A Call for “Mission 2016"

This is not the first time in the agency’s history the parks have been at risk of seriously deteriorating from lack of investment. During World War II, parks were nearly shuttered as workers and resources were repurposed to the war effort. After the war, returned soldiers and their families (and automobiles) found the parks crumbling and inaccessible.

At that time, the nation’s elected leaders responded by funding an ambitious revitalization campaign called Mission 66, referencing the year 1966—the National Park Service’s fiftieth anniversary year. With this focused investment, the ten-year period from 1956 to 1966 saw the construction of nearly every part of the park service’s built environment, from the parkways to accommodate recreational motoring to the iconic visitor centers to the familiar campgrounds to the standard signage.

National investment in our public spaces prior to the agency’s fiftieth anniversary modernized the parks to allow them to serve generations of users. Now, just a year away from the hundredth anniversary of the system, we once again have parks crumbling from years of disinvestment. But instead of pulling together to preserve and modernize our iconic and natural spaces for future generations, the National Park Service is forced to pass the begging bowl and limit access to only those who can afford to pay.

If you want to support the broader idea of public funding for public space and a call for “Mission 2016” investment in a public future for our National Parks, sign up here to keep informed.

A Chance to Speak Up

Next week, the US Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources will conduct a hearing on the Department of Interior’s FY 2016 budget. The Department of the Interior is the agency that houses the National Park Service.

Supporters of enhanced public funding for America’s national parks need to let Committee members know that we want those places to be cared for, maintained, and—most importantly—accessible to all Americans as publicly funded natural and cultural amenities.

Supporters of Mission 2016 will send letters of support to members of the Committee in advance of the hearing on February 24th. If you would like your name added to the list of supporters, please click here.

Disclaimer: This isn’t signing up for a list affiliated with any existing organization. This is a personal project, and the list is just a list of people who want to stand up for keeping our public natural spaces truly public. No spam, no sales pitch.