Tag Archives: National Park Service

News, Politics, Government

Boy, 8, rescued after being buried under sand at northern Indiana park

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Emergency crews in northern Indiana have found a boy who fell into a hole in the sand near the Lake Michigan shoreline near Mount Baldy in Michigan City.

The boy’s condition isn’t known. The News Dispatch of Michigan City reports he was taken to Franciscan St. Anthony Health Medical Center.

They 8-year-old boy fell into the hole Friday around 4:30 p.m. Central Time. He was buried under 11 feet of sand a few hours later.

A spokesman National Park Service, Bruce Rowe, says the boy’s family saw the boy after he had fallen into the hole and tried to dig him out.

Michigan City police, fire and Department of Natural Resources used heavy equipment to try to find the child.

…read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Computers

10 tips to secure funding for a cybersecurity program

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Ask any cybersecurity specialist what their biggest challenge is, and you will get a variety of answers — ranging from strengthening network security, to managing internal threats, to protecting against cyber espionage.

But you may be surprised to learn that the unanimous pick for the biggest challenge cybersecurity professionals face is simply getting the funding necessary to carry out a security program.

There are resources and technical support available on how to deal with the never-ending list of threats that arise daily; and we have plenty of opportunities to learn and digest security best practices. However, little information or guidance is available to prepare one for the dreaded budget discussion when new or continued funding is necessary to maintain a strong cybersecurity posture.

Having established cybersecurity programs in two government organizations, the U.S. National Park Service, and now at Los Angeles World Airports, I have experienced a full range of discussions with a variety of financial teams. In all cases, good communication was the critical ingredient for success and resulted in the necessary funding, over a period of years, to establish and maintain a workable security program.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

From: http://www.csoonline.com/article/732053/10-tips-to-secure-funding-for-a-security-program#tk.rss_all

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Sequestration Stories: How Are Spending Cuts Affecting You?

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By Bruce Watson

Filed under: ,

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAir traffic controller specialist Mamie Ambrose worked at the Frederick Municipal Airport control tower in Frederick Maryland prior to its shutdown. The U.S. closed 149 air-traffic control towers run by contractors at small and mid-sized airports on April 7 as a result of sequestration.

It’s been just over a month since the automatic federal spending cuts — better known as “sequestration” — kicked in. In that time, most public discussion has focused on the whether or not the spending cuts will actually make a difference. After all, skeptics have argued, the cuts “only” account for 0.5 percent of GDP. Their effect will be minor, these pundits have claimed, slicing less than 7 percent from the Pentagon, 2 percent from Medicare, and so on.

On those rare occasions in the last month when sequestration had an immediately noticeable effect — when the White House canceled tours, for example, or when the National Park Service closed campgrounds — critics have argued that these cuts were largely enacted for PR value, and that the federal government, if it wished, could actually have avoided them.

But the cuts are expanding, and, to paraphrase MTV’s The Real World, this is where they stop being polite and start getting real. That 2 percent Medicare cut, for example, started to have a major effect last week when, as The Washington Post‘s Sarah Kliff noted, cancer clinics across the country had to turn away patients because they could no longer afford to give them medicine.

The Medicare problem was caused by a shortsight over which portion of the program was being cut. Medications are usually covered under Medicare Part D, which wasn’t affected by sequestration cuts. Unfortunately, however, the cancer meds in question must be administered by a doctor, which puts them under Part B — which was affected by sequestration.

For many cancer patients, the Medicare problem can be dealt with by getting their medications at hospitals rather than at smaller clinics. In a larger context, however, the Medicare cancer problem is a canary in a mine, an early indication of some of the looming problems that are likely to develop if sequestration remains in effect.

Other effects have started to creep up. Health care providers have been laid off around the country. So have teachers and child care workers. People who work for the military, even indirectly, are having to dust off their resumes, and the unemployment benefits that many are counting on are starting to dry up. And this only scratches the tip of the iceberg.

So, how has sequestration affected you? Have any of your local services had to cut back on hours or have you faced a furlough from your job …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

News, Politics, Government

National Park Service to use sharpshooters to kill deer in DC park

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The National Park Service is ready to start using sharpshooters to kill deer in Washington’s Rock Creek Park.

