National Park policy revision sparks opposition
(Note: No matter what is proposed for revision, there will always be opposition. Contrary to the tone, not all -- or even most -- NPS retirees are raising a hue and cry. This is Language Deception, to lead the reader to believe it is so.)
September 12, 2005
No author provided at originating website address/URL. Vermont Guardian Brattleboro, Vermont http://www.vermontguardian.com To submit a Letter to the Editor: editorial@vermontguardian.com
Jackson, Wyoming - When Paul Hoffman worked for the Chamber of Commerce in Cody, Wyoming, he had problems with National Park Service policies that put resource protection ahead of visitor access, recreation, and other human activities. Now a deputy assistant secretary in the Interior Department with power over the Park Service, Hoffman has been rewriting those policies to emphasize visitor enjoyment, particularly by motorized means such as snowmobiles and low-flying aircraft tours. According to reports in the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers, Hoffman's revision has generated an uproar among Park Service employees, particularly retirees, who are calling it a "full-scale attack on America's national parks" and "a national tragedy." "It's absolutely stark-raving crazy," said Rick Smith, quoted in the Jackson Hole News and Guide. Smith belongs to the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, which has distributed Hoffman's policy revision. "The inmates are in charge of the asylum," Smith said. In an August 29, editorial, The New York Times claimed that the new management policy was prepared by Hoffman without consultation with the Park Service. J.T. Reynolds, superintendent of Death Valley National Park, charges in the LA Times, “They are changing the whole nature of who we are and what we have been. I hope the public understands that this is a threat to their heritage. It threatens the past, the present and the future. It's painful to see this." The potential changes also would allow cell phone towers and liberalize rules that prohibit mining, according to Bill Wade, former superintendent at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Political agendas are being grafted onto agency policy documents with little regard for protecting park resources and values for future generations, added Smith, who worked for the Park Service for 31 years and served as a regional director and superintendent of parks. Park Service and Interior officials defend the rewrite by describing it as little more than a "starting point" for discussion.
Copyright 2005, Vermont Guardian.
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