Latest NPCA Bulletin

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

The NPCA is the National Parks and Conservation Association,
a 500,000-member organization founded in 1915 as the "friends"
group for the national parks.


Subject: National Park Lines 99-13
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 16:04:20 -0400
From: owner-npca-pan@lists.npca.org
To: npca-pan@lists.npca.org


National Park Lines 99-13, July 23, 1999
News for NPCA's Park Activist Network (NPCA)
E-Mail:  TakeAction@npca.org  Web:  http://www.npca.org

In This Issue:
1. Support Needed to Pass Park Funding Bill 
2. Stop Senate Riders
3. Protect Denali National Park
4. Hot off the Presses--NPCA's New National Park Discovery Guides 
5. Park Speak

CALLS NEEDED TO HELP PASS PARK FUNDING BILL:  Your help is needed to pass a
proposal by Sen. Bob Graham (FL), The National Park Preservation Act (S. 819),
which would help alleviate outside threats to our national parks.  This
proposal would provide millions of dollars from fees paid by major oil
companies that drill for oil in the outer continental shelf.  Through the
National Park Service (NPS), the money would be made available to local
communities and even private companies to help them protect our parks from
outside threats.  Take Action!  Please call your Senators using
http://www.npca.org/cgi-bin/congress.pl?cf=npca/cong.cf and ask them to
support this effort in the Senate Energy Committee. Many people realize that
we cannot effectively protect our national parks if we don't pay attention
to what is happening outside the park boundaries.  By addressing these
external threats we can help our parks and our local communities. 

STOP SENATE RIDERS:   Your calls and letters are urgently needed to stop
the anti-environmental riders attached to the Senate FY 2000 Interior
Appropriations bill (S. 1292).  Echoing those that were on the House
version of the bill:  allowing grazing without environmental review
on public lands; special deals for grazing interests; weakening the
1872 Mining Law by exempting existing mining operations from toxic
mining waste dumping limitations on federal public land; prohibiting
grizzly bear reintroduction without express written consent from ID
and MT governors; and more. Take Action!  Contact your Senators TODAY
using http://www.npca.org/cgi-bin/congress.pl?cf=npca/cong.cf  and tell
them to oppose these harmful provisions once and for all!   Urgent
action is needed, as this legislation is expected to go to the floor
the week of July 26th.  For a detailed list of these anti-environmental
riders, send an email to sseay@npca.org.
 
PROTECT DENALI NATIONAL PARK:  As the Senate prepares to take up the
FY 2000 Interior Appropriations bill, there may be an attempt to attach
a provision that would facilitate the construction of a railroad through
the northern portion of Denali National Park and Preserve.  Construction
of a railroad, as well as related large-scale hotel facilities, would
degrade the very attributes Denali is revered  for-healthy wildlife
populations, undisturbed ecosystems, and vast wilderness.   The National
Park Service (NPS) has indicated its opposition to a road or a railroad
through north Denali, and points out that ongoing plans for an improved
entrance area and a new visitor facility on the south side of the park
will accommodate increases in visitation over the coming decades.
Furthermore, for the $214 million estimated cost of building a railroad,
nearly every NPS construction priority in all the major Alaska park units
could be funded, thus enhancing visitor use and tourism throughout the state.
Take Action!  Please write, call, or email your congressman and senators
today and ask them not to support any Interior appropriations provision
that would promote a fiscally and environmentally irresponsible railroad
project in Denali National Park.  For contact information, use
http://www.npca.org/cgi-bin/congress.pl?cf=npca/cong.cf 

HOT OFF THE PRESS - NPCA'S NEW DISCOVERY GUIDES:  NPCA's National Park
Discovery Guides provide the most current, comprehensive information
available on America's national park areas. Each guide includes
full-color photos, maps, details on lodging, dining, camping, and
activities in and near each park.  To find out how to get your copies
visit http://www.npca.org/store/discovery_guides.html.

PARK SPEAK:  "The state of civilization of a people may be measured by
its care and forethought for the welfare of generations to come."
 - Dr. John C. Merriam.  Do you have any great environmental quotes
you'd like to see in National Park Lines?  If so, send them to
TakeAction@npca.org. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*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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