U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release August 24, 2006		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-7600 Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852
Senator Salazar Efforts to Maintain National Parks’ Guiding Principles Pays Off Washington, D.C. – After multiple hearings, one-on-one meetings, official letters and public statements, United States Senator Ken Salazar learned today that the National Park Service (NPS) will restore conservation – and the “do no harm” principle – as the primary mission of the Park Service. “For nearly 100 years our National Parks have held fast to the principle of ‘do no harm,’” said Senator Salazar. “The proposal to abandon this idea was shortsighted and rightly met with significant opposition. I applaud Director Mainella and Secretary Kempthorne on coming to the decision they did. Our National Parks are among the Nation’s crown jewels and must be preserved so future generations can enjoy their natural, unspoiled beauty for years to come.” Ever since new draft management policies were announced in October 2005, Senator Salazar has voiced his concerns about the potential abandonment of the “do no harm” rule as well as other, potentially harmful changes to park policy. From his seat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, in one-on-one meetings with Secretary Kempthorne, then-Secretary Norton, and National Parks Director Fran Mainella, and in numerous public statements, Senator Salazar has done everything possible to ensure conservation remained the guiding principle of the National Parks Service. Director Mainella will sign the final NPS 2006 Management Policies tomorrow, which will reinforce the agency’s commitment to protect park resources and to provide visitors this year and for generations to come with a memorable and inspiring experience. The final policies restore the Park Service’s long-standing “do-no-harm” principle and the following protections: Restores conservation as the primary mission of the Park Service Restores natural sounds as a protected resource in our parks Restores Park Service responsibility to protect air quality Creates a commonsense way for park managers to assess whether activities will cause unacceptable harm Restores practical guidance for park managers about when and where to allow outdoor vehicle use Removes language that would have resulted in more flights over National Parks Removes language that would have resulted in more off-road vehicles, jet skis, and snowmobiles in our National Parks Removes language that would have allowed damaging livestock grazing in inappropriate places within National Parks The final policies released today also make a number of improvements over the current 2001 policies: Offer better guidance to Park Superintendent to determine if, when, and how new cell towers are sited in parks Encourage cooperation with local communities without relinquishing park managers’ authority to protect park resources Encourage park staff to be attentive to new and emerging technologies. # # #