High Sierra Topix

OK, let's say I've become convinced that the National Parks need more support -- higher budgets, more visibility, higher national priority generally. What should I do? Are there organizations I should join and/or support, influential congresspeople I should write? I know there's a national organization called the National Parks and Conservation Association, but I mostly know about them because our students often work in the parks under their auspices during summers; do people on HST think it's a generally worthwhile organization, with a good agenda? How about the local park-support groups like the Yosemite Association or The Sequoia Fund or the Sequoia Natural History organization? Good places for a few charity dollars?

I sure do pay my share of taxes. I wish they would appropriate more toward the parks and less toward some of the other budget items.

The NPCA has taken some heat in recent years for starting to move into the left wing political arena, diverting funds and energy from their original core mission. Your funds also pay for an increasingly large staff bureaucracy and administration costs.

It may be better to donate your funds to the specific Park foundation where the money is spent on the ground in the designated Park than on lobbying and large staffs.

Browsing around on the web and chatting with friends, I haven't been able to find the issues Dave mentioned. Any specifics?

I guess we shouldn't expect our tax money to get through all the administrative layers and reach the ground level.

wingding wrote:I guess we shouldn't expect our tax money to get through all the administrative layers and reach the ground level.

Hmmm... Maybe the word "expect" isn't right, but we sure as hell should do what we can to make that money do what we want it to!

I agree Bsquared.