The park service says it will begin killing deer Wednesday night. Sharpshooters will work in the overnight hours from late Wednesday through early Saturday morning.

The effort to reduce the deer population in the park was delayed after an animal rights group filed a lawsuit to prevent the killings. A judge ruled in favor of the park service earlier this month.

The park service considered several options but ultimately decided the deer population needed to be reduced to protect plant and animal habitat. The park has more than 70 deer per square mile, and the plan is to reduce that number to no more than 20 per square mile.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

News, Politics, Government

President Obama Designates Five New National Monuments

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By The White House

National Monuments Will Generate Tourism and Economic Benefits for Local Economies, Honor African-American History, Mark Delaware’s first National Park Site

WASHINGTON, DC – President Obama today signed proclamations establishing five new national monuments, using his authority under the Antiquities Act, which celebrate our nation’s rich history and natural heritage. The monuments, located in Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio and Washington, help tell the story of significant people and extraordinary events in American history, as well as protect unique natural resources for the benefit of all Americans. The designations were made with bi-partisan support from congressional, state and local officials, local businesses and other stakeholders and are expected to promote economic growth in the local communities through tourism and outdoor recreation.

“These sites honor the pioneering heroes, spectacular landscapes and rich history that have shaped our extraordinary country,” said President Obama. “By designating these national monuments today, we will ensure they will continue to inspire and be enjoyed by generations of Americans to come.”

“From the treasured landscapes of northern New Mexico and Washington, to the historic sites in Delaware, to the sites that show our nation’s path from Civil War to civil rights, these monuments help tell the rich and complex story of our nation’s history and natural beauty,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said. “There’s no doubt that these monuments will serve as economic engines for the local communities through tourism and outdoor recreation – supporting economic growth and creating jobs.”

According to the National Parks and Conservation Association study in 2006 each federal dollar invested in national parks generates at least four dollars of economic value to the public. National parks are responsible for $13.3 billion dollars of local, private-sector economic activity nationwide, supporting 267,000 private-sector jobs. Outdoor recreation alone generates $646 billion in consumer spending and 6.1 million direct jobs in the United States each year, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

The monuments are:

Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Ohio. The monument will preserve the home of Col. Charles Young (1864–1922), a distinguished officer in the United States Army who was the third African American to graduate from West Point and the first to achieve the rank of Colonel. Young also served as one of the early Army superintendents of Sequoia and General Grant National Parks, before the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916. The national headquarters of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, of which Col. Young was a member, made the property available for acquisition by the federal government for the purpose of establishing the national monument commemorating Young’s life and accomplishments. The monument, located in Wilberforce, Ohio, will be managed by the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service.

First State National Monument in Delaware. The monument will tell the story of the early Dutch, Swedish, Finnish and English settlement of the colony of Delaware, as well as Delaware’s role as the first state …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

Articles of Interest

Ellis Island Museum Unlikely To Reopen In 2013 After Severe Superstorm Sandy Damage

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

NEW YORK — The Ellis Island Immigration Museum, which sustained severe damage to its infrastructure from the surging waters of Superstorm Sandy, is not expected to re-open to the public this year, the National Park Service said.

The Oct. 29 storm bought water levels as high as 8 feet to Ellis Island, adjacent to the home of the Statue of Liberty, destroying boilers and electrical systems.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Congress Moves to Finally Approve 2013 Budget

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By The Associated Press

Filed under: , , , ,

(J. Scott Applewhite/AP) House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., appears before the House Rules Committee to testify on his party’€™s budget proposal, at the Capitol on Monday. He is joined at left by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the ranking member on the House Budget Committee.

By ANDREW TAYLOR

WASHINGTON — Congress is finally cleaning up its unfinished budget business for the long-underway 2013 budget year with a bipartisan government-wide funding bill, even as the combatants in the House and Senate gear up for votes this week on largely symbolic measures outlining stark differences between Democrats and Republicans about how to fix the nation’s long-term deficit woes.

