National Parks Need More Money, Say Arizona Members of New Coalition; Group Calls for $280 Million Increase for Park Service

2/27/2002

From: Andrea Keller of Americans for National Parks, 202-320-7844 (cell) Deborah Tuck of the Grand Canyon National Park Foundation, 928-853-6331 (cell) Dorothy Davis of Friends of Saguaro National Park, 520-298-3258

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- At a press conference today, the new coalition of Americans for National Parks, including several organizations from Arizona, called for an additional $280 million in the National Park Service's fiscal year 2003 operating budget to protect national parks across the country.

"The President's proposed budget does not provide enough money to meet the needs of the parks," said Americans for National Parks Campaign Director Jennifer Coken.

Research has shown that on average, the national parks receive only two-thirds of the funding needed to fulfill their mission. At the Grand Canyon, for example, more than 3,940 archaeological sites and 339 historical structures are listed in the national register, but only three percent of Grand Canyon National Park has been adequately surveyed, compromising the protection of sites yet to be discovered.

"To keep the Grand Canyon the premier national park and sustainable wilderness it has been for centuries, we must face the fact that the park needs a substantial increase in funding," said Deborah Tuck, President, Grand Canyon National Park Foundation speaking at the press conference. "Decaying infrastructure and visitor use take every available dollar, while wildlife and interpretation receive the short-and sometimes nonexistent-end of the stick. Decades of inadequate funding for this park and others in the system are undermining our ability to preserve these wonders for future generations."

An Americans for National Parks Steering Committee Member, Tuck was in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday for the 2002 Conference of Americans for National Parks and lobbied several Members of Congress to increase funding for the Grand Canyon and all national parks.

The White House's proposed fiscal year 2003 budget includes $250,000 for the Grand Canyon to protect resources and expand the park's law enforcement programs, but the park has an immediate need of $4.5 million and long-term operational needs of an additional $10 million annually.

Tucson-based Friends of Saguaro National Park is also a member of Americans for National Parks and attended the same event in Washington. "The good news is that more and more people are visiting our national parks. The bad news is that the increased use by visitors and the encroachment of a growing southwestern city such as Tucson puts additional pressures on park resources and staff," said Dorothy Davis with Friends of Saguaro National Park. "Desert environments are very fragile. They can never be replaced once destroyed."

Other local members of Americans for National Parks include the Arizona League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Babbitt's Backcountry Outfitters, Campus Greens at Arizona State University, Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition, the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon Music Festival, Grand Canyon Railway, and the Grand Canyon Trust.

"We need everyone's support," Coken said, "because there's just too much to lose."

------ Americans for National Parks is a growing coalition of nonprofit organizations, businesses, trade associations, individuals, and other nonpartisan supporters of the national parks, working to encourage Congress and the administration to address the full needs of the National Park System. Campaign information is available at www.americansfornationalparks.org.