Stimulus-funded national parks projects announced

April 22, 12:21 PMNational Parks Recreation ExaminerRandi Minetor

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Zion Canyon trails will see repairs from the "stim."

Ken Salazar, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, today announced nearly 800 projects in national parks across the nation that will be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the stimulus package passed by Congress.

The projects represent a total investment of $750 million in national parks in 48 states and three territories, and include critical projects like the demolition and reconstruction of the Quarry Visitor Center at Dinosaur National Monument, crucial repairs to the Jefferson Memorial’s seawall and the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial, and long overdue rehabilitation of Skyline Drive and its many overlooks at Shenandoah National Park. (Delaware has no national park sites, and Rhode Island’s one park, Roger Williams National Historic Site, is not included on the list.)

“We will invest $750 million in these projects to create jobs, stimulate the economies of local communities, and to get our country moving again,” said Salazar.  “American workers will revitalizes our parks’ infrastructure, rehabilitate visitor centers, and tackle long-deferred maintenance projects. This is not only an investment in our economy, it is an investment in our heritage, an investment in telling the story of America to future generations by conserving our awe-inspiring landscapes, our diverse history and our rich culture.”

The 26-page list of projects by state includes some impressive figures (rounded here):

• $55.8 million to repair the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, and to restore the Jefferson Memorial seawall and the District of Columbia War Memorial
• $17 million for Shenandoah National Park to rehabilitate 11.1 miles of Skyline Drive, rehabilitate 16 historic overlooks and remove hazardous trees and low limbs, and for several other projects
• $16 million to Denali National Park in Alaska to close a hazardous mine, construct an emergency services facility, remove unneeded structures and rehabilitate comfort stations, campground facilities, sewer lines and trails throughout the park
• $14.6 million to Mesa Verde National Park to install photovoltaic (solar power) systems on the historic headquarters buildings, and to replace inadequate electrical service and failing waterlines
• $13.2 million to Everglades National Park to demolish a mobile home in the Florida Bay District, install solar water heaters in the campgrounds, repair the Guy Bradley Trail and replace failed dams to prevent saltwater intrusion into Cape Sable
• $13.2 million to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina to reconstruct historic guard walls, rehabilitate Peaks of Otter Dam, remove encroaching vegetation, repair park trails and replace Mt. Pisgah Wastewater Treatment System.
• $13.1 million for Dinosaur National Monument to demolish and replace the condemned portions of the Quarry Visitor Center
• $10.8 million Grand Canyon National Park for a long list of projects, including preservation treatment for 130 miles of roads, rehabilitation of structures at Supai Camp, repairs to the Historic Trans-Canyon Trail and the North Rim Forest Trails, and improving energy efficiency and wastewater management throughout the park.
• $9.9 million to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, for restoration of the Cedar Sink Trail and rehabilitation of the visitor center and exhibits
• $7.1 million to Tuskeegee Airman National Historic Site for the third phase of preservation of the Moton Airfield Site
• $6.6 million to Carlsbad Caverns National Park to repaint the exterior of six buildings and repair the structural steel and remove lead paint on the primary elevator shaft
• $5.9 million to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, to upgrade the computer system for the Arch Tram and replace the roof on the historic Old Courthouse
• $4,9 million to Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada to install visitor protection gates and Greenwater Valley, Keane Wonder Mine, Skidoo Mine and multiple remote locations, and to preserve the surrounding habitat
• $3 million to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee to close eight abandoned oil and gas wells, install a gate and restore the natural habitat.
• $2.5 million to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to install power and communications lines for perimeter security.

 Photo by Nic Minetor