The Senate is positioned to approve the catchall spending bill Tuesday after it cleared a procedural hurdle Monday by a strong 63-35 vote. The House, which approved a narrower version two weeks ago, is expected to quickly clear the measure and ship it to President Barack Obama for his signature.

On a separate track, the GOP-controlled House and Democratic Senate are gearing up for votes this week on sharply different budget blueprints for next year and beyond. The dueling, non-binding blueprints veer off in opposite directions at the same time President Barack Obama seeks to nurture a future compromise blending new tax revenues with spending cuts beyond what his Democratic allies are willing to offer now.

The rival House and Senate budgets for the future are party-defining documents with zero chance of making their way into law as written, given the division of power in Washington, where Democrats control the White House and Senate and conservative Republicans dominate the House.

House Republicans are moving first with a plan sharply slashing health care for the poor, budgets for domestic agencies like the FBI and the National Park Service, and safety net programs like food stamps. Senate Democrats are countering with a mostly stand-pat approach that hikes taxes by almost $1 trillion over a decade while reversing already-enacted across-the-board spending cuts that are slamming both the Pentagon and domestic agencies.

Balanced Budget Promise

The House budget measure, if enacted into law, promises a balanced ledger by the end of a decade; the Senate budget would leave significantly larger deficits but stabilize the national debt as a share of the economy, a measure that economists say is essential to avoiding a debt crisis like Greece and other European nations have experienced.

Avoiding a government shutdown this year, however, required a more delicate approach on the government-wide funding bill.

Republicans controlling the House pushed a catchall spending measure repairing Pentagon accounts devoted to military readiness and training, as well as veterans programs and several initiatives like modernizing the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Senate Democrats countered with full-year, line-by-line budgets for the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, among others. All agencies would be subject to across-the-board …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Sequestration Cuts? Not In My Backyard, Insist Legislators

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By Bruce Watson

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 27: Meals On Wheels of San Francisco driver Jim Fleming loads meals into a van before making deliveries on February 27, 2013 in San Francisco, California. Programs for the poor like Meals On Wheels, which delivers meals to homebound seniors, could be affected if $85 billion in federal spending cuts come down due to sequestration. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Meals On Wheels of San Francisco driver Jim Fleming loads meals into a van before making deliveries. Sequestion cuts impact discretionary programs — like WIC, TEFAP Administration , Meals on Wheels, Title 1 education, Head Start, law enforcement, juvenile justice, LIHEAP and many others.

At its heart, sequestration isn’t all that complicated: The idea was that, unless Congress could agree on a responsible, intelligent way to balance the budget, deep, across-the-board cuts would go into affect, hitting most government programs. The plan was simple and brutal, the legislative equivalent of a parent’s ultimatum: Play nicely together or I’m taking your toys away. And, to continue the metaphor, Congress refused to play well, its toys were taken away, and billions of dollars of automatic cuts went into effect. Cruel, sure, but as the old saying goes, you have nobody to blame but yourself. Especially because in this case, the “parents” are the same entities as the “children” — the Congress.

In the days since sequestration has started to take hold, however, a rising trend has gripped Congress as a large number of legislators have expressed what TPM’s Brian Beutler calls “Sequestration NIMBYism” — the idea that cuts are fine, as long as they don’t touch the programs that these legislators actually care about. As Beutler puts it:

“Sequestration is intended to be indiscriminate. It requires federal agencies to reduce spending by a certain percentage on each of their programs and activities. That means all House and Senate members are likely to see some consequences in their districts and states. But when those consequences materialize, Republicans either blame the administration or plead for special treatment.”

Beutler cites a few examples, including Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who is complaining about the National Park Service‘s decision to close campgrounds in his state, and Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.), who is angry about the closure of an airport in his district. Thune, notably, was not all that energetic about avoiding the sequester: In mid-February, he downplayed the likely impact of the cuts, noting that they only represented about 2 percent of the federal budget. Given his position as chairman of the Senate Republican conference, this wasn’t just an idle comment: Thune was an important player in the decision to avoid a budget compromise.

