Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks | To study, educate, speak, and act for preservation and protection of America's National Park System

Issues

Advocating for the protection of our national parks and programs is at the heart of the Coalition’s work. We provide knowledgeable and comprehensive analysis of the issues facing the park system through issue papers, comments, editorials and face-to-face meetings. Our most recent efforts are listed below.

Success Story: Amid Public Outcry, Zinke Extends Every Kid in a Park Program

In response to reports that the Interior Secretary planned to end the popular “Every Kid in a Park” program, the Coalition joined over two dozen other groups in speaking out in support of the program. Click “Read More” to learn about this issue.

Coalition Issues Statement following Superintendent Wenk’s Retirement Announcement

The Coalition Chair, Phil Francis, issued comments on Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk’s retirement, which came after Wenk was notified of his reassignment to the National Capital Region. Click “Read More” to see Phil quoted in the Huffington Post and The Guardian.

Coalition Opposes Legislation to Allow Bikes in Wilderness

The Coalition has joined 150 other organizations in writing Congress to oppose S. 2877 and H.R. 1349, bills that would amend the Wilderness Act to allow the use of mountain bikes in designated Wilderness. Click “Read More” to see the joint letter.

Featured Profiles

Robert G. (Bob) Stanton

During his nearly 40 years of experience with the National Park Service (NPS), Bob Stanton served as a seasonal park ranger, management assistant, park superintendent, deputy regional director, regional director, associate director, and director, giving him a perspective and depth of experience matched by few others.

Richard (Rick) Cook, 1950-2016

“Hey, it’s West, By God, Virginia” was a phrase more frequently heard from Rick, whether he was recalling his “earlier days” as an ambulance chasing hearse driver, working in the Governor’s Mansion, or writing papers for the U.S. Dept. of State to provide an intellectual base for world wide heritage conservation decisions in a United Nations forum.

Maureen Finnerty

In her more than thirty year career, Maureen Finnerty was a ground-breaking and widely respected leader whom the National Park Service (NPS) relied upon for advice and counsel on numerous critical issues and functions. A woman consistently ahead of her time, she was the first woman to serve in several NPS positions.

Hugh C. Miller

Hugh C. Miller. FAIA, FAPT, a 28-year veteran of the National Park Service (NPS) served as the service’s second chief historical architect between 1979 and 1988. During that tenure, he was executive architect for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and principal steward of the many nationally-significant historic buildings and landscapes in the service’s care.

Rick Smith

Rick Smith started his NPS career in 1959 as a seasonal ranger in Yellowstone National Park (NP) and continued in that role for the next nine summers while he finished his undergraduate work, taught junior high school English and completed a master’s degree in English literature at Michigan State University.

Christine L. Shaver

“To say that I love national parks and wilderness areas would be an understatement…I dedicated my entire career, from my early days at law school to my former post as head of the National Park Service’s Air Resources Division, to the protection and defense of our national parks and wild places, specifically against the threat of air pollution.” Thus wrote Chris Shaver a few months ago in an op-ed published in The Coloradoan advocating for tougher regulations to protect park air quality.

Get Involved