Majority of the National Parks Board resigns
By Moosetrack Megan

Posted: January 17, 2018

A majority of the National Parks Advisory Board tendered their resignations to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke two days ago.

 

The letter of resignation was as follows:

 

To: Secretary Ryan Zinke January 15, 2018
Department of Interior
From: Tony Knowles
Chair of the NPSAB 2010-2017
Governor of Alaska 1994-2002
I am submitting my resignation as Chair and member of the National Park
System Advisory Board. It has been an honor and privilege to serve on this
Board for the last seven years with remarkable individuals who have committed
their time and talent to ensure the stewardship our National Parks and prepare
them for the enjoyment of future generations. We worked closely and
productively through 2016 with dedicated National Park Service employees, an
inspiring Director and a fully supportive Department. We engaged over a hundred
volunteer national experts in education, science, history and anthropology, and
park management and planning to help design the right path to meet the
challenges and changes for the second century of our National Parks. We
emphasized scientific research and mitigation of climate change; engaging young
generations; evolving a more diverse culture of park visitors, advocates and
employees; bringing our schools to our parks and our parks to our schools;
stressing park urbanization; protecting the natural diversity of wildlife; and so
much more.
These are the matters on which the Board wanted to brief you and your staff. We
also wanted to present evidence of the overwhelming support and participation
all across America for the National Park System and this agenda during the 2016
NPS centennial celebration.
For the last year we have stood by waiting for the chance to meet and continue
the partnership between the NPSAB and the DOI as prescribed by law. We
understand the complexity of transition but our requests to engage have been
ignored and the matters on which we wanted to brief the new Department team
are clearly not part of its agenda. I wish the National Park System and Service
well and will always be dedicated to their success. However, from all of the
events of this past year I have a profound concern that the mission of
stewardship, protection, and advancement of our National Parks has been set
aside. I hope that future actions of the Department of Interior demonstrate that
this is not the case.
The following National Park System Advisory Board member share the thoughts
stated above and join me in tendering their resignations.
Gretchen Long, Paul Bardacke, Carolyn Finney, Judy Burke, Stephen Pitti, Milton
Chen, Belinda Faustinos, Margaret Wheatley

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