Thune has also led a group of Republican senators in an attack on one of the most visible sequestration cuts: the decision to dramatically scale back White House tours. The move, which was undertaken as part of an agreement between the Secret Service and the President, will save an estimated $74,000 a week, or almost $4 million a year.

It isn’t hard to see why the Obama administration and the Secret Service decided to stop White House tours: The Secret Service had to swallow sequestration cuts just like every …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Articles of Interest

Rock Creek Park Deer Hunting: Washington D.C. Lawsuit Thrown Out

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

Oh dear, oh deer.

Five D.C. residents and an animal rights group that sued to stop the National Park Service from hunting white tailed deer in D.C.’s Rock Creek Park had their motion for summary judgment dismissed by a federal judge on Thursday.

Robert L. Wilkins of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia found that the park service acted within its authority in coming up with its plan to control an “overabundant white-tailed deer population,” through both lethal and non-lethal means.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

Articles of Interest

Flight 93 National Memorial Seeks Volunteers To Plant Trees

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — The Flight 93 National Memorial at Shanksville, Pa., where a plane crashed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks is seeking volunteers for a tree planting day April 27.

The Daily American of Somerset (http://bit.ly/X34e6d) reports that volunteers, ages 14 and older, must register at the National Park Service website. No walk-ups will be accepted.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

News, Politics, Government

Public tree planting planned at Pa. 9/11 memorial

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The Flight 93 National Memorial at Shanksville, Pa., where a plane crashed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks is seeking volunteers for a tree planting day April 27.

The Daily American of Somerset (http://bit.ly/X34e6d ) reports that volunteers, ages 14 and older, must register at the National Park Service website. No walk-ups will be accepted.

Authorities expect to plant 15,000 seedlings on 23 acres.

Volunteers will be supervised by a professional forester, and are advised to prepare for cold, wet and muddy conditions.

The memorial is about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It marks where a hijacked United Airlines jet crashed on Sept. 11, 2001. Investigators believe the hijackers planned to crash the plane in Washington, D.C., but were thwarted by passengers and crew members. Everyone aboard died.

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Online: http://www.nps.gov/flni

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

AVG Technologies Chief Policy Officer Siobhan MacDermott to Speak as "Visiting Future-ist" for the F

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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AVG Technologies Chief Policy Officer Siobhan MacDermott to Speak as “Visiting Future-ist” for the Future of Information Alliance at the University of Maryland

–(BUSINESS WIRE)– AVG Technologies (NYS: AVG) :

WHAT: The University of Maryland’s Future of Information Alliance will host invitation-only discussions in a series entitled, “The Big Picture of Big Data.” Visiting Future-ists will give 10-minute presentations on the topic as it pertains to their respective industry or discipline.

The Future of Information Alliance was launched at the University of Maryland in 2011. It was created to serve as a catalyst for dialogue across disciplines and to promote research on issues related to the evolving role of information in our lives. By identifying shared challenges and encouraging innovative solutions, the Future of Information Alliance seeks to facilitate a future in which information in all its forms can be an effective resource for all. The founding partners include the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Geographic Society, the Newseum, Sesame Workshop, the U.S. National Park Service, the Barrie School, the Online Academy, WAMU 88.5 and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. The Future of Information Alliance is co-directed by Ira Chinoy, a University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism associate professor and associate dean, and Allison Druin, a professor at the University of Maryland College of Information Studies (iSchool).

WHO: Siobhan MacDermott is a respected thought leader on the future of Information Technology, consumer dynamics, cybersecurity, privacy, and business leadership. She is currently Chief Policy Officer of AVG Technologies (NYS: AVG) , having worked in senior leadership positions at many reputable U.S. and global technology companies. MacDermott is both a US and EU national, and has worked on four continents and speaks five languages. She received her MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, is working on her second Masters degree at the Fletcher School, and serves on and advises several boards including the Internet Security Alliance and the Fund for Peace.

