October 25th, 2005 - WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Craig Thomas, Chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee, will hold a hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 1, to critique the new park management policies which are currently out for public review.
“I’ve always believed the Parks have a dual mission – to both provide recreational opportunities and conserve our national treasures for future generations,” Thomas said.
“Next week will be the first public hearing to get a range of reactions to the proposed policies. The input will help guide the Park Service in completing the document. As we’ve seen from the public outcry about the leaked internal draft comments, people are passionate about parks – I’m one of those people.”
“As the Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, I’m interested in any change in the balance between resource use and protection,” Thomas said.
“Park Service management policies are developed as a team effort. No single person, Hoffman or anyone else, crafts a management policy without significant input and oversight,” Chairman Thomas said.
The hearing will provide oversight to further vet the management policies, and to ensure the policies mesh with the senator’s vision for the parks. The document is out for 90 days of public comment, ending in mid-January 2006.
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