OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 25, 1997

(DOI) Stephanie Hanna (O) 202/208-6416

(DOT) Bill Adams (O) 202/366-5580

(NPS) Dave Barna (O) 202/208-6843

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater joined together at the National Gallery of Art to underscore the commitment of both federal agencies to work together to conserve the magnificent natural resources of America’s National Parks. The Secretaries chose the National Gallery to launch the new initiative against a backdrop of Thomas Moran’s famous landscapes of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado and other national park areas in the West now on exhibit there.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the two Secretaries charts a new course to address transportation needs in and around National Parks and enhances the cooperative relationship between the Departments of Transportation and Interior on park issues. The MOU is the next step in the implementation of President Clinton’s vision for the future in his “Parks for Tomorrow” initiative outlined on Earth Day, 1996.

Secretary Babbitt also announced a decision by the National Park Service to use a combination of light rail trains and alternative fuel buses at Grand Canyon National Park to ensure the park’s accessibility to an ever-growing number of visitors, and eliminate the traffic congestion that has negatively affected the natural environment and the quality of visitor experience.

“Secretary Slater and I have a vision for the future,” Secretary Babbitt said, “and it cannot be realized without close cooperation between our two agencies. Through sharing of expertise and technical assistance, we will be giving our grandchildren a chance to spend time in these magnificent natural landscapes with as good or better a quality of experience than we have today.”

“An increasing number of our national parks are fast becoming as crowded with cars as some of our most congested highways,” Secretary Slater said. “By working together in this new joint effort, we will develop transportation alternatives that preserve the beauty and enjoyment of these treasures for generations to come.”

The Memorandum of Understanding recognizes that thoughtful transportation planning is essential to the mission of the National Park Service. The purpose of the MOU is to enhance the mutually beneficial relationship between the Department of Transportation and the Department of the Interior to improve transportation in and approaching National Parks by:

•390•Establishing an interagency, multidisciplinary team to develop parks transportation policy procedures and coordination.•390

•390•Developing and implementing transportation improvement initiatives through demonstration projects. The initial demonstration projects are at Zion, Yosemite and Grand Canyon National Parks. In the future, other parks could benefit from these initiatives, including Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Acadia National Park.•390

•390•Developing a personnel exchange program to encourage the sharing of expertise across agency lines.•390

•390•Identifying National Parks as demonstration projects for new “Intelligent Transportation Systems” technology.•390

In addition, the MOU commits both agencies to the enhancement of recreation andconservation programs that play a significant role in the quality of life in America’s communities nationwide.

Three national parks were chosen as demonstration projects for an innovative approach to reducing traffic congestion while improving accessibility for visitors year-round. For example:

Zion National Park:

Zion National Park will provide shuttle bus service from nearby hotels and campgrounds to the visitor center, and then a shuttle bus with many drop-off points along the narrow canyon’s only paved road.

Yosemite National Park:

Yosemite recently released its draft plan that proposes integrating an in-valley shuttle system with a regional transportation system established by the gateway communities. The east end of Yosemite Valley will be significantly restored to its natural condition, removing unnecessary roadways and buildings and reducing traffic congestion. The park will benefit in the implementation of its plan from special Congressional disaster relief as a result of last winter’s catastrophic flooding.

Grand Canyon National Park:

Grand Canyon’s transportation plan, announced at today’s event, redesigns the South Rim to permit a combination of light-rail train and alternative fuel buses to ride from Tusayan into the park’s Mather Point Transit Center and to other trail-heads, viewing areas and facilities. According to the announcement, light rail would serve both the transportation hub at Mather Point and the former railway depot at Maswik from the Tusayan Gateway parking area. Alternative-fueled buses will provide transportation to other points of interest in the areas that have been most congested from automobile traffic.

“These plans point toward the 21st Century, and the direction we must follow if visitors continue to love and to spend time in their national heritage, our premier system of National Parks,” Babbitt said. “I am very gratified to be able to join with Secretary Slater today to forge a strong partnership to assist with the future transportation needs of the National Park Service. A new generation of Americans will reap the benefits of the actions we take today, and will be able to view and appreciate these majestic landscapes with more serenity and clearer air as a result.”

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