By Karen Chávez and Trevor Hughes USA TODAY Posted Nov 23, 2019 at 2:29 PM The Trump administration has ordered rangers from national parks around the country to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border to fight illegal immigration and drug traffickers. It’s an effort that comes as the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has refused to fund
OP-ED: Uranium mining threatens water, natural heritage
By Patricia J. Kelly and Robert Arnberger Special to the Arizona Daily Star Nov 17, 2019 The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writers. Arizonans know that water is life; it is vital to us all and sustains our livelihoods. We cannot afford to let powerful industry interests sacrifice our water to
The National Park System Deserves Better
The National Park System Deserves Better Release Date: 11/7/19 Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, released a statement in response to the recent report by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) on evaporating staff levels at the National Park Service (NPS). “The agency figures released by PEER are incredibly concerning.
Coalition Comments on the Ambler Road Draft Environmental Impact Statement
October 29, 2019 Ted A. Murphy, Associate State Director Bureau of Land Management Ambler Road Draft EIS Comments, BLM Public Room 222 West 7th Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99513 Subject: Comments on the Ambler Road Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Dear Mr. Murphy: I am writing to you on behalf of over 1,700 members of
Coalition Comments on the Draft Environmental and Economic Analysis for the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project
October 29, 2019 Gregory Dudgeon, Superintendent Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709 Subject: Comments on the Draft Environmental and Economic Analysis (EE) for the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project Dear Superintendent Dudgeon: I am writing to you on behalf of over 1,700 members of the
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Denounces Attempts to Privatize More NPS Campgrounds
For Immediate Release: 10/26/2019 An advisory panel created by former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is recommending that the Interior Department privatize more campgrounds and allow services such as Wi-Fi and food trucks, in addition to other commercialized services, at national park campgrounds. “The recommendations put forward by the ‘Made in America’ Outdoor
CPANP Signs-On to Appropriations Letter
October 18, 2019 Dear Chairmen Murkowski and McCollum and Ranking Members Udall and Joyce, We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalition, write to commend the subcommittees for their work to increase funding for our national parks. We recognize the funding constraints within the final 302(b) allocation, but respectfully ask you
Member OP-ED: Concerned about OHV damage to national parks
Concerned about OHV damage to national parks By Allyson Mathis Moab Times-Independent – Letter to the editor Oct. 18, 2019 Editor, I am one of the many, many Moab residents who have great concern about the damage that allowing OHVs on roads in Utah national parks would cause, and appreciate Rep. John Curtis stating that
Coalition Talks to NPT About Commercializing More Campgrounds
National Park Campers Voice Strong Objections To Commercializing More Campgrounds By Kurt Repanshek, National Parks Traveler on October 16th, 2019 There is little support among National Parks Traveler readers for commercializing more national park campgrounds and adding WiFi, food trucks, and other amenities. While an advisory committee to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is calling
Coalition Joins Partners in Expressing Concern Over Proposed Off-Road Vehicle Use in Utah Parks
October 9, 2019 The Honorable Rob Wallace Assistant Secretary of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240 Dear Assistant Secretary Wallace, On behalf of the National Parks Conservation Association, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Grand Canyon Trust, and Coalition
Restoring Community Input and Public Protections in Oil and Gas Leasing Act
10/15/19 Dear Representative, Subject: H.R. 3225, Restoring Community Input and Public Protections in Oil and Gas Leasing Act We are writing on behalf of over 1,700 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 Service (NPS). The Coalition studies,
Statement of support for Restoring Community Input and Public Protections in Oil and Gas Leasing Act (H.R. 3225) by Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks.
