The National Park Service has set eight goals as the foundation of its Centennial Initiative, the agencys preperations for its 100th anniversary in 2016.
In a report sent to President Bush Thursday, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said, "The challenge facing the National Park Service is to conserve what is timeless while keeping pace with the modern needs of America."
These goals, Kempthorne said, are to ensure that the 391 units of the park service are relevant to todays Americans. The agency goals are to improve priority facilites, restore native habitats, improve natural resources, reduce environmental impacts, double the number of volunteer hours, enroll 2 million new Junior Rangers, encourage partnerships and reshape the agencys workforce.
"This is a bold and ambitious action plan for the National Park Service. When we think of national parks, we see the beauty, these are the icons, they are America the Beautiful," Kempthorne said in a press conference.
The goals were developed after the agency held more than 40 listening session nationwide and received more than 6,000 comments.
"The public spoke passionately about their love of the national parks. They set the bar high with their expectations. This report makes a commitment to the American public that we will rise to that occasion," said Jon Jarvis, director of the services Pacific region and former superintendent at Mount Rainier National Park.
At Mount Rainier, the priorities will likely be on facilities within the National Historica Landmark District and the impact of global warming, said assistant superintendent Randy King.
"Were trying to protect the historic character of those facilities, as well as the natural resouces at the park," King said.
He cited the Sunrise Lodge as one example of a building in need of rehabilitation.
"Theres a lot of structural deficiencies that need to be address, similar to what were doing at Paradise Inn right now," he said.
As for global warming studies, the goal would be to turn the park into a working laboratory. It would be done as a joint project with Olympic and North Cascades national parks.
On Aug. 25 Kempthorne said the agency will release each park units centennial proposals, as well as which projects and programs that should be funded in 2008.
President Bushs 2008 budget boosted the agencys funding in preparation for the centennial. The president has proposed $1 billion for the project over 10 years and has called on private donors to match that.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
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