Earth Matters: Yellowstone, Smokies on list of endangered U.S. parks

Yellowstone National Park is listed one of the top ten most threatened parks by the NPCA

April 5, 2000
Web posted at: 12:03 p.m. EDT (1603 GMT)

In this story: Increased tourism a factor Scenic views affected The top 10 endangered parks RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Some of America's most famous protected sites face the greatest threats from overcrowding, development and pollution, a conservation group said Tuesday.

Yellowstone and the Great Smoky Mountain national parks were among those included on a list of top 10 endangered U.S. parks released Tuesday by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).

The group cited noise and air pollution from snowmobiles as major threats to Yellowstone.

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Overcrowding, development, and industrial activity jeopardize other parks on the list, including Florida's Everglades. One site, Arizona's Petrified Forest, made the list because of its loss of as much as 12 tons of fossilized wood per year to souvenir hunters.

The growing winter tourism season brings 1,000 snowmobiles per day into Yellowstone, where park officials say air pollution levels are on par with those of major cities like Los Angeles or Denver. The National Park Service is considering a ban on snowmobile traffic, which local communities say could cripple many businesses dependent on winter tourism at Yellowstone.

Also on the NPCA list is Alaska's Denali National Park, home to Mount McKinley, highest point in the United States. The group said planned road, resort, and snowmobile-related development will bring irrevocable change to pristine areas of the park.

Increased tourist-related development in Denali National Park could put the Mt. McKinley area at risk

The nation's most-visited park also made the list. The frequent fogs that give Great Smoky Mountains National Park its name have given way to air pollution from nearby power plants and heavy auto traffic, often spoiling the park's scenic vistas.

"The list is a metaphor for troubled national parks all across the nation," said National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) President Thomas Kiernan. "Some of our national parks are becoming a national disgrace."

This is the second annual NPCA list of endangered parks. The group did not attempt to prioritize which of the top 10 they consider to be most endangered, according to NPCA spokesman Roger DiSilvestro.

The NPCA was founded in 1919 and today has more than 400,000 members.

The top 10 endangered parks, and NPCA's assessment of their threats:

• Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho): Air and noise pollution from snowmobiles.
• Denali National Park (Alaska): Proposed snowmobile access to wilderness areas, proposed road and resort building.
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park: (North Carolina, Tennessee): Visibility lost to pollution from vehicles and power plants.
• Joshua Tree National Park (California): Proposed landfill 1.5 miles from the border of this Mojave Desert park.
• Stones River National Battlefield (Tennessee): Highway expansion through the site of a Civil War Battle.
• Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona): Loss of an estimated 12 tons of fossilized wood to souvenir hunters each year.
• Ozarks Scenic Riverways National Park (Missouri): Proposals for increased lead mining at sites near protected rivers.
• National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom (Ohio): Lack of funding threatens deteriorating historic structures along slaves' 19th Century path to freedom.
• Everglades and Big Cypress National Park (Florida): Airport expansion, dramatic changes to water supply, and off-road vehicle use.
• Haleakala National Park (Hawaii): Proposed expansion of nearby airport.

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