Dear Friend of the National Parks,

In the Northeast, fall is when many of our national park sites shine! Millions of visitors travel to New England this time of year to view the fall foliage including at Acadia National Park and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. Beach goers can enjoy some end-of-season warmer days at Cape Cod National Seashore and Gateway National Recreation Area. Salem Maritime National Historical Park welcomes over one million visitors in the month of October alone.

Unfortunately, due to the government shutdown, people are finding park visitor centers closed and limited park staff to greet them or teach them about the history and wonders of the parks they’re visiting. In many cases, park partners, towns and states are stepping in to temporarily help keep the parks open with volunteers filling in where they are needed most.

NPCA is calling for our parks to close as long as the federal government remains closed. And we still stand by that.  This shutdown leaves 9,000 park staff furloughed without pay. Since January, the National Park Service has lost more than 25% of its permanent staff. This leaves many of our 433 national parks partially open without enough staff to protect them. Congress must pass a funding bill to keep the government and our national parks open and funded. Join us – your voice is so important! Take Action today and tell Interior Secretary Burgum to close our parks during the government shutdown.

Day of Action Events to Protect Every Park
On August 23, NPCA engaged park advocates across the country for our National Day of Action. NPCA hosted 30+ events in parks and communities in 25 states, mobilizing nearly 10,000 people to speak up in support of national parks. Here in the Northeast, NPCA staff members hosted events in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey where participants took action online, wrote postcards to elected officials or shared messages on social media. Coinciding with the 109th anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service and well timed with the August congressional recess, this effort aimed to raise awareness about the threats facing parks and encouraged members of Congress to “Protect Every Park.” Visit our website to learn more about our Protect Every Park campaign and utilize our advocate toolkit to join the fight.

Park Partners Advocacy Hour
On August 20, we hosted a Protect Every Park webinar with NPCA’s Mid-Atlantic Region that included 23 national park partners and friends groups. We discussed the status of federal appropriations for the National Park Service and the negative impacts of new federal directives like the hiring freeze and erasure of history from national park interpretive programs and exhibits. NPCA and our partners found the event so helpful that we plan to host a regular Protect Every Park Advocacy Hour. This space will allow our partners to share challenges, provides NPCA the opportunity to share updates on federal policies impacting our parks and communities, and brainstorm opportunities together. Please let us know if you are interested in joining these upcoming advocacy hour sessions by emailing [email protected].

Meet our Young Leaders Council
NPCA is dedicated to protecting our national parks now and for future generations. We believe it’s critical that future generations have a voice and a seat at the table. In the spring of 2024, NPCA’s Northeast region launched our inaugural Young Leaders Council to recruit and mobilize young professionals in support of our national park advocacy. Since then, members have joined us in Washington, D.C. for meetings on Capitol Hill, called their elected officials, represented NPCA at community events and more. This summer, we welcomed 10 new members to our Young Leaders Council from across the Northeast. Our members work at museums, national park friends groups, environmental nonprofits, and attend local colleges and universities. They bring a wealth of professional and personal experiences to the council along with a desire to protect our parks. We are fortunate to have them on our team and look forward to our work together. Learn more about our Young Leaders Council here.

New Major Gift Officer for the Northeast
We are excited to welcome Kyllian Coraggio as the new Major Gifts Officer for the Northeast. Kyllian is thrilled to join our NPCA team in working to protect the lands and waters she and her family have made so many memories exploring. She calls the Jersey Shore home but spends much of her spare time with her family out west in the mountains. She has spent the last 10 years fundraising for important causes like the Covenant House New Jersey, which provides shelter and resources for youth homelessness and working to secure funding for pediatric cancer care and research at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Some of her most cherished park memories include watching the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia, hiking the Subway and Angels Landing Trails in Zion with her son and husband, and jumping into the crisp, clear waters of Glacier and Yosemite!

Thank you for supporting our national parks.

Sincerely,

Kristen Sykes
Northeast Regional Director