How Obama Can Create Jobs – National Parks
Tonight, President Obama’s State of the Union Address will be broadcast for all to see. Also re-airing this evening, will be Ken Burns’ latest documentary – The National Parks: America’s Best Idea on PBS.
During his speech, the President is sure to address job growth and creation, a topic that is on everyone’s mind. Did you know that America’s national parks create jobs and help invigorate the local economy? In fact, active outdoor recreation, which can take place in our parks, contributes $730 billion annually to the U.S. economy and supports nearly 6.5 million jobs across the U.S.
Here’s a short video of National Parks Conservation President Tom Kiernan discussing the urgent need to fund our national parks as an investment in our future: http://bit.ly/aSvlGM
For every dollar invested in a National Park, local economies receive $4 in increased revenue from visitors. In these trying economic times, our national parks are needed more than ever. With nearly 300 million visitors last year, American’s are finding our national parks fulfill their need for low-cost and affordable recreation. Visitation at our national parks is up 5% since the recession hit.
You can get all the facts here: http://www.npca.org/bestidea/national-park-funding.html
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Senator Obama said: “I am committed to addressing the funding shortfall that the National Park Service has experienced," now at $580 million. The parks also suffer from a $9 billion dollar maintenance backlog. By following through on this promise, as well as increasing the parks’ budget by $100 million each year, we can support America’s Best Idea AND create jobs for the American people. Investing in our parks means investing in our people.
Your voice is highly influential and we hope that you will share this, not widely acknowledged in the press yet, with your smart & passionate audience.
Learn more at: http://www.npca.org/bestidea/
Thank you,
Kelly Rand
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New Media Associate, Fission Strategy
on behalf of National Parks Conservation Association
