April 19, 2022 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden President of the United States The Honorable Debra Haaland Secretary of the Interior The Honorable Brenda Mallory Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality Dear President Biden, Secretary Haaland, and Chair Mallory: We are writing on behalf of over 2,100
Coalition Applauds Congresswoman Escobar’s Letter of Support for Castner Range
Release Date: April 5, 2022 Media Contact: Emily Thompson Coalition Applauds Congresswoman Escobar’s Letter of Support for Castner Range Following Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland’s visit to Castner Range, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar sent a letter to President Biden requesting he use the Antiquities Act to designate Castner Range a national monument. “We thank
Coalition Speaks with NPT About Funding for Cultural and Historic Parks
Funding Lags for Historic, Cultural Parks Compared to Large, Popular Parks By Lori Sonken James Van Evers remembers sitting on bunkbeds, chewing bubble gum cigars his father gave him, and riding Heidi, the German Shepherd, in the backyard, but that’s about all he recalls from his childhood home in Jackson, Mississippi. His family moved
Coalition Submits Comments on Air Tour Management Alternatives for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
March 28, 2022 Ms. Rhonda Loh, Superintendent Hawaii Volcanoes National Park P.O. Box 52 Hawaii National Park, HI 96718 Subject: Potential Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) Alternatives for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Dear Superintendent Loh: I am writing on behalf of over 2,100 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), who
Coalition Sends Letter Regarding GRCA Backcountry Permit Fees
March 10, 2022 Mr. Edward Keable, Superintendent Grand Canyon National Park PO Box 129 Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 Dear Superintendent Keable: I am writing on behalf of over 2,100 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), who collectively represent more than 40,000 years of national park
Coalition Comments – Wears Valley Mountain Bike Trail Revised Environmental Assessment.
March 9, 2022 Mr. Alan Sumeriski Superintendent, Great Smoky Mountains National Park 107 Park Headquarters Road Gatlinburg, TN 37738 Subject: Comments on Revised Environmental Assessment for Proposed Wears Valley Mountain Bike Trail System Dear Acting Superintendent Sumeriski: I am writing on behalf of over 2,100 members of the Coalition
Coalition Submits Comments on Caneel Bay Redevelopment and Management Plan
March 4, 2022 Caneel Bay Redevelopment and Management Plan Superintendent 1300 Cruz Bay Creek St. John, VI 00830 Re: Caneel Bay Redevelopment and Management Plan Newsletter comments Dear Superintendent Fields: We are writing on behalf of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and its 1.6 million members and supporters nationwide, and the Coalition to
Member Op-Ed: National Parks Can’t Keep Doing More With Less
Letter: National Parks Can’t Keep Doing More With Less by Opinion Contributor February 28, 2022 Sen. Angus King is pushing for additional national parks staffing, and I couldn’t agree more. For too long national parks have been asked to do more with less. Attendance hit new records at national parks across the country
Coalition Submits Comments on Visitor Experience and Improvement Authority Proposed Rule
March 1, 2022 Commercial Services Program National Park Service 1849 C Street NW Mail Stop 2410, Attn: VEIA Rule Comments Washington, DC 20240 Subject: Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) 1024-AE47 Dear NPS Commercial Services Program: I am writing to you on behalf of over 2,100 members of the Coalition
Coalition Joins Sign On Commending GAOA Hearing
February 8, 2022 Dear Chairman King, Ranking Member Daines and Members of the Committee, We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition (Coalition), thank the Subcommittee on National Parks for hosting the important upcoming hearing on the Great American Outdoors Act. We commend the historic bipartisan support for this bill and
Coalition Praises Bennet’s Push to Pass Amache Legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, February 7, 2022 CONTACT: Emily Thompson | Em************@********ps.org Former NPS Employees & Leaders Praise Sen. Bennet for Pushing Legislation to Add Amache National Historic Site to the National Park System Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Urges Swift Senate Passage of Legislation Statement from the Coalition to Protect America’s National
NPT: Room To Grow? For Parks In The Eastern US, More Than You Realize
As the first major step towards reaching its goal to “conserve, connect, and restore” 30 percent of the nation’s land and water by 2030, the Biden administration released its “America the Beautiful” report in 2021, laying out the broad principles guiding the effort, but lacking specific details on which lands, exactly, need to be
Coalition Submits Comments on Ironman Race Permit Request at Blue Ridge Parkway
January 29, 2022 Ms. Tracy Swartout, Superintendent Blue Ridge Parkway 199 Hemphill Knob Rd Asheville, NC 28803 Dear Superintendent Swartout: I am writing to you on behalf of over 2,100 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), a non-profit organization composed of retired, former, or current employees of the National Park
