Despite recent Beltway shenanigans and partisanship, the President and Congress have come up with a great plan to get our National Park System ready for its 100th Anniversary in 2016. The Access Fund and its partners in the Outdoor Alliance strongly support this plan. We urge you to contact your Members of Congress in the House of Representatives and let them know what you think.

TALKING POINTS:
In the plan currently under consideration the National Park Service (NPS) would receive an additional $300 million for its 2008 fiscal operations. This would be the largest dollar increase ever proposed for national park operations. The increase is part of the Bush Administration's Centennial Challenge, a 10-year plan to invest up to $1 billion of new public and private money in the park system in preparation for the system's 100th anniversary. The bulk of the new funds would allow for the hiring of 3,000 additional seasonal rangers and 500 permanent, full-time employees. The plan also sets aside $1 million for a program that connects gateway community trails to national parks, as well as funds for recreation and conservation, including land acquisition. For more information, see www.nps.gov/20 16.

Increased NPS funding helps climbers because it gives the park service needed resources for managing recreational activities in the country’s parks. Instead of closing or limiting access to climbing areas because of deficient financial and human resources required to manage them, the NPS will be able to properly execute its mission of providing for the "use and enjoyment" of our national parks.

Even though the stars are aligned, Congress needs to hear from you and the rest of the human-powered recreation community. As climbers we know the parks firsthand,so we are the ideal people to let our leaders know that investing in the parks is a national priority and that they need to move forward on this proposal before Thanksgiving.

Call or email your Congressional representative and communicate the following:
We need your help to get H.R. 3094, the National Park Service Centennial Challenge Fund Act, marked up by the Committee on Natural Resources before Thanksgiving and readied for House Floor action by the end of 2007.

Not sure who your Congressional representatives are? Go here: www.congress.org. Not sure how to get in touch with your Congressmen/women? Follow these steps:

BY PHONE: 202-224-3121. Call the main Capitol switchboard and ask for your representative’s office. Next, ask for the Legislative Assistant for Public Lands or Interior.

BY EMAIL: Go to the House of Representatives website www.house.gov, pick your representative in the top box, then use the representative's web form to send an email with the above message.

Additional urgent request: The same message should go to the leadership of the House Committee on Natural Resources:
Hon. Nick J. Rahall 202-225-3452
Hon. Don Young 202-225-5765
Hon. Raul Grijalva 202-225-2435
Hon. Rob Bishop 202-225-0453