NPCA Digital Annual Report 2022

Opening Note

A Letter To You

From Theresa & Elizabeth

We are so excited to share with you the National Park Conservation Association’s 2022 annual report, Rooted in History, Preserved for the Future. Each victory is a testament to the commitment you have made to protecting and enhancing America’s national parks for present and future generations. Thank you.

We were grateful to begin gathering in person once again. Across the country, our regional and field offices hosted service projects to bring people back into the parks. We convened NPCA supporters for our Annual Meeting Week in Washington, D.C. and met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for our national parks. We launched our Veterans Council and expanded our Young Leaders Councils in cities nationwide.

Although the past 12 months have been full of incredible park victories and overdue reunions, there have also been difficult moments for our parks. This summer, historic flooding in Yellowstone washed out roads, cut off communities and closed the park’s northern entrances for months. In California, wildfires threatened the iconic sequoia trees in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Severe droughts in the Southwest continue to shrink water levels in Lake Mead and Glen Canyon National Recreation Areas and to starve the Colorado River, lifeblood of the Grand Canyon.

Together we have continued to stand up and speak out for parks and it is making a difference. From historic investments in climate resiliency to the establishment of new national parks that help tell a fuller, richer American history, your efforts are building a better and brighter future for our national parks that will carry on for generations to come.

We are so grateful for your support of NPCA and our national parks. Because of you, NPCA has protected parks for over 100 years. And thanks to you, we will continue to protect them for 100 more.

President & CEO

Board Chair

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Amache_Signing_2022
Oval Office © White House

416-2022_02_19_418_fuchigami
Amache National Historic Site © Beth Schneider Photography

2022-10-13 - (C) Jennifer Woolworth Bear And Lupine 1
Lake Clark National Park © Jennifer Woolworth NPCA

Monument Cove in Acadia National Park © Demerzel21 | Dreamstime.com

Who We Are

Since 1919, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been America’s only nonpartisan, independent voice for the national parks. From opposing logging in Olympic National Park’s old-growth forests during World War II to advocating for new parks, such as Pullman National Monument, NPCA has fought to protect America’s most treasured places and preserve our most important stories.

NPCA founder Robert Sterling Yard knew that our parks needed a community of voices, independent of government, to speak out and protect them. Today, we are that community of voices. NPCA and our 1.6 million members and supporters are safeguarding the landscapes, stories and cultures that make up the unique fabric of our nation for the next century and beyond.

Over the last year, we have secured victories that will help national parks thrive. Congress invested $2 billion to restore waters in the Florida Everglades and across the Great Lakes region. The designation of Amache National Historic Site permanently preserves the experiences of Japanese Americans incarcerated in Granada, Colorado during World War II. Years of NPCA advocacy paid off when President Biden restored protections to three national monuments in Utah and off the New England coast.

As an organization, NPCA continues to find creative ways to engage a new and diverse coalition of park supporters. We launched our Veterans Council to provide an avenue for the military community to defend parks through service projects and advocacy. We hosted our first hybrid Salute to the Parks gala. You can learn about these victories, events and more online at our website.

Generations of park advocates helped create the national parks we enjoy today. With your help, NPCA can continue to preserve the stories of our past while strengthening the parks of today and planning for the parks of tomorrow.

Impact Stories

New Parks

Amache

Amache National Historic Site Honors the Stories of Survivors
This spring, after years of advocacy from NPCA, Amache survivors, and our partners and supporters, President Biden signed the bipartisan Amache National Historic Site Act into law, permanently preserving the World War II-era Japanese American incarceration site in Granada, Colorado.

NPCA has been a strong advocate on Capitol Hill and in Colorado for the preservation of this important piece of American history. We worked with partners and allies to mobilize grassroots advocates and amplified the voices of Amache survivors and descendants at the national level. We hosted two virtual roundtable discussions with bill sponsors and organized a high-profile site visit during this year’s national Day of Remembrance, the day after the bill unanimously passed the U.S. House and Senate. NPCA worked with the NPS and U.S. Department of Interior to organize a visit to the Amache site for Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Congressman Joe Neguse, and Amache stakeholders.

