Centennial Challenge

Facing daily our country’s focus on campaign primaries, economic forecasts and foreign entanglements, Congress has recently turned its attention to the National Park Centennial Fund Act (H.R. 3094) which was unanimously approved on May 7 in the House Natural Resources Committee. The next step is getting the H.R. 3094 bill to the floor, where it can be voted on by the whole House.  To help get it there, the public needs to encourage members of the House to sign on as cosponsors to H.R.3094 and encourage their leadership to move the bill to the house floor.

H.R.3094 would authorize the National Park Centennial Challenge program which will enhance and revitalize the park system in preparation for its 100th birthday in 2016 by creating a partnership between the federal government and private American citizens.  The Centennial Challenge proposes a government match of up to $100 million annually for 10 years of philanthropic, partnership and government investments that benefit national parks and their visitors. The program would complement private support from groups like FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway with federal funds to carry out important park projects.

The U.S. Government recently announced a list of national parks that would benefit from the interim funding Congress provided for the new National Park Centennial Challenge program, which would double private and other non-federal donations to carry out specific projects and programs. Although the Blue Ridge Parkway projects did not make this year’s list, without passage of the National Park Centennial Fund Act, our Parkway projects – which are important to our park and our community -- are in danger of losing future funding. If fully authorized by Congress, there are many projects pending on the Blue Ridge Parkway that would significantly benefit our park.

Each fiscal year, the Administration’s annual budget submission for the Department of the Interior shall include a list of proposals which shall be known as National Park Centennial Proposals. There are six (6) proposal categories, and FRIENDS is particularly interested in the Education in Parks Centennial Initiative. Thirty percent of the proposals chosen for funding will fall into this category. Proposals must increase National Park-based educational opportunities for persons under 18 years of age, particularly those from populations historically underrepresented among visitors to units of the National Park System. In addition, priority will be given to programs that are designed to actually bring these youth into the parks in person.

FRIENDS has recently increased its efforts to promote its Children in Nature Initiative which encourages our young people to become lifelong advocates of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is no secret that our children today tend to spend more time in front of TV screens, computers and video game monitors and less in outdoors free play. Climbing trees and splashing in the neighborhood creek have been replaced with adult-supervised sports programs. The Blue Ridge Parkway is an ideal venue to reconnect youth while teaching them the importance of conservation of natural resources, preservation and protection of our environment.

FRIENDS works with the Junior Ranger Program to bring children out to plant trees, hike and clear the trails, and help build bridges over Parkway creeks. FRIENDS provides funds so that Park Service staff can utilize Student Conservation Association (SCA) volunteers. FRIENDS’ YVIP program funds the purchase of learning kits and books so young people can demonstrate their newly-acquired knowledge about topics such as trees, mammals, birds, and insects for the Blue Ridge Parkway visitors.

More than 110 Centennial Challenge programs and projects for 2008 were announced by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne. Nearly $27 million has already been raised for these projects by park partners and $51 million has been raised by public-private partnerships to support our parks in the next century.

Today, our national parks are at a critical crossroads as to whether they will continue to serve, educate, inspire, and enrich the next generation of American families in a robust and meaningful way.  We have the opportunity and responsibility to prepare them for their second century of service to future generations. 

Studies have shown for every dollar spent on the national parks, four dollars are returned to the nation's economy - a fourfold return on investment.  The Centennial Challenge will allow park partners to work with the National Park Service and bring this investment to a higher level. We believe it is time to seize the opportunity to provide a better future for the parks, the millions of Americans who cherish them, and the countless communities whose economies depend on them.

Show your support for the Centennial Challenge. We're one step closer to making the Centennial Challenge a reality! You can make a difference by taking two actions: (1)Encouraging your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 3094 will be an excellent push in the right direction! (2) Join FRIENDS, the authorized friends group for the Blue Ridge Parkway, to assist with FRIENDS’ advocacy efforts and Parkway programs!

 

Susan Jackson Mills, Ph.D.
Executive Director
FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc.