S-4748.1  _______________________________________________

 

               SUBSTITUTE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8022

          _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

 

By Senate Committee on Ecology & Parks (originally sponsored by Senators Fraser, Hale, Fairley, Winsley, Haugen, Sheldon, McCaslin, Rasmussen, Spanel and McAuliffe)

 

Read first time 01/25/96.

 

Opposing national park closures.



    TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, The United States National Park Service was created to manage national parks "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the 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"; and

    WHEREAS, The national park system received two hundred sixty-eight million visitors in 1991 and is expected to receive as many as five hundred million visitors a year by the year 2010; and

    WHEREAS, The United States Forest Service is guided by the mandate of multiple use, and manages more miles of recreational trails than any other agency in Washington; and

    WHEREAS, Tourism is an important component of the Washington state economy and is sustained, in part, by our national parks and forests, including the Coulee Dam National Recreation Area, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park, Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center and National Volcanic Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area, San Juan Island Historic Park, Ebeys Landing National Historic Reserve, and the Whitman Mission National Historic Site; and

    WHEREAS, These national parks, historical parks, and national forests honor Washington state's natural and cultural heritage and provide valuable educational opportunities; and

    WHEREAS, National parks and forests provide significant economic benefits to local communities, many of which are almost solely dependent upon visitors to these parks and forests; and

    WHEREAS, National parks and forests provide valuable recreational opportunities for the citizens of Washington; and

    WHEREAS, Even a temporary closure of the national parks and forests has a negative impact on local economies and regional tourism;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Congress enact legislation that:

    (1) Supports adequate funding for the continued management of a diversity of natural, cultural, and historical park and forest units by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service; and

    (2) Will help the National Park Service manage its park units more efficiently, including legislation that would increase park revenues from concessions and user fees.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That Your Memorialists respectfully pray that Congress enact no legislation or budget reductions that:

    (1) Reduces park service or forest service hours of operation, even for a temporary closure; and

    (2) Includes any National Park Closure Commission provisions in the budget reconciliation for the Department of the Interior;

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United States, the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

 


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