More than 200 US National Parks stand to gain from a much-needed injection of cash for key development and infrastructure projects, courtesy of the legacy-conscious Bush adminstration.
California Redwoods, the USS Arizona, Mesa Verda cliff dwellings and the New Orleans jazz legacy are among potential recipients of the "Centennial Challenge" proposal.
Underfunded for years, the parks are in line for upwards of $150 million in federal funds, in anticipation of the national park system's centennial, in 2016. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has been urging advance planning for the 100th anniversary, and developing public/private funding plans.
In this USA Today article, Kempthorne announced some proposed park initiatives, including Everglades habitat restoration in Florida and the building of a memorial to Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, and the amount of funding lined up: $215 million in private donations, to be coupled with proposed federal funds.
Before you book centennial campsites, know that federal funding still needs to work its way through Congressional approval. Watch this space.
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