Latest news with #NationalParkSystem
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump proposes cutting funds for national parks, turning some over to states. See Florida sites
President Trump's budget blueprint calls for $163 billion in spending cuts to non-military programs, including $1.2 billion for national parks, monuments, historic sites, seashores and trails. That's about 25% of the park service's budget of $4.8 billion. The 2026 budget plan also proposes turning some national park sites over to states, removing them from the National Park System. The proposal quickly came under fire. 'This is the most extreme, unrealistic and destructive National Park Service budget a President has ever proposed in the agency's 109-year history," said Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit advocacy group. A letter from the president's Office of Management and Budget to the Committee on Appropriations outlined Trump's recommendations on "discretionary funding levels" for fiscal year 2026. "The recommended funding levels result from a rigorous, line-by-line review of FY 2025 spending, which was found to be laden with spending contrary to the needs of ordinary working Americans and tilted toward funding niche non-governmental organizations and institutions of higher education committed to radical gender and climate ideologies antithetical to the American way of life. "We also considered, for each program, whether the governmental service provided could be provided better by State or local governments (if provided at all). Just as the Federal Government has intruded on matters best left to American families, it has intruded on matters best left to the levels of government closest to the people, who understand and respect the needs and desires of their communities far better than the Federal Government ever could." That was the case in the proposal when it came to the National Park Service. "The National Park Service responsibilities include a large number of sites that are not 'National Parks,' in the traditionally understood sense, many of which receive small numbers of mostly local visitors, and are better categorized and managed as State-level parks. "The Budget would continue supporting many national treasures, but there is an urgent need to streamline staffing and transfer certain properties to State-level management to ensure the long-term health and sustainmentof the National Park system." The budget plan suggests a cut of $900 million in fiscal year 2026 for park operations. More cuts proposed by Trump: National Park Service's Historic The plan recommended a $158 million cut in the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund, saying, "Many historic preservation projects have matching funds from State, local, and private sources, rendering the Historic Preservation Fund highly duplicative. Further, the projects are often of local, rather than national, significance." National Park Service Construction: "The Biden Administration wasted Federal funding on construction projects at sites that are more appropriately managed at the local level. This reduction (of $73 million) complements the Administration's goals of federalism and transferring smaller, lesser visited parks to State and tribal governments. At the same time, the Budget allows NPS to prioritize larger projects at the Nation's crown jewel parks." National Park Service : "Many National Recreation and Preservation grants are already supported by State, local, and private sector efforts, including large amounts of mandatory funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund Stateside Grants. Further, these projects are not directly tied to maintaining national parks or public lands." The recommended cut was $77 million. "Cuts of this magnitude would devastate our national parks, further pushing them into a financial hole," the National Park and Conservation Association posted on its website. "For generations, Americans have believed that some places are so special that they should be protected for all time, and for all to experience. Any effort to hand many of these sites over to the states is a betrayal, and the American people won't stand for it," Pierno said. According to the National Park Service, there are 433 national park sites in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. Sixty-three of the sites have national park as part of their name. According to the National Park Service, there are 11 national park sites in Florida: Big Cypress National Preserve Biscayne National Park Canaveral National Seashore Castillo de San Marcos National Monument De Soto National Memorial Dry Tortugas National Park Everglades National Park Fort Caroline National Memorial Fort Matanzas National Monument Gulf Islands National Seashore Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve ➤ See all 11 national park sites in Florida According to Smithsonian Magazine, two Florida parks made the list for the most and least visited in 2024. The top 10 most-visited National Park Service sites in 2024 were: Golden Gate National Recreation Area (17,187,508 visits) Blue Ridge Parkway (16,733,639 visits) Great Smoky Mountains National Park (12,191,834 visits) Gateway National Recreation Area (8,929,035 visits) The Lincoln Memorial (8,479,349 visits) Gulf Islands National Seashore (7,801,176 visits) Natchez Trace Parkway (7,364,833 visits) George Washington Memorial Parkway (6,782,717 visits) Lake Mead National Recreation Area (6,412,854 visits) Vietnam Veterans Memorial (5,295,711 visits) The 10 least-visited National Park Service sites in 2024 were: Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (11,907 visits) North Cascades National Park (16,485 visits) Kobuk Valley National Park (17,233 visits) Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (18,505 visits) National Park of American Samoa (22,567 visits) Isle Royale National Park (28,806 visits) Katmai National Park and Preserve (36,230 visits) Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (81,670 visits) Dry Tortugas National Park (84,873 visits) Great Basin National Park (152,068 visits) There are 20 different national park types that fall under the protection of the National Park Service. They are: National Monuments: 87 National Historical sites: 76 National Historical Parks: 63 National Parks: 63 National Memorials: 31 National Preserves: 19 National Recreation Areas: 18 National battlefields: 11 National Seashores: 10 National Wild and Scenic Rivers and Riverways: 10 Other designations: 10 National Military Parks: 9 National Scenic Trails: 6 National Battlefield Parks: 4 National Parkways: 4 National Rivers: 4 National Lakeshores: 3 National Reserves: 2 National Battlefield Site: 1 International Historic Sites: 1 Contributing: Dinah Volyes Pulver, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on Florida Today: National parks US, Florida. Trump plan cuts budget, state transfer
CBS News
20-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Chicago's Pullman Historic District marks 10 years as part of National Park Service
This week, the historic community of Pullman on Chicago's Far South Side is celebrating 10 years of being part of the National Park Service. Its history not only preserved through its architecture and its role in the labor movement, but by two brothers who worked and continue to live in the onetime industrial town. Brothers Al and Ray Qurioz may not consider themselves historians, but by most standards, they are. Al, 88, and Ray, 86, are former workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company — one of the first planned industrial communities that specialized in train car manufacturing in the United States. "When we started to work there, we learned how the cars were built," said Al Quiroz. Workers and their families both worked and lived on the grounds, which had a factory and its own streets and housing. "It was on-the-job training," said Ray Quiroz. "I just loved it." Today, the two are the last remaining workers to reside in the neighborhood. They not only have held on to their memories, but also rare artifacts from the era of the Pullman Palace Car Company. These items include century-old blueprints, train car memorabilia, and an electric bell once used to alert riders. The brothers saved all these items after being ordered by supervisors to throw them out. "The boss saw me and said, 'Ray, whatever is up there on the second floor, get rid of it,'" said Ray Quiroz. But Al saw it differently. "I'm a third generation of building railroad cars," Al Quiroz said. "This is my history." Thanks to the brothers, that history now preserved — and helping tell the story about Chicago's Far South Side Pullman neighborhood, where a renaissance of sorts is underway. Ten years after President Obama designated the Pullman Historic District as part of the National Park System, the area has seen nearly $500 million in economic development. Mike Shymanski is founding member of the Historic Pullman Foundation. "Every time somebody says a negative thing about the South Side, you should be prepared about four positive things," Shymanski said, "and one of the positive things is the national park." As businesses continue to flock to the area, locals hope it translates to foot traffic — and inquisitive minds coming to visit. "I came here for coffee and found some history," Shymanski said he hopes to hear people say. For the Quiroz brothers, they hope the spotlight will continue to shine on the Pullman and their long-lasting contributions. "It's about all the trouble we had, and all the problems we solved," said Al Quiroz. A brief history of the Pullman Company and historic district George M. Pullman, president of the Pullman Palace Car Company, had construction begun for his company town in the 1880s. The town of over 1,000 homes and public buildings was completed in 1884, according to the Historic Pullman Foundation. The City of Chicago annexed Hyde Park Township — which included all of the South Side east of State Street and south of Pershing Road — in 1889. Most Pullman residents voted against the annexation, and the Pullman Land Association continued to manage town properties despite the annexation, according to the foundation. In 1894, the Pullman Palace Car Company was the site of one of the most historically notable strikes in American history. The company had lowered wages in response to a drop in demand for train cars amid an economic depression in 1893, but the rents the company charged remained the same. Pullman himself refused to meet with workers and ordered them fired — leading to a strike that ended up paralyzing most railroads west of Detroit until it ended violently with the intervention of federal troops, according to the Historic Pullman Foundation. George M. Pullman died in 1897, and the following year, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered the Pullman Company to sell all its properties not used for industry — including the company residences. But this did not happen until 1907, with residents being given the first option to purchase their rented homes. Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of President Abraham Lincoln, became president of the Pullman Palace Car Company in 1901, and served in that role for 10 years. In 1925, labor organizer A. Phillip Randolph formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The National Park Service notes that at the time, porters made up 44% of the Pullman workforce, and Pullman was the largest employer of Black Americans in the country. After years of downsizing and consolidation of its factories, and all operations Pullman Company was dissolved on Jan. 1, 1969 — though it maintained a central office staff to wind down affairs and handle a lawsuit until 1981, according to the Newberry Library. Also in 1969, the Pullman district received State of Illinois landmark status. Today, the Pullman clock tower still stands majestically at 11057 S. Cottage Grove Ave., though what stands today is much newer than it looks. Back in December 1998, an arson fire gutted the building and destroyed the tower and clock, and a new tower and clock were completed in 2005. A 1910 factory building on the Pullman site also burned down in the 1998 fire. On Feb. 19, 2015, President Obama designated the Pullman Historic District a National Monument that is now part of the National Park Service.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Yellowstone' star Kevin Costner dishes on his new Fox Nation series
Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner joined "The Will Cain Show" to discuss his new three-part series on Fox Nation, "Yellowstone to Yosemite," a documentary he describes as showing how men and women can make a difference through a "force of will." "While we all enjoy [the Yellowstone national parks], very rarely do we actually understand how they came to be," Costner told host Will Cain. "And when you think about things in life, it's like, are we ever going to make a difference in our life? I mean, I ask myself that. Everybody does. I mean, there's a billion of us on this planet now. What do we do? But it's a story about how men and women can really make a difference through a force of will." The series retraces the steps of President Theodore Roosevelt and environmental advocate John Muir's three-day trip through Yosemite in 1903, with the third and final episode dropping Wednesday on Fox Nation. Muir's journey with Roosevelt led to the president signing legislation that began the National Park System, starting with Yosemite National Park and creating 150 national forests, five national parks, and preserving 230 million acres of land. Outside the duo's journey, Costner emphasized the importance of including Native American history in the project. "Yellowstone to Yosemite" is notable for focusing on land's "natural beauty," Costner added. "The important thing for me was we deal with the story before John Muir shows up, which is the Native Americans have this whole country, and they have Yosemite. And what happened to them was a travesty," Costner said. Read On The Fox News App "And that's not very often talked about, but we deal with it in the documentary," Costner explained. "Not to pound people in the head, but just to educate. But again, you know, America found a way where land would have a use other than just exploiting it, that the natural beauty could perhaps be turned into a level of commerce where people would come and what they saw as a child, their own children would see." Click Here To Join Fox Nation When Cain asked Costner what values in certain scripts draw him in, the actor described an unsung and less glamorous version of Hollywood's typical "notion of heroism when everything is on the line." "The notion of heroism when no one's looking," Costner replied. "I think when you're a child or young man or young woman and you see that, you realize, you know, the heroism of a woman who works three jobs, you see her four in the morning, every morning at a bus stop. And by the end of the evening, when she gets home so tired and makes a meal for her kids, she's gone to three different places to work in movies. We can sometimes depict that and we lay music to it, and suddenly we know who's important. Suddenly we know who is powerful, who is a hero, a hero in her own family, that she would work that way to make life better for her children." To experience "Yellowstone to Yosemite" firsthand, sign up for Fox Nation and begin streaming today. Fox Nation programs are viewable on-demand and from your mobile device app, but only for Fox Nation subscribers. Go to Fox Nation to start a free trial and watch the extensive library from your favorite Fox Nation article source: 'Yellowstone' star Kevin Costner dishes on his new Fox Nation series
Fox News
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'Yellowstone' star Kevin Costner dishes on his new Fox Nation series
Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner joined "The Will Cain Show" to discuss his new three-part series on Fox Nation, "Yellowstone to Yosemite," a documentary he describes as showing how men and women can make a difference through a "force of will." "While we all enjoy [the Yellowstone national parks], very rarely do we actually understand how they came to be," Costner told host Will Cain. "And when you think about things in life, it's like, are we ever going to make a difference in our life? I mean, I ask myself that. Everybody does. I mean, there's a billion of us on this planet now. What do we do? But it's a story about how men and women can really make a difference through a force of will." The series retraces the steps of President Theodore Roosevelt and environmental advocate John Muir's three-day trip through Yosemite in 1903, with the third and final episode dropping Wednesday on Fox Nation. Muir's journey with Roosevelt led to the president signing legislation that began the National Park System, starting with Yosemite National Park and creating 150 national forests, five national parks, and preserving 230 million acres of land. Outside the duo's journey, Costner emphasized the importance of including Native American history in the project. "Yellowstone to Yosemite" is notable for focusing on land's "natural beauty," Costner added. "The important thing for me was we deal with the story before John Muir shows up, which is the Native Americans have this whole country, and they have Yosemite. And what happened to them was a travesty," Costner said. "And that's not very often talked about, but we deal with it in the documentary," Costner explained. "Not to pound people in the head, but just to educate. But again, you know, America found a way where land would have a use other than just exploiting it, that the natural beauty could perhaps be turned into a level of commerce where people would come and what they saw as a child, their own children would see." When Cain asked Costner what values in certain scripts draw him in, the actor described an unsung and less glamorous version of Hollywood's typical "notion of heroism when everything is on the line." "The notion of heroism when no one's looking," Costner replied. "I think when you're a child or young man or young woman and you see that, you realize, you know, the heroism of a woman who works three jobs, you see her four in the morning, every morning at a bus stop. And by the end of the evening, when she gets home so tired and makes a meal for her kids, she's gone to three different places to work in movies. We can sometimes depict that and we lay music to it, and suddenly we know who's important. Suddenly we know who is powerful, who is a hero, a hero in her own family, that she would work that way to make life better for her children." To experience "Yellowstone to Yosemite" firsthand, sign up for Fox Nation and begin streaming today. Fox Nation programs are viewable on-demand and from your mobile device app, but only for Fox Nation subscribers. Go to Fox Nation to start a free trial and watch the extensive library from your favorite Fox Nation personalities.