AVG‘s mission is to simplify, optimize and secure the Internet experience, providing peace of mind to a connected world. AVG‘s powerful yet easy-to-use software and online services put users in control of their Internet experience. By choosing AVG‘s software and services, users become part of a trusted global community that benefits from inherent network effects, mutual protection and support. AVG has grown …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Articles of Interest

Cherry Blossom Festival 2013: D.C.’s ‘Peak Blossom’ Expected Between March 26-30

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

WASHINGTON — D.C. is about to look very pink. Beginning March 20 and running through April 14, the National Cherry Blossom Festival will celebrate the friendship between America and Japan with the blooming of approximately 3,750 trees.

Beginning March 20 with the Pink Tie Party and culminating in the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade on April 13, the 101st annual celebration will also feature over 150 daily cultural performances by local, national and international entertainers, sports competitions and more. A full list of events can be found on the National Cherry Blossom site.

This morning the National Park Service announced this years “peak blossom” prediction via Twitter — and, great news, the dates coincide with this year’s festival.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

News, Politics, Government

Report: Acadia visitors add $186M to Maine economy

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A new report says Acadia National Park isn’t just a pretty place to visit, it’s crucial to the region’s economy.

The National Park Service announced Tuesday that the 47,000-acre park on Maine’s coast attracted 2.4 million visitors in 2011, who created $186 million in economic benefits for the surrounding communities and helped support 3,000 jobs.

The information is part of a peer-reviewed spending analysis of national park visitors across the country conducted by Michigan State University for the National Park Service.

Superintendent Sheridan Steele says Acadia attracts visitors with its “unparalleled scenery and extraordinary recreational opportunities.”

Most visitor spending, about 63 percent, supports jobs in lodging and food service, while 17 percent is spent on recreation and entertainment.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

History

National park cuts detailed in memo

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By Jonathan_So

The towering giant sequoias at Yosemite National Park would go unprotected from visitors who might trample their shallow roots. At Cape Cod National Seashore, large sections of the Great Beach would close to keep eggs from being destroyed if natural resource managers are cut.

Gettysburg would decrease by one-fifth the numbers of school children who learn about the historic Pennsylvania battle that was a turning point in the Civil War.

As America’s financial clock ticks toward forced spending cuts to countless government agencies, The Associated Press has obtained a National Park Service memo that compiles a list of potential effects at the nation’s most beautiful and historic places just as spring vacation season begins…

…Even Declaration House in Pennsylvania, the place where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, wouldn’t be spared. Nor would comfort stations on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi…

Source:
AP

Source URL:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NATIONAL_PARKS_SEQUESTRATION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-02-22-16-40-57

Date:
2-22-13

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University

History

Northwestern to probe founder Evans and Sand Creek Massacre

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By hnn

Responding to pressure from a student alliance, Northwestern University has established a committee to investigate the history of John Evans, a university founder connected to one of the worst massacres of Native Americans in the country’s history.

The committee will consist of four Northwestern faculty members and three additional professors hailing from Yale University, the University of Illinois and the University of Arkansas.

John Evans — the namesake of the city of Evanston — was territorial governor of Colorado in 1864 when a militia of about 700 men attacked a temporary village of Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho people at Sand Creek. According to the National Park Service, the soldiers killed 165 to 200 Native Americans, about two-thirds of them women, children and elderly….

Source:
Chicago Tribune

Source URL:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/evanston_skokie_morton_grove/chi-northwestern-to-probe-founder-evans-and-sand-creek-massacre-20130221,0,4742882.story

Date:
2-21-13

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University

History

Shifting sands yield mystery shipwreck in GA that dates to 1800s

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By hnn

SAVANNAH, Ga. — The odd skeleton of wooden beams barely poked above the sands, exposed just enough by wind and tides for a beachcomber to report the curious find.

Fred Boyles, National Park Service superintendent on Georgia’s Cumberland Island, says the buried beams could have easily been overlooked as ordinary flotsam washed ashore on the beach. But archaeologists called to the remote Atlantic coastal island spent days last week unearthing an astonishing find: an old wooden shipwreck held together with wooden pegs, its backstory lost in time.

“Someone had the foresight to say that doesn’t just look like normal wood, and thank goodness they called us,” Boyles said of the island resident, who stumbled on the wreck around Christmas. “Frankly, had I been driving on the beach, I would’ve ridden right by.”

