CONGRESSMAN RAÚL GRIJALVA NAMED 2008 GEORGE B. HARTZOG JR. AWARD WINNER BY U.S. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RETIREES

Arizona Congressman Cited for Significant Contributions to the Protection of the National Park System During Bush Administration Assaults on Public Lands

TUCSON, AZ. – March 21, 2009 – During a small ceremony in Washington D.C. on March 19, the Chairman of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, Bill Wade, presented Representative Raúl Grijalva with the Coalition’s George B. Hartzog Jr. award. The award is presented annually to the individual or individuals who demonstrate outstanding support for the mission of the National Park Service and/or the National Park System. The citation accompanying the plaque presented to Representative Grijalva read:

Representative Raúl Grijalva is a tireless supporter of the parks and programs of the National Park System. As the Chair of the House Subcommittee for National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, he has been instrumental in protecting parks from the politically-inspired moves of the Bush Administration. In a letter to Secretary Kempthorne, he objected strongly to the new concealed carry rule that went into effect on December 10th. He was instrumental in the Congressional action that withdrew lands around Grand Canyon from uranium mining. Perhaps most importantly, he published a scathing report on the failures of the Bush administration in relation to national parks and other public lands. The report, A Report on the Bush Administration Assaults on our National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, gave much-needed publicity to the Bush Administration’s failures to promote the preservation and protection of our National Park System, the Wildlife Refuge System and the lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service.

Wade said, “Congressman Grijalva is carrying on in the footsteps of one of his predecessors, Mo Udall, also from Arizona, in effectively chairing the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. He has become a very positive force in assuring that the National Park System is protected from those who would diminish its values to the American public.”

The Coalition’s award is named after George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh Director of the National Park Service. Hartzog was widely respected for his innovative approach to expanding the National Park System into the urban areas of our country and for his zeal in protecting the parks of the System. Hartzog passed away in 2008.

ABOUT CNPSR

The more than 700 members of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees are all former employees of the National Park Service with a combined 21,000 years of stewardship of America’ most precious natural and cultural resources. In their personal lives, CNPSR members reflect the broad spectrum of political affiliations. CNPSR members now strive to apply their credibility and integrity as they speak out for national park solutions that uphold law and apply sound science. The Coalition counts among its members: former national park directors and deputy directors, regional directors, superintendents, rangers and other career professionals who devoted an average of nearly 30 years each to protecting and interpreting America’s national parks on behalf of the public. For more information, visit the CNPSR Web site at http://www.npsretirees.org

CONTACT: Bill Wade at 520-444-3973 or .