National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)

Some Park Rangers Are Still Owed Pay After the Shutdown Federal workers were guaranteed back pay once the government reopened. Some at the National Park Service are still waiting.

“Working for national parks has always meant a secure, reliable paycheck. Our park rangers deserve better than this.” - Kristen Brengel, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, NPCA https://nyti.ms/4ijn75e

12 Things You Might Not Know About Mamie Till-Mobley She forever changed the course of the civil rights movement in the United States. Here's what you should know about her legacy.

Mamie Till-Mobley forever changed the course of the civil rights movement in the United States. Mamie and her son Emmett Till's stories are honored and preserved at the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument.

Today is her birthday. Here's what you should know about her legacy.

‘Nobody Wants This’: New Poll Finds Majority of Americans Oppose Attacks on National Parks and Park Staff “This poll reaffirms that Americans are united in their support for our national parks. Protecting our national parks is a bipartisan issue." - Theresa Pierno, NPCA's President & CEO

Across the political spectrum, 78% of Americans agree that national parks should not remove photos, signs or other materials that tell factual aspects of America’s history.

Learn more ⬇️

Should national parks tell stories that highlight both America's triumphs and our dark, difficult chapters?

Reply:
1. Agree
2. Disagree
3. Neutral
4. Not Sure

Proposed Assault on Endangered Species Act Would Push Park Wildlife Toward Extinction “The proposed changes, coupled with the mass firing of dedicated staff at US Fish and Wildlife and the National Park Service, put the fate of species like Pacific salmon, the ghost orchid, and the red-cockaded woodpecker in a potentially dire position. ...

“Once a species is extinct, it’s gone. Is that the legacy we want to leave behind?” - Stephanie Adams, NPCA’s Director of Wildlife

‘Nobody Wants This’: New Poll Finds Majority of Americans Oppose Attacks on National Parks and Park Staff “This poll reaffirms that Americans are united in their support for our national parks. Protecting our national parks is a bipartisan issue." - Theresa Pierno, NPCA's President & CEO

NPCA’s nationally representative poll shows that a strong bipartisan majority (69%) of Americans oppose President Trump’s proposed $1 billion cut to the National Park Service’s budget, which could force the closure of at least 350 national park sites.

How do you feel about the future of our national parks right now?

Reply:
1. Hopeful
2. Worried
3. Neutral
4. Not sure

What happens to our parks when rangers  disappear?   - Writers On The Range For over a month, the longest government shutdown in American history has left our national parks in free fall. When...

What's next for parks and rangers now that the shutdown is ending?

We’re living in a moment where hypotheticals—once unbelievable—have become possible scenarios. That is, unless Americans speak up loudly.

Speak up: https://bit.ly/4nj5yDi
Read more: https://bit.ly/4oIkOvd

Parks Group Urges Congress to Protect National Park Funding and Staffing as Budget Agreement is Made to End Longest Government Shutdown in History "Congress must heed the will of the American people and come together to fund parks so they can remain open, staffed and protected." - Kristen Brengel, NPCA's SVP of Government Affairs

"Congress must heed the will of the American people and come together to fund parks so they can remain open, staffed and protected." - Kristen Brengel, NPCA's SVP of Government Affairs https://bit.ly/3M0yGlK

How do Americans feel about recent attacks on parks and their staff? We've got the data. 📉

Our new poll reaffirms that Americans are united in their support for our national parks - and protecting them is a bipartisan issue. Read more: www.npca.org/resources/43...

Thank you, veterans!

NPCA is proud to connect veterans with national parks. Learn more about how our program supports veterans in healing and connection. https://bit.ly/3WKQFPt

9 Things You May Not Know About the Little Rock Nine Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site preserves and interprets the story of the 1957 school integration crisis. Here are nine things to know about this civil rights event.

It's the anniversary of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.

At a time when the current administration has mandated actions to "sanitize" and erase history from national park sites, these stories are more important than ever to share. https://bit.ly/47NpZCJ

Since January, more than 25% of NPS's permanent staff have been lost - and another mass layoff is on the horizon. Parks were already understaffed before this, and terminating more staff positions will decimate our National Park System.

Speak up now: https://act.npca.org/page/89642/action/1

The Only National Parks Employee Who Tracks Leaky Oil Wells Is Out of a Job Forrest Smith was forced to step down last month as the National Park Service's chief petroleum engineer. He wasn't replaced.

“I don’t think I can underscore enough that this has been a significantly underestimated public health and safety problem." - Beau Kiklis, Associate Director of Energy and Landscape Conservation, NPCA https://nyti.ms/4hD6rWg

‘They’re bleeding the parks dry.’ Many national parks are open during the shutdown, but entrance fee booths are closed. - The Boston Globe At least $1 million in fee revenue is being lost every day, according to an outside estimate, starving parks of money needed for staff and projects.

“Donors aren’t going to offset federal defunding of national parks." - Eric Stiles, Friends of Acadia.

