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| Celebrate our National Parks
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Dear Neighbor,
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “There is nothing so American as our national parks.” His words capture the beauty and importance of our National Park system. It’s a treasure that belongs to each of us. As we celebrate National Park Week, we have a responsibility to preserve its legacy for future generations.
Across our Commonwealth, we are privileged to have more than 22 National Parks, including the Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, and the Assateague Islands. Here in Northern Virginia, we are home to many sites, including Great Falls, the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the national park for the performing arts at Wolf Trap, and historical sites, such as the Arlington House and Manassas National Battlefield.
These sites tell the story of Virginia and display its beauty for the world. But our national parks also are economic drivers. In 2016, there were a record 331 million visits to national parks across the country. Visitors spent more than 18.4 billion dollars and supported nearly 318,000 jobs. Here in Virginia, our parks generated $1.5 billion in economic benefits and supported 16,800 jobs.
As co-chair of the House Green Dogs, I opposed the Department of Interior’s plan to dramatically increase the entrance fees to 17 national parks. Doubling or nearly tripling the entrance fees to visit the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and other sites will make our parks inaccessible for families and hurt local economies. Thankfully, the Administration heeded our concerns and proposed only modest increases this year.
The bipartisan government funding package that I supported also provided a nine percent increase to our Park Service. While this was an important step forward, Congress needs to rededicate its financial commitment to the Park Service.
The NPS is facing the greatest funding and infrastructure challenge in its history. According to the National Parks Conservation Association, Virginia faced more than $750.6 million in deferred maintenance in 2014. Nationally, that figure grows to $11.6 billion. And we have seen a 33% decline in appropriated federal funding for construction and maintenance from 2006-2015.
Congress took an important step when it passed the National Park Service Centennial Act, which will provide additional funds to address the maintenance backlog and allow the Park Service to expand its Volunteers in the Park program. In addition, it will establish a Second Century Endowment to leverage private donations for projects and programs. I am also a cosponsor of the National Park Service Legacy Act that would provide dedicated funding to address the infrastructure backlog.
We have important work to do if we are going to ensure future generations can visit these treasures. So as we come into spring and summer weather, I encourage all Northern Virginians to join the #FindYourPark movement and visit your favorite park.
Sincerely,
Gerald E. Connolly
Member of Congress
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Washington, DC Office
2238 Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-1492
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Annandale Office
4115 Annandale Road, Ste. 103
Annandale, VA 22003
Phone: (703) 256-3071
Fax: (703) 354-1284
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Prince William Office
2241-D Tacketts Mill Drive
Woodbridge, VA 22192
Phone: (571) 408-4407
Fax: (571) 408-4708
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