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Expand North Cascades National Park

by Jim DiPeso, REP Vice President for Policy and Communications
Statement before King County Council, April 26, 2010

Good afternoon,

I am Jim DiPeso, policy director of Republicans for Environmental Protection.

We are members of a broad coalition of conservation and recreation organizations that respectfully urges your formal endorsement of the resolution supporting the American Alps Legacy Project – the completion of the original vision for North Cascades National Park.

We are grateful for the positive endorsement of the council’s Environment and Transportation Committee earlier this month.

The American Alps area includes about 300,000 acres of unprotected lands east and west of the park's present boundaries.

The proposal would incorporate Forest Service and National Recreation Area land into the park. This proposal covers only public lands. We are not proposing to convert any private property into public land.

We are part of this coalition because we believe that conservation is a cause beyond party and factions. Here in Washington, we have a rich tradition of bipartisan support for land protection.

The establishment of North Cascades National Park in 1968 is one of the most spectacular examples of that tradition. The cooperative work of Governor Dan Evans and Senator Henry Jackson, as well as other Republicans and Democrats, was essential to establishing this wonderful park.

As history teaches us, the park boundaries established 42 years ago were a compromise. Important lowland wildlife habitats, old-growth forests, and pristine rivers and streams were left out.

Through the passage of time, the case for finishing the job has grown stronger.

We need a complete North Cascades National Park, to increase outdoor recreation opportunities in our growing state, to protect the headwaters of salmon-bearing streams, to conserve wildlife habitat, and to expand economic development potential for gateway communities.

This project will have direct benefits for King County. One of the best ways to protect Puget Sound is to protect its headwaters streams. The proposal would provide new opportunities for nature viewing, miles of new hiking trails, and new visitor centers for King County residents to enjoy.

Many of the same people who helped create the park are working to complete the park. The citizens who led the charge for the park in 1968 – conservation heroes like Polly Dyer, Patrick Goldsworthy and Phil Zalesky – are fully engaged in planning.

Governor Evans is on the American Alps Advisory Committee. Peter Jackson has picked up his father’s torch.

Completing the park will be a collaborative effort. The alliance of groups working on this proposal are reaching out to local governments and interest groups to listen to your ideas and to earn your endorsement.

We urge the King County Council to support the American Alps Legacy Project by adopting the draft resolution before you. Thank you.