Parks: Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Current overall conditions of the known natural resources in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park rated a score of 60 out of 100. Overall conditions of the park’s known cultural resources rated 65 out of a possible 100, indicating “fair” conditions.
• Victory Great American Outdoors Act The Great American Outdoors Act is providing crucial funding – up to $6.65 billion over five years – to fix our national parks’ crumbling roads, decaying buildings, outdated water systems and many more repair needs.
• Fact Sheet Park Friends of the Colorado River NPCA's Colorado River Program, launched in 2011, harnesses the iconic power of national parks, their broad public and political support, their capacity to engage and educate, as well as protect and improve the health of the land and water within which national parks reside.
• NPCA at Work The Problem with Methane Methane is a powerful pollutant that speeds the warming of our climate. Oil and gas development is responsible for most of the methane emissions in the United States, as well as other pollution, which together creates smog that threatens public health and our national parks.
• Fact Sheet Yellowstone Bison Yellowstone National Park is home to the largest continuously wild, genetically pure bison herd in North America. When snow blankets Yellowstone each winter, bison and other wildlife begin their ancient migrations out of the park’s high country and into surrounding valleys seeking food for survival.
• NPCA at Work Reimagining the Mississippi River Help support a healthy, accessible Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
• Robb Hampton Public Lands Program Director for National Public Lands Day
• Kevin Grange Kevin Grange is an author and paramedic living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He won a 2013 Lowell Thomas Award for his National Parks magazine story, “Sacred Water.” He has worked at both Yellowstone and Yosemite and is the author of "Lights and Sirens: The Education of a Paramedic."
• Seth Kantner Seth Kantner is a commercial fisherman, wildlife photographer, and author of Shopping for Porcupine and the national bestselling novel, Ordinary Wolves. His writing and photographs have appeared in the New York Times, Outside, Alaska, Reader’s Digest, and other magazines and anthologies. He lives with his wife and daughter in northwest Alaska.
• Michael Lanza Michael Lanza is the Northwest editor of Backpacker and creator of TheBigOutside.com. This article is adapted from his new book Before They’re Gone: A Family’s Year-Long Quest to Explore America’s Most Endangered National Parks, published by Beacon Press.
• Dave Santucci Former Next Generation Advisory Council Dave Santucci is one of the founding members of NPCA's Next Generation Advisory Council, a member of NPCA's Northeast Regional Council, and a member of NPCA's former Center for Park Management Advisory Council.

Pagination