NPCA estimates at least $1 million in entrance fee money is being foregone every day of the shutdown. Read: https://bit.ly/432qt6B

Shutdown threatens to derail years of progress in Michigan’s national parks Accessible Track Chairs, preventive safety officers and future construction projects are impacted.

"Every morning Laura Ann Johnson walks through an empty Visitor’s Center. She watches school buses pull up, teachers peer in, and they realize no one is coming to lead their field trip at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore."

Gettysburg suffers damage as advocates ask public to be vigilant during shutdown | CNN Politics The site of one of the most iconic battlefields in American history suffered recent damage, prompting a law enforcement investigation.

“These Civil War battlefields are open-air museums. We're really concerned." - Ed Stierli, Mid-Atlantic Senior Regional Director, NPCA. https://cnn.it/3L7NZJf

The East Wing of the White House was part of the National Park System. Now it’s gone. Like so many Americans, we are horrified that the president just took a wrecking ball to the People’s House. If our most important symbol of freedom and democracy can be destroyed in the blink of an e...

ICYMI: “There are processes in place to protect our most important and historic sites. And the White House, one of our most iconic national park sites, is no exception.” -Theresa Pierno, NPCA’s President and CEO https://bit.ly/4qN3CWX

To save our parks, we must advocate for the people that make our parks extraordinary.

Let's make it clear to Congress that when the government reopens, they must fully staff the National Park Service AND block any further attempts to slash its workforce. https://bit.ly/4nj5yDi

"Permitting the Ambler mining road ignores the cost, the wishes of the people of the region, the impact to America’s wildlife and national parks, and the engineering challenges of building a 211-mile road across melting permafrost," - Jim Adams, NPCA https://bit.ly/4mOiWPz

National Park Service staff are the heartbeat of our parks. They work every day to maintain the places we all love — yet are facing a staffing crisis unlike ever before. We must come together and tell Congress to stand up for our parks and their staff. https://act.npca.org/page/89642/action/1

Court Filings Reveal Secretary Burgum’s Plans to Terminate Key National Park Staff "Secretary Burgum’s actions are making it impossible for the Park Service to protect the very places and resources Americans hold dear." - Theresa Pierno, NPCA's President and CEO

"This court filing confirms our worst fears. Secretary Burgum is preparing to slash thousands of positions at the Department of the Interior, including at least hundreds of National Park Service staff." - Theresa Pierno, NPCA President and CEO

Retain the Public Lands Rule The BLM intends to eliminate the Public Lands Rule, rolling back protections on millions of acres of public lands, including landscapes that border more than 80 national parks. Tell the BLM: conserv...

The Bureau of Land Management wants to eliminate the Public Lands Rule, rolling back protections on millions of acres of public lands, including landscapes that border more than 80 national parks.

Take action: support.npca.org/page/89443/p...

Secretary Burgum, Tell Us Why The National Park Service has lost more than 25% of its permanent staff. History has been literally erased from parks. And in the midst of a government shutdown, more mass firings are looming. These w...

Nobody asked for this. Nobody wants this. Nobody benefits when you gut the National Park Service.

Secretary Burgum, Americans deserve to know - why? https://bit.ly/4hffUmz

Squatters, illegal BASE jumpers invade Yosemite amid federal shutdown "It's the Wild Wild West."

As we've been saying: national parks should be closed during a government shutdown. https://bit.ly/4hpgX3d

Messy Toilets and Closed Parking: Shutdown Mars Trips to National Parks Many areas in the National Park System are open, with cuts to staffing and services. “Oh God, I had no clue,” a visitor says.

“Our biggest concern is the confusion. You hear different stories from everywhere." Chance Wilcox, California Desert Program Manager, NPCA. https://on.wsj.com/3WF4H4W

❌ 25% of NPS permanent staff lost, history erased from parks & more mass firings on the horizon.

We just have one question for Interior Secretary Burgum: Why? Why are you unraveling the very fabric of our national parks instead of protecting them?

Read: https://bit.ly/4hffUmz

National Parks Are Native Lands All national parks exist on traditional Indigenous lands, and in many cases, thousands of years’ worth of Native American history has been documented at national park sites.

As the original stewards of our public lands, Indigenous communities and Tribal leaders have played a key role in advocating for and winning victories for cherished landscapes and cultural sites. https://bit.ly/4nBQX6Y

As the federal shutdown continues, let’s show our gratitude for National Park Service staff and all they do to protect our parks and enhance visitor experience.

Tag or reply with your favorite park site 💚

Gates of the Arctic: Scenes from a Park at a Crossroads By bush plane, canoe and dog sled, a traveler experiences the priceless landscape threatened by the proposed Ambler mining road

“Bit by bit, with each congressional vote and executive order nibbling away at environmental protections, this vast wilderness — one of the last on earth and supposedly protected by law — will be exploited and lost forever.” #NoAmblerRoad #DefendTheBrooksRange

Read: https://bit.ly/4mOiWPz