Latest National Parks & Conservation Association Bulletin

["Linda B. Merims" <lbm@ici.net>]

Note:  I don't know whether any rides take place in the proposed
expansion to Canyonlands National Park, but be aware that part
of this proposal is to transfer a large portion of what is now
legally "National Recreation Land" to the far more restrictive
legal designation and status of "Wilderness."

Also notice the move to eliminate the presidential power that
led to the creation of Grand Staircase/Escalante national
monument.


Linda B. Merims
lbm@ici.net
Linda_Merims@ne.3com.com
Massachusetts, USA



Subject: National Park Lines 99-9
Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 10:11:20 -0400
From: owner-npca-pan@lists.npca.org
To: npca-pan@lists.npca.org


National Park Lines 99-9, Friday, June 25, 1999
News for NPCA's Park Activist Network (PAN)
E-mail: TakeAction!@npca.org  Web:  http://www.npca.org

In this issue:
1. Help Still Needed to Complete Canyonlands National Park
2. Free-Flowing River Gains Needed Protection
3. Graham-Reid Bill Boosts Park Funding Issues
4. Help Preserve the Antiquities Act
5. Park Speak

HELP STILL NEEDED TO COMPLETE CANYONLANDS:  NPCA and the Grand Canyon Trust (GCT)
still need your help to complete Canyonlands National Park.   Completion  calls
for the transfer of 500,000 acres of land from BLM and the northern portion
of Glen Canyon National Recreation area to Canyonlands  The new boundaries would
make the park ecologically whole by including portions of the basin, connected
canyons and watersheds, and offering much needed habitat for one of the few
remaining native populations of desert bighorn sheep.  Take Action!
Visit http://www.npca.org/takeaction/alert_canyonlands.html to send a letter
to Utah's senators in support of legislation to complete Canyonlands.  For
a map and fact sheet visit http://www.npca.org/readaboutit/canyonland_fact.html. 

FREE FLOWING RIVER GAINS NEEDED PROTECTION:  Thanks to overwhelming public support
and threats from environmental groups, nearly two years of controversy and 
delay have finally paid off - the Obed Wild and Scenic River has been 
designated an "Outstanding National Resource Water" (ONRW), and will now be 
given the highest protection under the Clean Water Act.  Efforts aimed at 
protection arose when a dam was proposed upstream of the national park unit. 
Highly scenic and undeveloped, the Obed is one of the last remaining 
free-flowing rivers in the southeast, and the only wild and scenic river 
in TN.  "We believe this designation will take a step in the right direction 
for this national river," said Danielle Droitsch of 
NPCA's Southeast Regional Office.  "It is entirely consistent with the NPS's 
mandate to preserve our national parks unimpaired for future generations."   
For more information, contact NPCA's Southeast Regional office at ddroitsch@npca.org.

GRAHAM-REID BILL BOOSTS PARK FUNDING ISSUES:  Sens. Bob Graham (D-FL) and 
Harry Reid (D-NV) have introduced the National Park Preservation Act (S. 819),
 legislation that will fund national park resource conservation projects 
using approximately $500 million annually from outer continental shelf (OCS)
 oil drilling revenues.  S. 819 would provide funds to safeguard threatened 
or impaired ecosystems, protect critical habitat, and maintain historical 
and cultural resources within national parks.  Take Action!  Write or call 
your Senators and Representative urging them to support the Graham-Reid bill 
by co-sponsoring S. 819, the National Park Preservation Act.  You can use 
http://www.npca.org/takeaction/getpolitical.html for contact information.  
For more information on this legislation contact kcollins@npca.org.  

HELP PRESERVE THE ANTIQUITIES ACT:   Rep. Jim Hansen (R-UT) has introduced a 
bill (H.R. 1487) that would severely weaken the president's power to use the 
Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish national monuments.  The act has been a 
useful tool in immediately preserving lands that were threatened by 
development, resources extraction, or other degradation. The Antiquities Act 
has helped create  and protect 105 national park units, including Grand Canyon, 
Olympic, Denali, and Zion.   NPCA along with The Wilderness Society, the 
National Environmental Trust,  the National Trust for Historic Preservation,
and others,  have asked members of the House to oppose H.R. 1487, which would 
make the Antiquities Act the only act of presidential discretion subject to 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), thereby defeating it's very 
purpose.  Take Action!  Contact your representative and urge them to oppose 
H.R. 1487 or any other legislation that would undermine the Antiquities Act 
of 1906.  You can use http://www.npca.org/takeaction/getpolitical.html for 
contact information.  

PARK SPEAK:  "Nature cannot be ordered about, except by obeying her" - Francis Bacon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*National Park Lines is a publication of the National Parks and Conservation 
Association's Park Activist Network.  To learn how you and your friends can 
become more involved in national park issues, visit our web site at 
http://www.npca.org, or contact our grassroots staff at TakeAction!@npca.org.   
To subscribe a friend, or to view previous issues, visit  
http://www.npca.org/takeaction/pan_parklines.html.   
Comments? Suggestions?  Tell us how we can improve!  Contact TakeAction!@npca.org.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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