Statement of support for H.R. 3225, Restoring Community Input and Public Protections in Oil and Gas Leasing Act by Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. Release Date: 10/15/19 “Oil and gas development damages national parks across the country. And the threats posed to our National Park System have only
OP-ED: Protecting America’s national parks and our national identity
Coalition executive council member Sarah Bransom submitted her opinion article to The Hill on October 10, 2019. America’s national parks and public lands are at the core of our national identity. Throughout their existence, congressional representatives from both sides of the aisle have supported them, recognizing their importance to land conservation, outdoor recreation and economic
CPANP Letter Opposing DOI Reorg and the Use of Unobligated Funds
October 9, 2019 Dear Chairmen Murkowski and McCollum and Ranking Members Udall and Joyce: We are writing on behalf of over 1,700 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 Service (NPS). The Coalition studies, educates, speaks,
Comments on Proposed Closure of Target Shooting on Certain Lands within Bears Ears National Monument
September 24, 2019 BLM, Canyon Country District Bears Ears Management Plans Attn: Lance Porter Canyon Country District Office 82 East Dogwood, Moab, Utah 84532 Re: Comments on Proposed Closure of Target Shooting on Certain Lands within the Monument Dear Mr. Porter, Please accept and fully consider these comments regarding the proposed target-shooting closure within Bears
OP-ED: Protect America’s Best Idea
Coalition Executive Council member Maria Burks Op-Ed published in the September 27th, 2019 edition of the New York Daily News. Our National Park System has been called America’s best idea for good reason. From the battlefields at Gettysburg to the sweeping vistas of Rocky Mountain, our national parks represent our shared American identity and heritage.
Statement by Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks on the Senate Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
9/30/19 Statement by Phil Francis, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks on the Senate Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: “We are pleased with many of the provisions in the Senate’s FY2020 Appropriations bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. And we are particularly encouraged to see
Coalition Files Joint Letter of Protest on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), submitted this protest to the August 2019 Proposed Resource Management Plans (RMPs) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the three units of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) – the Grand Staircase, Kaiparowits, and Escalante Canyon Units – and the
Coalition Signs-on to FY20 Appropriations Letter
September 18, 2019 Dear Chairman Murkowski and Ranking Member Udall: We, the members of the National Parks Second Century Action Coalitioni, write to commend you for investing in the National Park Service (NPS) in recent years and ask that you capitalize on your recent 302(b) subcommittee allocation to improve the NPS budget in FY20. We
Coalition Comments on NPS Memo Regarding External Review and Comments
Coalition Chair Phil Francis spoke with The Washington Post about a recent NPS memo directing superintendents to notify Washington supervisors before issuing comments to other parts of the federal government when they are worried about drilling and other proposed developments near national parks. “It makes me wonder what the motive really is,” said Francis. Read
Comments on ISRO Nonwilderness Cultural Resource Management Plan and Environmental Assessment
September 06, 2019 Phyllis Green, Superintendent Isle Royale National Park 800 East Lakeshore Drive Houghton, MI 49931 Subject: Comments on ISRO Nonwilderness Cultural Resource Management Plan and Environmental Assessment Dear Superintendent Green: I am writing on behalf of over 1,700 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (Coalition), a non-profit organization composed of
Coalition Submits Letter Opposing DOI Reorganization
September 4, 2019 Honorable Raul Grijalva Chairman Committee on Natural Resources House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Mr. Chairman: On behalf of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, I am writing concerning the September 10, 2019, hearing about the proposed reorganization of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its effect on the
Protest of Bears Ears National Monument Proposed Monument Management Plan
The Coalition along with several partners submitted comments protesting the Bears Ears National Monument Proposed Monument Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Read the document here.
Coalition Comments on DOI-BLM Federal Pipeline Unit Wells
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, National Parks Conservation Association, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, and Center for Biological Diversity (collectively “SUWA”) submitted comments on the DOI-BLM Federal Pipeline Unit Wells located in the Colorado Plateau. In short, the Environmental Assessment failed to analyze cumulative impacts of reasonably foreseeable oil and gas wells in the Uinta
Coalition Comments – Proposed Rule, National Environmental Policy Act Compliance
August 21, 2019 NEPA Services Group c/o Amy Barker USDA Forest Service 125 South State Street, Suite 1705 Salt Lake City, UT 841 Subject: RIN: 0596-AD31, Proposed Rule, National Environmental Policy Act Compliance Dear Ms. Barker: I am writing to you on behalf of over 1,700 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks