What's New
On December 17th, 2007, Congress increased national park funding by
$191 million. Both Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer worked to
secure this increase in the omnibus bill. The bill also included a
provision to remove non-native deer and elk from Channel Islands
National Park. These animals were put on the island for hunting
purposes, and are currently threatening six rare plants found only on
the Santa Rosa Island.
While increased funding and
provisions are both good news for national parks, Environment
Califonria is working right now to ensure that Congress prioritizes
these magnificent natural treasures even more in their funding
decisions for 2009. As Chair of a key subcommittee on funding, Sen.
Dianne Feinstein is uniquely positioned to champion our national parks.
Check out a fun map of California's National Parks!
Listen to a NPR piece on our parks (new window)
Background
California is a stunningly beautiful place. Start out under
thousand-year-old trees in Redwood National Park, meander south to the
high coastal bluffs of Point Reyes and the Channel Islands, and on down
to Joshua Tree, with its herds of desert bighorn sheep and six species
of rattlesnake. It’s easy to see why Theodore Roosevelt sought to
protect the crown jewels of California’s natural heritage by
establishing the first of our eight national parks.
But over the past 30 years, Congress has neglected our national parks,
leaving them underfunded and falling into disrepair. Now beloved places
like Yosemite are plagued by air pollution and threatened by
encroaching vacation homes and oil, gas and timber interests.
But we have a chance to protect and restore our national parks. With
Congress poised to decide funding for our parks, we need to show
decision makers how much our eight natural treasures mean to California.
California’s national parks are in danger
The National Parks suffer from two major problems: a lack of
funding, which reaches over $2 billion with the combined deficits from land
requisition, operations, and maintenance; and a slew of environmental problems,
including encroaching development, air pollution, invasive species and global
warming.
Lack of Funds
The National Park system currently has an $800 million
operations deficit, a $900 million backlog for maintenance, and a $1.8 billion
deficit in land requisitions. The
funding deficit continues to grow, despite the fact that every $1 dollar of tax
money invested in the parks has been shown to make over $4 in profit. Currently, there are proposals to increase
national parks funding by $200 million for 2008. The vote is expected to take place in the
next few weeks, and is currently supported by both the House of Representatives
and the Senate. This would be the
largest increase in park funding ever in a single year, yet it is still nowhere
near what the parks ultimately need.
Environmental Degradation
The four main environmental problems in the National Parks
are:
Encroaching Development: Just last month, a controversial
four-season resort with over 4,000 residential units won approval from Lassen
County officials, nearly seven years after it was first proposed. This will be the biggest development project
in all of the Sierra Nevada, and will increase air and noise pollution near Lassen Volcano
National Park. Sierra Club, Mountain Meadows conservancy,
and other have already filed a lawsuit against the developers, and have cited a
faulty EIS as part of the reason. There
have also been plans to build the world’s largest landfill right outside of
Joshua Tree.
Air and Water Pollution: Kings
Canyon and Sequoia National Park periodically have some of the worst air
quality out of all 391 parks. Water
pollution is also a problem: during snowmelt, and during summer and early fall
rainstorms, the water can become acidic.
This pollution poses a threat to park employees and visitors, as well as
the park’s amphibians and fauna as well.
A clear day and a smoggy day in Sequoia.
Invasive Species: Channel Island National Park
is particularly at risk from this danger.
In 1999, an invasive disease brought in by canines killed almost all Catalina Island foxes.
They are still in constant danger due to non-native feral pigs. The Santa Barbara Island
song sparrow and the crimson flower on Santa
Cruz have both gone extinct in recent years, as these
species habitats were destroyed by non-native plants and animals. They had previously existed solely on the
islands.
Global Warming: This problem is most clear in Yosemite National Park. Animals such as the pika, the smallest member
of the bunny family, are dying due to higher temperatures. They have shifted to a higher altitude of
2,000 feet, yet their continued existence is still uncertain. Increased dryness is expected to cause
increased wildfires, which may lead to smokier skies and even partial park
closure. Increasing ozone pollution is
also a concern. The park’s Sequoia’s
have already shown tissue damage from ozone pollution, which makes them more
vulnerable to insects and disease.
A clear plan to protect our parks
The future of California should not be whittled away. California’s
congressional delegation can act this year to protect our parks for
future generations. Federal funding for the national parks will be
decided in the summer of 2008. When it does we need to show our elected
officials that the public wants to protect our jewels like Yosemite and
Joshua Tree for future generations.
Now, while we are at a crossroads for the future of California’s
national parks, it is time for Californians to make sure we fund our
parks, reduce air pollution, and stop all dangerous development.
Environment California is working to demonstrate widespread support
for saving our national parks and for preserving the natural heritage
of California. We need your help.
Time for action
The $800 million operations deficit is the most immediate
concern, as it has caused massive understaffing. Environment California is calling on:
- Congress
to pass the annual funding proposal in the next few weeks, which would
increase national park funding by $200 billion for FY08.
- Congress
to prioritize the national parks in the budget for future years. A $600 million dollar increase would
correct the operations deficit and allow staffing needs to be met.
- Congress
to review the environmental problems facing the park, to craft more
comprehensive management plans, and to strengthen clean air laws.
