7791 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

INADEQUATE FUNDING Assessment and Action Report issued by the National Park Service in 1987 revealed that the entire agency had only 73 natural resource scientists and 300 resource management specialists; the other 1,200 full-time employees involved in natural resource management axe rangers and maintenance workers.4 Consequently only a few large parks like Yellowstone and Everglades have scientists on staff, and even fewer have scientists with expertise in hydrology, lim- nology and other water-related sciences. NPCA RECOMMENDATIONS: Congress should provide the Park Service with funds adequate to support the programs and the professional resource management staff needed to ensure protection of park water quantity and quality. In addition, Congress should simplify the demands-and cost of data collection and analysis by enacting. legal standards and procedures mare specifically designed to protect park waters: as recommended throughout this Report. Congress Should: 1, Increase funding for water rights and water quality programs administered`by the National Park Service. Water Resources Division to ensure that the Park Service can adequately study and defend against Chreats.to -park waters and can effectively anticipate and avoid. future threats. 2. Increase funding at the regional and park levels for natural'resource management and science pro- grams and staffing to provide for needed data collection,, monitoring and analysis of park water resources, and for participation in administrative and judicial proceedings where necessary to protect park waters. 3. Simplify the demands and limit the cost of data collection and analysis neededtv;protect park waters by enacting legal standards and procedures more specifically designed to protect park waters, as recom- mended throughout this Report. 4. Provide funding for purchase of water rights where the National Fark Service is unable to establish legal entitlement to the water needed to protect park values and resources and for development of needed ,expertise in water marketing. The Parlx Service Should: 5. Recruit and train more resource management specialists and scientists with expertise in water-related sciences and water policy and place them at the. regional office and park lever: ~. Strengthen the effective-ness o#'the Natural Resources Management Program-as a key program of the National Park Service by establishing the position of Associate Director for Natural and Cultural Resource Management in all regional offices, and by establishing separate resource management and research divi- sions in all parks with significant natural resources. 20