National Parks and Conservation Association

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) was founded in 1919 for the defense, promotion, and improvement of the United States' national park system and the education of the general public regarding national parks. Throughout its history, the NPCA has worked toward a three-fold goal: to save the parks from exploitation, pollution , and degradation of their natural resources ; to facilitate easy access to the national parks for all Americans; and to preserve the great variety of wildlife found within the boundaries of the parks.

With a membership of 280,000—including both individuals and organizations—the NPCA boasts considerable political influence and is particularly effective in organizing ground swell support. Members are kept informed of political, environmental, and other issues through National Parks, the official NPCA publication. The magazine also contains articles of interest on state parks, international public lands, and matters of general environmental importance.

For more than 70 years, the NPCA has helped increase the holdings of the National Park System by lobbying for the expansion of existing grounds and for the establishment of new parks. Through the National Park Trust Fund, the NPCA has acquired and donated land to the National Park System. It has labored to protect national parks from overdevelopment and encroaching urban sprawl and has participated in studies to analyze and minimize the impact of visitor traffic.

Other support programs sponsored by the NPCA include fund raisers such as the March for Parks program, independent studies of resource management in national parks, and efforts to protect and revitalize populations of wild animals within the parks. Working in conjunction with other conservation groups, the NPCA has dealt with such wide ranging environmental issues as air pollution , acid rain , water pollution , endangered species , and damage to coastal areas.

Through its bimonthly magazine, National Parks, the NPCA helps coordinate grassroots activities such as the Park Watchers Program, a network of concerned local parties who keep track of potential threats to the Park System, and the Contact System which alerts members to make their views known to public officials on issues concerning the environment . Services to its members include special tours of national parks, general information about environmental issues and their impact on the Park System, and periodic legislative updates and action alerts.

A second bimonthly publication, Exchanges,is directed to those who participate in NPCA volunteer programs. These volunteers serve in a variety of capacities, including public relations, trip coordination, event planning, and fundraising.

The NPCA also has significant political influence, supporting such proposals as the American Heritage Trust Act, which would "protect our historic and natural heritage" with funding provided by royalties from offshore oil drilling . Internships are offered by the NPCA to college students and graduates who want to work in the legislative process.

[Linda M. Ross ]

RESOURCES

ORGANIZATIONS

National Parks and Conservation Association, 1300 19th Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. USA 20036 Fax: (202) 659-0650, Toll Free: (800) 628-7275, Email: [email protected], <http://www.eparks.org>