From the Register-Guard - click here to read more...
Preserve parks mission: Bush administration proposes changes
Published: Saturday, February 18, 2006: The National Park Service's mission was laid out in the 1916 act that created it: "To conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."
That clear, unequivocal mission would change under the Bush administration's proposed rewrite of the management plan for national parks. The 277-page document, if adopted by the park service, would shift the balance between conservation and recreation, and loosen controls on commercial activities and motorized recreation uses.
Safeguarding the parks for future generations would no longer be the park service's core mission. Among the most disturbing changes is the removal of language in the current manual stating that the 1916 law's intent was to ensure a predominant emphasis on conservation, particularly when conflicts between conservation and recreational values arise.
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