America’s national parks are in a financial crisis. For years, the National Park Service has been operating on a shoestring budget while dealing with decreases in staffing and record high visitation.
One of the most fundamental missions of the National Park Service is to protect landscapes and sites that together tell America’s story. It is important for members of Congress to recognize the vital role that the Antiquities Act and other conservation tools, like the Wilderness Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund, play in the protection and conservation of our shared cultural heritage.
The effects of climate change are happening now, and all our national parks are suffering. Their lakes and rivers are drying up, glaciers are melting, beaches are eroding, and historic structures and artifacts are crumbling.
National parks don’t exist in isolation. They are part of larger ecosystems and landscapes that include other public and private lands, but harmful activities on these surrounding lands are increasingly affecting the land, water, wildlife, and visitor experiences, within national park boundaries.
Hundreds of millions of people visit our national parks each year to experience our country’s most pristine landscapes and iconic wildlife.