Skip to content

You are using an outdated browser

Internet Explorer is not supported by this site and Microsfot has stopped releasing updates, therefore you may encounter issues whilst visiting this site and we strongly recommend that you upgrade your browser for modern web functionality, a better user experience and improved security.

Upgrade my browser

Senate passes landmark bill to enlarge ‘Uniquely American’ national parks

Source: Pixabay/12019

Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks among those slated for expansion under new conservation legislation.

Landmark bill sets aside more than 1m acres of new wilderness, conservation areas and rivers

New conservation legislation passed by the US Senate will see national parks, rivers and bird habitats being protected across the country. The 662-page measure passed by 92 to 8 votes in the Senate and has been broadly welcomed. 

Three national parks in Georgia will be significantly expanded, including Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Fort Frederica National Monument.
Joshua Tree National Park Three national parks in Georgia will be significantly expanded, including Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Fort Frederica National Monument. Source: Pixabay/PacoRuiz64

National parks, rivers and bird habitats to be expanded and protected across the country

Joshua Tree and Death Valley national parks are to be enlarged, and stunning river landscapes in California and Utah will be protected, under new legislation that passed the US Senate on Tuesday.

The landmark bill protects nearly 500,000 acres (202,343 hetares) in California alone, including adding 43,000 acres to Death Valley national park and Joshua Tree national park, which was damaged by unsupervised crowds during the recent government shutdown.

The bill also designates 375,500 acres of new wilderness in the southern California desert, which is a critical ecosystem for bighorn sheep and desert tortoise and the setting for thousands of years of cultural history, including the Old Spanish Trail, a historic trade route that linked northern New Mexico to Los Angeles.

Nearly half a million wilderness acres will be added in Utah, a state that hasn’t protected new acreage since the 1964 Wilderness Act.
Watersheds: some 30,000 acres adjacent to the Yellowstone River in Montana will be protected from mining, and 100,000 acres of the Umpqua watershed in Oregon, one of the most important areas in the pacific north-west for salmon and steelhead trout, will be conserved. 

The bill classifies nearly 620 miles (1000km) of river as “Wild and scenic” – prohibiting federal support for dam construction – including the Amargosa River in California, the Green River in Utah and tributaries of the Rogue River in Oregon.

Source: Guardian & LonelyPlanet

The act has authorised a program that will see offshore-drilling revenue spent on conservation efforts. It will also see the establishment of four new national monuments honouring heroes in California, Utah, Mississippi and Kentucky, including Civil War soldiers and a civil rights icon.
Death Valley National Park The act has authorised a program that will see offshore-drilling revenue spent on conservation efforts. It will also see the establishment of four new national monuments honouring heroes in California, Utah, Mississippi and Kentucky, including Civil War soldiers and a civil rights icon. Source: Pixabay/Free-Photos
River landscapes deemed “wild and scenic” across seven states will be protected from damming and other development, including the Amargosa River in California, the Green River in Utah and tributaries of the Rogue River in Oregon, known for its vibrant salmon populations. It also includes the Nashua River, which flows from Massachusetts to New Hampshire and is popular with kayakers.
Green River, Utah River landscapes deemed “wild and scenic” across seven states will be protected from damming and other development, including the Amargosa River in California, the Green River in Utah and tributaries of the Rogue River in Oregon, known for its vibrant salmon populations. It also includes the Nashua River, which flows from Massachusetts to New Hampshire and is popular with kayakers. Source: Poxabay/Skeez
There will be a permanent withdrawal of mining claims around two national parks, North Cascades National Park in Washington and Yellowstone National Park in Montana.
Absaroka Mountain Range, Yellowstone National Park, Montana There will be a permanent withdrawal of mining claims around two national parks, North Cascades National Park in Washington and Yellowstone National Park in Montana. Source: Pixabay/Skeez
Nature-lovers will be delighted to learn that the bill will fund the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act through 2022, which provides habitat protection for more than 380 bird species.
Eared Grebe, Yellowstone National Park Nature-lovers will be delighted to learn that the bill will fund the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act through 2022, which provides habitat protection for more than 380 bird species. Source: Pixabay/12019
It has also passed the Every Kid Outdoors Act, a signature program of the former president, Barack Obama, that will allow US fourth-graders and their families to visit national parks for free.
Death Valley National Park It has also passed the Every Kid Outdoors Act, a signature program of the former president, Barack Obama, that will allow US fourth-graders and their families to visit national parks for free. Source: Pixabay/Esudroff
Make an Impact

9 GOOD REASONS TO SPEND MORE TIME OUTDOORS

We have all heard the phrase “ Get some fresh air!“ but here are 9 great reasons why it really is beneficial for your health. You may not have a National Park on your doorstep, but there will be somewhere green nearby to get your fix of nature.