The Trump Administration proposes to slash the National Park Service’s budget by $400 million. Congress should reject those cuts.
In Northern Virginia, amid the seemingly endless sprawl are natural jewels like Prince William Forest Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, the natural areas of Wolf Trap and the George Washington Memorial Parkway’s parks, including the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve. The George Washington Memorial Parkway’s parks alone have a deferred maintenance backlog of $207 million. This means, for example, that invasive plants expand out of control, park rangers are too few, educational programs for youngsters are foregone, historic sites are not maintained and trails fall into disrepair.
Our national parks are local treasures, our green infrastructure and custodians of our natural resources and nation’s history. I call on Virginia’s U.S. senators and representative to adequately fund our public lands, including Dyke Marsh, and to oppose cuts the National Park Service’s funding.
Ned Stone
Vice President, Friends of Dyke Marsh