President's NPS Budget Proposes Record Increases for Park Operations

( WASHINGTON , DC ) – The President's $2.4 billion National Park Service budget for Fiscal Year 2008 calls for the largest increase in park operations funding ever proposed and leveraged public-private investments that could generate as much as $3 billion to help the parks prepare for their 100th birthday in 2016. The proposed budget includes 3,000 new seasonal employees, continues increases for park maintenance and targets specific cultural and natural resource improvements.

“All of this is possible because the President recommends a $230.0 million increase in park operations funding over his Fiscal Year 2007 budget request,” said Mary Bomar, Director of the National Park Service. “That is the largest increase ever for park operations and programs that directly benefit national parks.”

The FY2008 budget proposal is the first financial infusion for the President's Initiative to ready America 's parks for the 2016 Centennial of the National Park Service.

The “National Parks Centennial Initiative” is a potential $3 billion investment in the coming 10 years. “This is money above and beyond our regular budget,” Bomar said. “It includes $100.0 million of discretionary funds for parks each year and up to $200 million a year within the Centennial Initiative, which would provide $100.0 million a year to match donations for signature projects and programs.”

Bomar said the Centennial Initiative emphasizes three key goals:

•  Engage all Americans in preserving our heritage, history and natural resources though philanthropy and partnerships.

•  Reconnect people with their parks.

•  Build capacity for critical park operations and facilities, and sustain them through the next century.

The FY2008 budget includes $57.5 million to fully fund employee pay and benefits. “This is so important,” Bomar said. “Even as the National Park Service has received budget increases, we have frequently absorbed portions of employee pay raises. Over time, that eats away at park operations.”

Other key elements of the proposed FY2008 budget include:

A solid foundation for park base funding: With $140 million in increases at the park base level, this budget supports core mission responsibilities like interpretation and education programs, staff at visitor centers, park safety, and maintaining resources and facilities in good condition.

Flexible park base operations funding : A request of $20.0 million for cultural and natural resource programs at 20 parks to meet specific improvement goals, such as upgrading historic structures to ‘good condition,' to meet ‘museum standards' for historic and cultural artifacts, eradicating exotic species and restoring disturbed lands. As an example, Bomar identified a project to restore a disturbed landscape at Denali National Park in Alaska .

Asset Management Program: The NPS now has a complete baseline on facility conditions and will establish specific performance targets for improving assets. Total construction and facility maintenance funding is $663.2 million in 2008, including a $68.1 million increase in facility maintenance. Parks can also improve assets through the Centennial Challenge, which could raise up to $200 million a year in donations and matching funds.

“The 2008 budget includes a $35.0 million increase in cyclic maintenance, bringing the total for this critical program to $106.5 million” Bomar said. This represents a 224 percent increase from the program level of $35.5 million in 2001. Cyclic maintenance allows assets to be maintained on a predictive cycle, rather than letting assets fall into disrepair, which could lead to costly rehabilitation and an increase in the deferred maintenance backlog.

Land acquisition: The 2008 budget includes $22.5 million for federal land acquisition, including completing land acquisition for the Flight 93 National Memorial and funds for Civil War battlefield grants.

Historic Preservation: The 2008 budget includes $63.7 million for historic preservation. The historic preservation budget includes $10.0 million for the Save America's Treasures program, $10.0 million for Preserve America, and $43.7 million for historic preservation grants-in-aid to states, territories and Indian tribes. It would also establish a National Inventory of Historic Properties grant program. Matching grants of $4.0 million would be available to states, tribes, local governments and federal land management agencies to make inventories more accessible and useful.

The National Recreation and Preservation program: The 2008 budget proposal is $48.9 million. That is $15.6 million more than the 2007 budget request. The President's 2008 budget includes

•  $8.7 million for Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance, an increase of $650,000 from 2007. The increase is to provide technical assistance to connect trails to parks through new trail partnership projects.

•  $22.7 million for cultural programs, an increase of $2.5 million from 2007. The increase includes an additional $1.0 million to establish data format and protocols for the new National Inventory of Historic Properties grant program. The increase also includes an additional $1.5 million for American Battlefield grants. The requested funding would allow for 50 grants through annual competition authorized by the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996, which promotes the preservation of significant historic battlefields associated with war on American soil.

•  $10.0 million for heritage areas, an increase of $2.6 million from 2007. The Heritage Partnership Program provides seed money for congressionally designated, but locally managed, national heritage areas.

Friends of Lynn Heritage State Park

January 20, 2007

Dear Friends of the Park,

On repairs to the boardwalk: I'd like to get a preliminary estimate for: an engineer's report to determine scope of work and a contractor's estimate on repairs. State Engineer Kevn Mooney in December said that the first report would cost $250,000 and construction $ 1,500,000, very high numbers that would, I believe, eliminate us from competing for limited funding. I'll try to get a local civil engineer and Dandreo to give us estimates.

For a new group, we have done well. Sen. Tom McGee told me that Friends groups like ours now have a seat at the

DCR planning table. Tom is also on the Senate Beaches and Harbors (?) sub-committee and has worked hard to clean up Lynn and Nahant beaches.

Our group received a $1,000 grant from Mass. Cultural Council ( MCC) through LynnArts to host a concert series next summer in the park. I'd like to have 4 concerts (June-September) that feature music from Lynn's ethnic cultures not often represented, such as Spanish, Jewish-Russian, African-American, French, etc. My dream is to have a Folk Festival, similar to Lowell 's.

The cost of these concerts will be $2,000 or $500 per performance. If we set our dues at $20 per single-person household and $30 for two-person household, we will raise the $1,000. I need you hear from you on this and will announce the membership drive at our annual meeting on March 26 th .

Yours truly,

David Gass