This new park site ensures that survivors and descendants of Amache will have their stories heard and honored for generations to come.

Blackwell

Blackwell School National Historic Site Tells a Story of Resilience
The site of the former Blackwell School in Marfa, TX became a new national park site in October when President Biden signed the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act into law. The Blackwell School National Historic Site will honor and recognize the stories of Mexican American students who were subject to de facto segregation in Marfa and at schools across the American Southwest, and their determination and resilience in the face of discrimination and inequity.

Until the mid-20^th century, Mexican American and Latino students were forced to attend separate schools from their white peers and often given outdated textbooks and equipment. Students at the Blackwell School received instruction in English, though for many it was not their first language, and were even banned from speaking Spanish on Blackwell’s campus. Despite this, many Blackwell graduates are proud of their school, their classmates and communities, and the things they achieved while attending the Blackwell School.

NPCA, in partnership with the Blackwell School Alliance, led a grassroots campaign to protect the site of the Blackwell School in Marfa, Texas and tell the nuanced, complex stories that make up this piece of American history. We spent years working with West Texas communities, Blackwell School alumni and descendants, lawmakers and advocates across the country to ensure that the history and experiences of the Blackwell School, and others like it, are never forgotten.

Emmett Till

Proposed National Park Site Honoring Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley
In August 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till traveled from his home in Chicago to Mississippi to visit relatives. Days after his arrival, Emmett was lynched after being accused of whistling at a white woman in a grocery store. Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on a public, open-casket funeral, so that the world could see what racism had done to her son. Mamie’s efforts to publicize her son’s murder forced many white Americans to confront the racism faced by African Americans in the Jim Crow era and served as a catalyst for the civil rights movement.

NPCA has been working with members of the Till family, the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, and other partners to create a new, multi-state park site that will honor the Till family and ensure this piece of American history is never forgotten. Our staff met with Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in the Mississippi Delta and at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, the site of Emmett’s funeral, and heard from community members about the importance of preserving Till’s story. In December 2022, the National Park Service released a study affirming that the story of Till’s murder in Mississippi is suitable for inclusion in the National Park System.

NPCA continues to advocate for the establishment of a national park honoring the legacies of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley, ensuring their stories are not forgotten so generations can learn from our nation’s past and work toward a more just and inclusive future.

Bears Ears National Monument © Martha Marks

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument © Peter Wey Dreamstime

Bears Ears National Monument (c) Martha Marks

Monuments

Restored

NPCA celebrated the restoration of protections for three treasured national monuments – Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of New England in October 2021. Following calls from Tribes, local communities and hundreds of thousands of park advocates across the country, President Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to again safeguard these special places and protect them for generations to come.

NPCA advocated for years to restore protections to these landscapes and waters after former the previous administration dismantled the monuments in 2017. NPCA argued these actions are illegal, joining a coalition of nine conservation groups represented by Earthjustice in filing a lawsuit. We mobilized our more than 1.6 million members and supporters to speak out, helping gather more than 685,000 comments to the Department of the Interior in support of protecting Bears Ears National Monument alone.

Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante are sacred, living landscapes that provide healing and sustain life for many Native American Tribes. They preserve ancient fossils and artifacts, dark night skies and pristine views across red rock canyons and mesas, and they connect some of the region’s most iconic national park landscapes. Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument protects three underwater canyons deeper than the Grand Canyon and supports a vibrant marine environment including fish, sea turtles, sharks, seabirds and endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Protected Wildlife & Habitats

Wolves

Gray Wolves Protected in the Lower 48
NPCA, with a coalition of other environmental groups, achieved a hard-fought victory with the reinstatement of gray wolves to the Endangered Species List in the contiguous U.S. In February, a federal district court struck down a 2020 decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that removed federal protections for gray wolves in 44 states, including those in North Cascades, Lassen Volcanic and other national parks.

The previous administration delisted the gray wolf after 45 years of protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Biden administration chose to defend the decision despite strong concern from experts. NPCA’s legal team joined a lawsuit filed by Earthjustice to challenge the delisting in January 2021. We were joined by Defenders of Wildlife, Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Oregon Wild, and the Humane Society of the United States.

At one point, fewer than 1,000 gray wolves remained in the lower-48 states. Protections under the Endangered Species Act have helped wolf population slowly begin to recover in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Continued protection will help wolves return to other habitat in park ecosystems across the country from California to Northern Maine. NPCA will continue to defend gray wolves during the appeal of this relisting.

Pebble Mine

Alaska’s Bears, Salmon and Pristine Landscapes
A proposed copper and gold mine in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska is closer than ever to being permanently shut down thanks to more than a decade of advocacy from NPCA and others, including many tribes. In September 2021, after more than half a million people including a record number of Alaskans voiced opposition to the mine, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the start of an official process to protect the waters of Bristol Bay from mining. EPA’s use of its authority under the Clean Water Act would be a major victory for Katmai and Lake Clark National parks, their world-famous bears, and communities in the Bristol Bay region that depend on the world’s largest wild salmon run.

The mine and related construction activity would directly jeopardize the watershed’s world-class salmon and harm parks, wildlife, and communities alike. Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks lie within the Bristol Bay watershed and provide critical habitat for brown bears, which rely on salmon as their primary food source. Bristol Bay salmon are the foundation of the area’s traditional culture and way of life and support a $2.2 billion-dollar commercial fishing and sport industry.

Acadia

Acadia National Park Protected from Proposed Salmon Farm
After two years of advocacy and engagement from NPCA and the Frenchman Bay United coalition, we made a major step toward defeating a proposed offshore salmon farm on the shores of Acadia National Park.

The farm, just 2,000 feet from Acadia, would have released more than 4 billion gallons of untreated wastewater into Frenchman Bay every day, threatening the park’s healthy waters, fragile coastal ecosystems, bountiful wildlife and the visitor experience.

NPCA worked with on-the-ground organizers, local nonprofits and the National Park Service to oppose the project, raise awareness about the potential impacts, and put pressure on decisionmakers to stop it. We hosted public webinars and educated Members of Congress on the irreparable harm the farm would do to Acadia National Park. NPCA mobilized our supporters to voice their concerns and conveyed their comments to leasing, permitting and oversight agencies in Maine. In April 2022, the Maine Department of Maine Resources terminated the lease applications.

Shortly after the state terminated their lease applications, the developers purchased on-land facilities tentatively slated to become a fish hatchery and processing plant – signaling this fight is not over. NPCA continues to work with local partners to prevent industrial fish farming in Frenchman Bay to protect Acadia National Park for generations to come.

Pullman National Monument (C) (c) Boscophotos1

Denali National Park, AK© Brian Flaigmore

Sandy Hook Bay, Gateway National Recreation Area, NJ (c)

Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

a Major Win for National Parks

In September 2021, national parks saw a major victory when Congress passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, providing much-needed funding for America’s aging national park infrastructure. NPCA and our 1.6 million members and supporters have been strong, vocal advocates of this bill, which will improve visitor experiences and safety in our national parks. For years, we have advocated for provisions and protections provided in this bill, including improved connectivity for wildlife, resources to improve climate resilience, and enhanced visitor experience and access.

This bill provides:

$1.7 billion over five years to improve park roads and transit systems
$1.4 billion for transportation improvements and enhanced transit access to parks and public lands
$350 million to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and support enhanced connectivity for wildlife
$3.2 billion for aquatic ecosystem restoration projects in the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Basin

From adding wildlife corridors in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and fixing flood-damaged roadways in Harpers Ferry to addressing the climate crisis in Denali National Park and improving access to Chicago’s Pullman National Monument, this bill is an investment in America’s greatest treasures – our national parks.

Financials

Endowments

Over the years, donors have sought to provide for the long-term fiscal stability of National Parks Conservation Association and its work protecting America’s National Park System. Some endowed funds have been created with gifts in honor or in memory of, special individuals. Endowed funds may be restricted for specific programs or aspects of NPCA’s conservation work. Such gifts are invested, and only a portion of the annual earnings is available for programs expenses each year, as directed by the Board of Trustees.

Norman G. Cohen Park Education Endowment

This fund, in honor of a former Board of Trustees chair, supports education activities for Washington, D.C.- area youth to help them appreciate and understand the parks.

EDAR Endowment

Created by Armstrong Chinn, Jr., this is a permanent endowment fund to further NPCA’s mission for the protection and enhancement of the national parks.

Frank H. Filley and Family Endowment Fund

This fund provides unrestricted support for park protection programs.

General National Parks Conservation Association Endowment Fund

This fund, initiated through the generosity of John and Jane Strandberg, provides perpetual support for NPCA’s current programs and park protection initiatives.

Gretchen Long Endowment

Members of the Board of Trustees established this fund to honor former Board of Trustees Chair Gretchen Long for her outstanding voluntary leadership and service to National Parks Conservation Association.

Stephen T. Mather Aware for Excellence Endowment Fund

Endowed by Booz Allen Hamilton, this award is presented annually to employees of the National Park Service for exemplary service. The endowment is named for the first director of the National Park Service and cofounder of NPCA.

Northeast Regional Office Endowment

This fund was established to support NPCA’s work in the Northeast region.

Park Protection Endowment

Funded by an anonymous donor, this endowment was established to enhance NPCA’s long-term financial base and further the organization’s goals of protecting and enhancing national parks.

Kathryn B. Sehy Memorial Endowed Internship

This endowed internship was established in memory of Kathryn B. Sehy by her husband, Lawrence Sehy.

H. William Walter Endowed Internship Program

This fund was created to support and NPCA internship program for college and graduate students to gain experience at a park conservation organization and possibly pursue a career in the field.

Yellowstone Conservation Fund Endowment

This fund was created as a permanently restricted endowment for the purpose of broadly supporting NPCA’s work to protect the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Ruth Hammett Memorial Desert Protection Endowment

Created to honor the life and legacy of Ruth Hammett, a longtime supporter of NPCA and our national parks, to support the work of the California desert region.

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STTP & NPCA

Award Winners

In April, NPCA hosted our first hybrid Salute to the Parks, bringing together guests from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several Tribal nations. The in-person event, held at the Museum of the American Indian, was our first since 2019. Guests joined us for a moving panel discussion moderated by NPCA’s Senior Director of Cultural Resources Alan Spears.
Our national parks exist today because of the people who stood up and spoke out when it mattered most. In that spirit, we presented awards to three incredible park champions who help ensure that our national parks not only tell a more complete American story, but that they are also welcoming spaces for all visitors. You can read more about our honorees’ individual legacies and service to our national parks at: www.npca.org

Robin W. Winks Award for Enhancing Public Understanding of National Parks

Jack Gladstone uses storytelling and song to make the rich history and spiritual importance of Glacier National Park and its surrounding lands come alive.

Jack Gladstone

Blackfeet Cultural Interpreter & Lyricist

Centennial Leadership Award

Audrey Peterman works tirelessly to ensure parks are inclusive for all, but especially for Black and brown people.

Audrey Peterman

Author, Advocate & Founder of the Diverse Environmental Leaders Speakers Bureau

William Penn Mott Park Leadership Award

Bob Stanton dedicated his National Park Service career to building a park system that preserves and interprets more of the American story.

Robert G. Stanton

15th Director (Ret.) of the National Park Service

Leadership

New Veterans Council

In April, NPCA launched the Veterans Council, bringing together thirteen diverse, influential and respected veteran leaders from around the country. Council members will lend their unique advice, perspectives, skills, and voices to help advance NPCA’s policies and campaigns, including helping to guide NPCA’s veteran engagement strategy, while also becoming more deeply involved with park protection.

NWRO TMC Olympic Beach Cleanup – (C) NPCA

On the Hoh (C) NPCA

Bear Coast Trip Showcase – (C) NPCA

Square Inch of Silence Hoh Rainforest – (C) NPCA

AKRO Bear Coast Hike – (C) NPCA

AKRO Bear Coast Veterans – (C) NPCA