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Reader Participation Day: How Should The Next President Of The United States Help The National Parks?

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Published Date

June 27, 2012

Come November, we get to choose the next president of the United States. President Obama might get a second term, or Mitt Romney might get his first. Whoever wins, how do you think the next president of these United States can best help the National Park System?

More funding is always nice to ask for, but Congress controls the purse strings, so even if the next president proposes to double the National Park Service's budget, Congress likely won't let that happen.

But there are things the president can do by executive order, or simply through promotion, or, barring passage of H.R. 4089, through the stroke of his pen with the backing of the Antiquities Act.

With those ground rules, what would you like to see the winner of November's election do to help the National Park System?

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Comments

Submitted by Lee Dalton on June 27, 2012 - 8:40am.

Mitt wants to eliminate the Antiquities Act. But then again, given his flip-flopping record, he might declare all of Colorado a national monument.

Obama has been a terrible disappointment.

So either way, the parks had better get ready for four more years of survival mode.


Submitted by rdm24 on June 27, 2012 - 10:31am.

Some pretty aggressive use of the Antiquities Act to create new National Monuments, as well as some new federal Wilderness designations.

And, of course, much better financial support for our parks.

I think our next president needs to make a better case that National Parks can be drivers of economic growth and job creation. Budgets that make cuts to the National Park Service should rightly be called job-killers.


Submitted by y_p_w on June 27, 2012 - 11:21am.

rdm24:
Some pretty aggressive use of the Antiquities Act to create new National Monuments, as well as some new federal Wilderness designations.

Wilderness designations have to go through Congress first. That could get interesting especially with a Congress that may or may not be hostile to such designations.

As for use of the Antiquities Act, Obama did recently declare Fort Ord as a national monument, although it's still under BLM jurisdiction. I know this is primarily an NPS focused site, but many of our nation's protected lands are under different jurisdictions including the BLM and Forest Service.


Submitted by Rick B. on June 27, 2012 - 12:32pm.

Cutting waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back on the war expenditures which drive the deficit would alone enable more than ample funding for the NPS.


Submitted by admin on June 27, 2012 - 1:59pm.

Visit them instead of vacationing in playgrounds of the rich.


Submitted by admin on June 27, 2012 - 2:11pm.

Mitt wants to eliminate the Antiquities Act.

Really? Can you identified where and when he said that?


Submitted by Kirby Adams on June 27, 2012 - 2:15pm.

Lee, you crack me up.

"...he might declare all of Colorado a national monument."

Would that be the parting gift for then-outgoing Secretary Salazar? Seems appropriate.


Submitted by admin on June 27, 2012 - 4:29pm.

Visit them instead of vacationing in playgrounds of the rich.

Last thing I want is a President in the park when I am there.


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