May 3, 2016
Why National Parks Matter to These Texas Teens
By Chloe Crumley
We woke before the sunrise in San Antonio, Texas and gathered at the airport. For some on National Parks Conservation Association’s (NPCA) Texas Teen Council, this was their first flight and for all of us it was our first trip to Washington, D.C.
We headed to our nation’s capital to advocate for our national parks — the special places that capture our culture, history, and natural beauty.
As a mentor to NPCA’s Texas Teen Council and a member of NPCA’s Young Leaders Council, I work to introduce people to Texas’ 16 and America’s 411 national park sites — and encourage them to become stewards of these gems.
The Texas Teen Council, which was formed by the nonpartisan, nonprofit NPCA, is a group of middle and high school students learning about advocacy and putting those lessons into practice by speaking up for national parks. Through NPCA’s #FindYourVoice initiative, younger and more diverse audiences are taking the mantle to become the next generation of park advocates.
While national parks are incredibly popular, funding has been inadequate for years. There’s now a $12 billion list of overdue repair and maintenance projects needed in our parks. Roads and bridges need to be fixed. Visitor centers need to be upgraded. Rangers need to be hired to maintain trails. Historic and cultural buildings, documents and artifacts, all need to be properly maintained so future generations can learn about who we were, who we are, and make decisions about where we’re headed as a nation.
Even though no one on the TX Teen Council can vote, yet, we know our voices matter. As the next generation of stewards, we must begin speaking up to support positive policies to protect and enhance our national parks.
So we headed to Capitol Hill.
We met with U.S. Representatives Will Hurd (TX-23), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Lamar Smith (TX-21), and a staffer from Representative Joaquín Castro’s (TX-20) office. We shared our personal stories about our connections to national parks, asked them to support funding for parks, and encouraged them to cosponsor the National Park Service Centennial Act (H.R. 4680). If this bill becomes law, it would enhance our national parks and their visitor programs for the centennial of the National Park Service (which is this year!) and beyond. For example, the legislation would set aside federal dollars to be matched with private money to address maintenance needs and engage youth in our national parks.
We also encouraged these members of Congress to support the National Historic Preservation Amendments Act of 2015 (H.R. 2817) to reauthorize the main funding source for the State Historic and Tribal Historic Preservation offices in all 50 states.
At the end of the day, even though we were just a small group of teens from Texas, our voices were heard. Rep. Smith almost missed a vote on the House floor because he wanted to hear one more personal park story from us, and an hour later he told us he would cosponsor the National Park Service Centennial Act. Rep. Hurd committed to working with NPCA’s Texas Teen Council to move forward on a proposal to make national parks more accessible for visitors with sensory disabilities.
Being a part of NPCA’s Texas Teen Council and Young Leaders Council has allowed many of us to further expand our education and exposure to national parks. Of the 16 national park sites in Texas, my favorite is the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park. It fills my city with culture and history, reminding me that national parks are not just beautiful landscapes, but historic and cultural testaments as well.
It was empowering to know that our voices matter and can make a direct impact. I’m grateful for the opportunity to lobby my members of Congress and I cannot wait to follow up with them in August when they return home during summer recess.
To learn more about advocating for national parks, check out www.FindYourVoice.camp and join the online conversation using #FindYourVoice.
