News Release

  For Immediate Release April 10, 2025 Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Applauds Withdrawal of Kathleen Sgamma’s Nomination to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management  Group Urges the Administration to Nominate Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Leader Who Will Appropriately Balance the Needs of America’s Public Lands Washington, DC — Moments before her

For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 3, 2025  Contact: Doug Gordon | do**@***************es.com Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Announces Emily Thompson As New Executive Director At This Critical Time For National Parks, Thompson Vows To Fight Funding And Staffing Cuts The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, a nonpartisan, non-profit organization made up of over 4,000 members,

    Coalition Condemns Weekend Chaos Caused by Trump Administration In response to an email sent to federal employees on Saturday, which demanded that federal workers summarize their accomplishments for the week, and additional messaging that warned that “failure to respond will be taken as resignation,” Phil Francis, Chair of the Executive Council of the

Coalition Praises Biden Administration for Hosting Public Meeting Advancing Creation of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument Mike Murray, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued the following statement on the public meeting held by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service in Flagstaff, Arizona, to hear from the

  Release Date: April 11, 2023 Media Contact: Emily Thompson Em************@********ps.org Coalition Supports Creation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument Today, members of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, with House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), held a virtual press conference to urge

  Release Date: March 21, 2023  Coalition Celebrates New National Monument Designations Today, President Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Southern Nevada and the Castner Range National Monument in West Texas. Mike Murray, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued this

Release Date: November 30, 2022 Coalition Applauds President Biden’s Pledge to Protect Avi Kwa Ame Today, President Biden pledged to protect Avi Kwa Ame at the Tribal Nations Summit, a commitment which takes the culturally and naturally significant landscape one step closer to a national monument designation. Mike Murray, Chair of the Coalition to Protect

  October 12, 2022 Coalition Celebrates Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument Designation Today, President Biden used his power under the Antiquities Act to create the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. The site, located in Colorado, protects a World War II-era military training ground, as well as striking landscapes and wildlife habitat along the Continental Divide

  Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Celebrates Final Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act “Climate change is the greatest threat facing America’s national parks,” said Michael Murray, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. “The Inflation Reduction Act (Act) will provide an historic investment in our country’s response to that threat, and

WASHINGTON, DC — Moments ago, Tracy Stone-Manning was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the next director of the Bureau of Land Management. In reaction to her confirmation, Phil Francis, chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued the following statement: “The confirmation of Tracy Stone-Manning to serve as the next

  The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Says Biden’s Ambitious Plan is Needed to Address America’s Climate Crises and Help Protect Our Parks WASHINGTON, DC — Today, President Biden announced his Administration’s new conservation plan, laying out an ambitious effort to conserve more of America’s majestic and beautiful lands, waters, and wildlife, and increase

  WASHINGTON — During his speech in Pittsburgh, PA, President Biden outlined his economic vision for building back better with the American Jobs Plan – a path forward that will deliver on jobs, justice, and climate solutions through more than $2 trillion in investments in people and the economy. The plan invests in public lands

  December 29, 2020 Former NPS Director Gary E. Everhardt Passes Away Gary Everhardt, former director of the National Park Service (NPS), passed away on the evening of December 27, 2020.  His death followed the passing of his wife Nancy, on December 23, 2020. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of both Gary and

        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/10/20 MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Thompson; Em************@********ps.org; 202-758-3936 Coalition Calls NEPA Directive a “Waste of Taxpayer Money.” The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo directing federal agencies to prioritize aligning their National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures with the finalized Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations.

  President Trump recently announced he is considering both Gettysburg National Military Park and the White House as the setting for his upcoming speech to accept the Republican Presidential nomination. In light of this announcement, Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, has sent a letter to the Acting Director of

  Ahead of Testimony, Coalition Issues Statement on NEPA Changes “Current NEPA procedures have long provided a critical mechanism for ensuring that the National Park Service fulfills its mission to conserve parks unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. And a key factor in making good decisions that protect parks has been strong citizen involvement.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, February 06, 2020 CONTACT: Emily Thompson, 202-758-3936, Em************@********ps.org Coalition Condemns Final Management Plans for Utah National Monuments WASHINGTON, DC — This morning, the Interior Department finalized resource management plans for the reduced Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah by releasing two Records of Decision. The decision

Today, the National Parks Conservation Association joined the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and prominent park advocates Jon Jarvis, former director of the National Park Service, and Pam Underhill, former Superintendent of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, in filing a joint amicus brief supporting conservation respondents in U.S. Forest Service, et al. v. Cowpasture

Coalition Issues Statement on President Trump’s Speech on the Environment   Release Date: July 8, 2019 “President Trump’s speech today embodies the saying that ‘everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts.’ Despite his words to the contrary, this administration has consistently supported policies, and taken actions, that are harmful

Trump’s Salute to America an Irresponsible Use of National Park Service Resources For Immediate Release: 7-1-19 Media Contact: Emily Thompson; Em************@********ps.org; 202-758-3936 National parks, considered “America’s Best Idea,” are iconic locations to celebrate America’s birthday. Unfortunately, President Trump’s proposed Salute to America celebration on the National Mall will place a huge burden on those tasked

  Coalition Statement on the House Natural Resources Committee’s Passage of Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act Release Date: June 27, 2019 Statement of Phil Francis, Chair of The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks: “We are pleased that Congress is taking another step toward addressing the growing maintenance backlog that is crippling our

  President Trump’s Proposed Budget Will Harm National Parks and Public Lands For Immediate Release: 11 March 2019 The Trump Administration’s FY 2020 budget proposes huge cuts across the federal government. It calls for a 14.9% cut to the National Park Service budget, when compared to the budget passed by Congress for FY19. This budget

Coalition Chair, Phil Francis, was recently interviewed by the Knoxville newspaper expressing the Coalition’s concern and frustration with plans to cut the NPS’s budget. Click here to see the full article.

January 17, 2018 Administration’s Anti-Park Agenda Results in Secretary’s Advisory Board Resignations  The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks is deeply disheartened at the resignation of 9 of the 12 members of the National Park System Advisory Board (Board).  “After playing such an active and instrumental role in the planning of the highly successful National

Coalition Participates in Telepresser on the 2008 “Utah 77” Oil and Gas Leases On December 20, 2017, Coalition member and former NPS Utah State Coordinator Cordell Roy participated in a nation-wide telephonic press conference (telepresser) with members of the news media press to commemorate the anniversary of the “Utah 77” oil and gas leases that