Your Voice Matters: Help Shape the Future of Our National Parks

Join us at a midtown pizzeria for happy hour to share our personal experiences in our fabulous National Parks and write comments to support them! If you can’t come, send in your comments at this link - https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/National?actionId=AR0587672&id=70131000001Lp1FAAS

The National Park Service (NPS) has opened a 30-day public comment ending Oct 9 and is asking for input on how to improve visitor services so that everyone can have meaningful, enjoyable experiences in our parks..

This is a big opportunity to make our voices heard. Visitor services touch nearly every part of the park experience, from how people get around to how they learn about history, culture, and nature. By submitting a comment, you can help shape the future of our shared parks and ensure they remain accessible, sustainable, and welcoming for generations to come.

How to structure your comment:

• Share a personal story or experience in a park
• Explain what worked well or what needs improvement
• Offer specific suggestions for improvement
• Say why it matters to you, your community, or future generations

Key themes you can talk about in your comment:

• Interpretation and Education: Parks should connect visitors to culture, history, and nature. They help people understand the full and complex story of this country.
• Access and Connectivity: The Americans with Disabilities Act was a landmark civil rights law, and national parks should build on that legacy by going beyond compliance. Expanding shuttles, public transit, walking, and biking will cut traffic, reduce pollution, and strengthen connections to nearby gateway communities.
• Youth: Programs like Junior Rangers, Every Kid Outdoors, and Conservation Corps allow young people to enjoy parks, improve health and well-being, and grow into the next generation of stewards.
• Veterans: National Parks can also provide veterans and military families opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and find healing and connection.
• People and Workforce: None of this is possible without the people of the Park Service. This year the agency lost nearly 1,200 permanent positions: about a quarter of its core staff. The result has been closed visitor centers, canceled ranger programs, and delayed emergency response. Rebuilding the workforce with permanent jobs is essential to restore safe, consistent service across the system.

At sign-in - all participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard participant agreement you can read here, if you would like to read it b4 you choose to participate, www.tinyurl.com/sonsite
The outing officially begins & ends on the dates & the locations designated by Sierra Club. Carpooling for this outing is not included or arranged by Sierra Club leaders. It is at your discretion with other participants to & from the outing; each participant is personally responsible for all risks associated with this travel.

Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet 🌎 - The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with over 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit [www.sierraclub.org. ](www.sierraclub.org.)

Why America must protect 30x30 (w/ Sen. Tom Udall, Dr. Enric Sala) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VmOchhp8o