One of the changes President Trump made possible before he left office was the renaming of New River Gorge National River in West Virginia to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, and the expansion of Saguaro National Park in Arizona by about 1,200 acres. Both those changes were called for in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal 2021 that Congress passed in late December and which was signed into law by Trump.
Were those changes significant? We’re exploring that question in today’s podcast with Joy Oakes, the senior director of the mid-Atlantic Region for the National Parks Conservation Association, and Kevin Dahl, the Arizona program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association.
Comments
The basic question which Kurt somewhat poses and which Joy tap dances around: what's the benefit of the New River's new name if usage remains essentially unchanged, and what's the potential downside to such a title change?
All I got was that there would now be money made available for more pavement in the form of an expansive parking lot. That's the "development" that usually accompanies a change to National Park title. Excepting cases with substantial additional acreage previously unprotected, I can't recall a "park" that has benefitted from its increased popularity having been previously a National River, Monument, Recreation Area, etc. New River Gorge isn't hurting for visitors or floundering in obscurity; it's all about attracting still (and always) more people and dollars -- natural area be damned.
Contrary to the 2nd guest, no public land is "under visited" (not to be confused with under appreciated) and I would hate to see Chiricahua diminished so that the casual visitor's experience can be expanded -- and expanded fees and maintenance backlog right in step.