Washington, DC – The President’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget for the National Park Service requests $2.7 billion and makes investments of $35.3 million in park operations increases. The budget underscores cost containment, program consolidation and management efficiencies to meet federal fiscal realities, yet provides the resources necessary to effectively carry out the National Park Service’s mission.
“Caring for national parks, welcoming more than 286 million visitors every year, and revitalizing America’s towns and cities through our community-based resource conservation and recreation programs is the mission of the National Park Service,” said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. “The President’s support of these efforts is reflected in this budget.”
“Like everyone else, we will need to tighten our belts, but the funding called for in this proposal will ensure the continuation of key initiatives for visitors, youth, land conservation and climate change,” said Jarvis. “It is incumbent upon us – regardless of our budget – to look for innovative approaches that allow us to do our work more effectively and efficiently. This year, we began the consolidation of our workforce management and acquisition and contracting offices to provide better services, and lower our costs.”
The budget includes $50.9 million in park operational increases as part of the Secretary’s Treasured Landscapes initiative to support operations on public lands that enhance the visitor experience, promote ecosystem restoration, support species recovery and protect habitat, and facilitate cultural resource preservation and conservation. The increases are offset by reductions resulting from management efficiencies. The FY 2011 budget requests an additional $31.5 million to improve interpretive ranger programs, visitor facility operations and maintenance, and park resource protection. The budget includes an additional $17.3 million to enhance the Servicewide capacity to carry out increasingly complex stewardship responsibilities, safeguard our nation’s icons, protect the health and safety of visitors and employees, and maintain assets. The budget also includes $2.0 million to support Chesapeake Bay ecosystem stewardship efforts and improve public access to the Bay.
In addition, the proposal includes $5.8 million for Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar’s Youth in Natural Resources Initiative that augments National Park Service efforts to use national parks to introduce young people to nature, engage them in the stewardship of parks, and offer experiences that could lead to a career in conservation or land management. The money would fund youth education and employment programs at 19 park units benefiting 27 parks.
The $30.0 million increase for national park land acquisition and state grants to promote local recreation and conservation continues the Obama Administration’s commitment to fund Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) programs at $900 million annually by 2014 using a multi-year incremental approach. The LWCF supports federal, state, and local acquisition of lands and waters for recreational and conservation purposes.
The FY 2011 budget request continues support of the Climate Change Adaptation Initiative at the FY 2010 level. The National Park Service received $10.0 million in FY 2010 that will be used to assess parks’ vulnerability to climate change, develop adaptation and mitigation strategies to reduce impacts, and continue monitoring resources in collaboration with other Interior bureaus and partners. In 2010, the National Park Service and other Interior bureaus will implement the first series of Landscape Conservation Cooperatives that bring together many stakeholders to improve the resiliency and adaptation of natural resources to climate change at the landscape level. The effort is part of the anticipated eight regional Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers that will make research results and scalable information on anticipated regional climate change effects available to park managers and programs.
The FY 2011 budget increases are offset by eliminating Congressional earmarks, reducing the construction and heritage area partnership programs and terminating programs, including the Save America’s Treasures and Preserve America grants programs.
More detailed information is in the FY2011 Interior Budget in Brief which is available online at: http://www.doi.gov/budget
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Re: $2.7 Billion Proposed for FY2011 National Park Service Budget
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February 21, 2010 03:51PM |
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