Ideas Sought From Public On Future Of National Parks

The National Parks Second Century Commission is reaching out to the American public to invite input on the future of the national parks through a series of public meetings and a new website.

Chaired by former Senators J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. (D-LA) and Howard H. Baker, Jr. (R-TN), the National Parks Second Century Commission is a first-in-a-generation effort to examine the national parks today, and chart a vision for their second century of service to the nation. The Commission consists of nearly 30 national leaders and experts with a broad range of experience, including scientists, historians, conservationists, academics, business leaders, policy experts, and retired National Park Service executives.

The Commission recently announced three public “town meetings,” which are open forums where the general public is invited to provide input on issues affecting the national parks. The first was held in Washington, DC, last week; the next two will be in San Francisco on February 24th (5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Fort Mason Center Golden Gate Room) and in Chicago on March 4th (2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center).

To ensure that as many individuals as possible are heard at the town hall meetings, each speaker will be limited to a brief three to five minute statement. Participants at the town hall meetings and visitors to the website are welcome to submit written materials or statements of any length, either in hard copy or electronic format.

The Commission is particularly interested in public input around six key questions about the future of the national parks:

1. How can national parks become more relevant to everyone in America’s increasingly diverse population?
2. How should national parks and the programs at national parks change to meet emerging interests in the future?
3. How can the National Park Service better lead and assist our nation’s citizens and communities in preserving important historic and material culture outside the national parks?
4. What role should national parks play in our society to help address issues such as climate change and the massive loss of plant and animal species predicted for the 21st century?
5. How do you envision the National Park System fitting into a national network of protected areas, considering future expansion of the system and the role of other areas managed by other federal agencies and private landowners?
6. What is the role of the national parks in American education and life long learning?