This 80-foot-long fragment of history, with some of its wooden siding still intact, is believed to date to the mid-1800s based on its construction, said Michael Steiber, a National Park Service archaeologist trying to crack the mystery of the ship’s origin….

Source:
WaPo

Source URL:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/shifting-sands-yield-mystery-shipwreck-on-remote-ga-coastal-island-that-likely-dates-to-1800s/2013/01/21/2e545f2c-63eb-11e2-889b-f23c246aa446_story.html

Date:
1-21-13

Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University

News, Politics, Government

Court upholds decision to keep wolves out of US park

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A federal appeals court is upholding the National Park Service‘s decision not to reintroduce wolves to Rocky Mountain National Park to control the elk population.

WildEarth Guardians had argued that the Park Service violated environmental laws when it ruled out using wolves and when it decided to use trained volunteers to help Park Service employees shoot and kill excess elk.

A federal judge in 2011 ruled that the agency took a hard look at relevant data before concluding that reintroducing wolves wasn’t a feasible option and that volunteers’ shooting the elk to limit the population wasn’t the same as hunting, which involves shooting for food or sport. Hunting is generally banned within the park.

On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the judge’s ruling.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Articles of Interest

500,000 Acre, Private Property Land-grab By U.S. Forest Service

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By Suzanne Eovaldi

ForestServiceLogoOfficial.svg 500,000 acre, private property land grab by U.S. Forest Service

Nearly 200,000 American citizens in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties could lose free use of their private lands and property if the proposed Rim of the Valley National Park converting two national parks becomes law!  A continuation of United Nations-sponsored Agenda 21′s aims of shoving American citizens into carefully defined clusters of living space around large urban populations, the Rim of the Valley plan would severely affect personal liberty!  Urgent action is needed to stop this huge new federal land grab threat, says Chuck Cushman of the American Land Right Association.

“It will start with a small scope and gradually increase over time until the Federal Government and the National Park Service take over huge portions of the mountains around Los Angeles.”  The Rim of the Valley consists of parts of the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susanna Mountains, the San Gabriel Mountains, the Verdugo Mountains, the San Rafael Hills, and adjacent connector areas to Los Padres and San Bernardino National Forests, according to Congressman Adam Schiff.

Nearly ½ million acres, over two thirds the size of Yosemite, could be under the control of the US Forest Service. Coffee mugs with the inscription “Forest Circus US Department of Aggravation” being sold in Montana already express disdain for the rapidly expanding federal agency.

Cushman reveals the mind-set of federal official David Hales who allegedly said, “If Congress puts a circle around a land area, we’re going to own it all.”  Such is the aim of Agenda 21, a one world, UN initiative designed to adversely impact private property rights (particularly in the United States) by seeking to cram residents into approximately 900 square feet of “dwelling space” and move them off of wide open land areas and out of suburban sprawl locations.

Additionally, California farmers are very upset about plans by Gov. Jerry Brown to move water from their farmlands through tunnels into drought areas in the Southern part of the state.  “Although portions of the San Gabriel River and its tributaries have been altered for flood protection and water conservation, these urbanized channels still serve as habitat for wildlife and often provide opportunities for recreation,”  maintains the left. For decades, liberals have threatened the existence of farmers by diverting vitally important water resources in order to prevent harm coming to their furry little “endangered” friends! Crops die as progressives consider the needs of a bug more important than those of a man.  Should Rim of the Valley become law, the damage inflicted by these programs of environmental lunacy will increase.

Rim of the Valley will place a Park Service noose around the necks of 169,000 threatened landowners: 158,000 in LA County and 11,000 in Ventura County, says Cushman.  He calls the regulatory costs staggering, with a projected $2 Billion dollar figure for land acquisition alone.  Making the Rim of the Valley National Park the most expensive in American history, this project could drain off needed repair and maintenance funds from other, older parks.

Cushman is urging concerned citizens all over the United States to contact the National Park Service, Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study,  570 W. Avenue 26, #175, Los Angeles, CA 90065.  E-mail: pwr_rimofthevalley@nps.gov.  You also need to contact your CA senators and US House of Representatives, toll free at 1-877-762-8762.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism