Diversify Access to and Support for National Parks Strategic Plan Public Comments

The City Project and diverse allies are working to diversify access to and support for National Parks by submitting public comments on the Strategic Plan for the United States Department of the Interior for the next five years.

The Department and the National Park Service should include the following in the strategic plan:

1.  Local green jobs through Civilian Conservation Corps-type programs, including jobs for youth of color and low income youth, that will also improve parks and recreation.  This is one solution, drawing on New Deal lessons, to help get the country back to work while the nation has the highest unemployment levels in 25 years and probably since the Great Depression.

2.  Transit to Trails programs to take inner city children on fun, educational and healthy trips to mountains, beaches, rivers and other natural green space throughout the nation, for no or low cost. Transit to Trails should enrich their education about land, water, wildlife, and cultural history, and emphasize the importance of physical activity and healthy eating for life-long health.

3.  More park and historical sites that preserve the stories and resources of diverse people for this and future generations. More sites should facilitate an experience that weaves the stories of diverse people faithfully, completely and accurately. Interior and NPS should provide leadership for the protection and interpretation of diverse sites. Interior and NPS should stimulate and provoke a greater understanding of, and dialogue on, civil rights, democracy and freedom.  These are lessons learned from Manzanar National Historic Site.

4.  Programs to improve human health, including programs for physical activity and healthy eating to reduce obesity. Human health includes more than reducing obesity and diabetes, and programs should also contribute to the full development of the person and community through youth development, gang and crime prevention, and green jobs.

5.  Interior should affirmatively address proactive compliance with equal justice laws in the strategic plan, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its regulations and parallel state laws. This includes Interior promoting equal justice by federal agencies such as NPS, and by recipients of federal funds such as the state of California and private organizations.  Each of these recommendations promote equal justice, democracy and livability for all.

6.  Interior should implement standards to measure progress and equity and hold public officials accountable in each of these areas.

Download the public comments from The City Project here.

Manzanar National Historic Site