Coalition Expresses Strong Concern Over Potential Development Near Manassas National Battlefield Park
January 25, 2022 Chair Wheeler and Members of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, I am writing you today on behalf of the Coalition to Protect Americas National Parks, a non-profit organization composed of more than 2,100 retired, former and current employees of the National Park Service (NPS), who collectively have over
Coalition Joins Call Urging Passage of Final FY 22 Appropriations Bills
January 24, 2022 Dear Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member Shelby, Chairwoman DeLauro and Ranking Member Granger, We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition, urge passage of final Fiscal Year 2022 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bills to address significant park understaffing and related operational
Coalition Joins Request for Pre-Decisional Referral for Historic Jamestown Transmission Lines Project
January 19, 2022 Charles F. Sams III Director National Park Service 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 RE: NAO-2012-00080 Surry-Skiffes Creek-Whealton Proposal Request for Pre-Decisional Referral to CEQ Dear Director Sams: Congratulations on your appointment as the Director of the National Park Service. We look forward to working with you. We, the undersigned, urge
Coalition Joins Call to Delay Community Meetings Over Proposed Data Center Near Manassas Battlefield
Chair Ann Wheeler Supervisor Victor S. Angry Supervisor Jeanine Lawson Supervisor Yesli Vega Supervisor Pete Candland Supervisor Kenny A. Boddye Supervisor Andrea O. Bailey Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin January 13, 2022 Dear Chair Wheeler, and Supervisors Angry, Lawson, Vega, Candland, Boddye, Bailey, and Franklin: We, the below signers, write to you today to urge
Former Coalition Chair Comments on Funding Imbalance and the Parks
NPT Editor’s note: Without adequate funding, you can’t quickly repair your leaking roof, or hire enough employees to meet your customers’ needs and demands. At the National Park Service, the lack of adequate funding across the board threatens the agency’s mission, landing the issue of park funding on National Parks Traveler’s 3rd Annual Threatened and
Coalition Comments on America the Beautiful Progress Report
Today, the Biden Administration released their America the Beautiful progress report, which provides updates on the progress and accomplishments of meeting our first-ever national conservation goal – and ensuring all Americans have access to the outdoors – by conserving 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to
Coalition Sends Welcome to Director Sams in the Tradition of the Lane Letter
December 17, 2021 Mr. Chuck Sams, Director National Park Service 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Director Sams: Congratulations on your confirmation as the 19th director of the National Park Service – arguably our nation’s most popular federal agency! You join a long and honored line of directors of the National Park
Opening Brief Filed In NPS Hunting Rule Litigation
For decades, the National Park Service (Service) consistently declared that it must manage the National Park System in Alaska primarily for conservation, and that Congress’ allowance of sport hunting on National Preserves (Preserves) did not alter that conservation mandate. The Service codified that position in 2015, adopting regulations that barred predator reduction efforts as well
Coalition Joins Comments Regarding Migratory Bird Treaty Act
BY ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION Via Federal eRulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov Attn: FWS–HQ–MB–2021-0105 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service MS: PRB/3W 5275 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 Re: Docket No. FWS–HQ–MB–2021-0105; Migratory Bird Permits; Authorizing the Incidental Take of Migratory Birds Please accept the following comments submitted by the Southern Environmental Law Center (“SELC”) on behalf of
Coalition Joins Comments On Threat To Minidoka National Historic Site
November 24, 2021 Commissioners California Public Utilities Commission 505 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102 Submitted via email to: ES***********@*****ca.gov Attention: Monica Palmeira, Analyst – Environmental & Social Justice Action Plan Dear Commissioners: On behalf of Japanese American, Asian American Pacific Islander and partner organizations, we write to express our support for
Member Oped: Sams the Right Man for Our National Parks
Guest Opinion: Sams the right man for our National Parks Jim Hammett The National Park Service has a morale problem. The agency has been underfunded for decades and the previous administration politicized the mission of the NPS, turning employees into political pawns in the process. Now, the NPS is dealing with record-breaking crowds
NPT Episode 141: Is Charles Sams The Next National Park Service Director?
By Kurt Repanshek – October 24th, 2021 We are on the cusp of having the first Senate-confirmed director of the National Park Service since Jonathan Jarvis retired at the end of the Obama administration in January 2017. Since then there’s been a revolving cast of individuals serving as acting director. But now the Biden Administration