News Release

National Park Service seeks public input to increase access to national park lands

Red badlands with grassy lowlands in the Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area, within Petrified Forest National Park.

NPS Photo/Stuart Holmes

News Release Date: December 4, 2019

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WASHINGTON - The National Park Service (NPS) today announced it is seeking the public’s assistance to develop a list of national park lands that would benefit from new or increased access routes. This effort advances the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (S.47), which was signed into law by President Donald Trump in March 2019. 

“Increasing the public’s awareness and access to the more than 85 million acres managed by the National Park Service is one of our top priorities,” said National Park Service Deputy Director David Vela. “We’re looking forward to working with the public, partners, and stakeholders to identify areas with no or restricted access to national park areas and collaborate with landowners to establish avenues for public enjoyment of these lands.”

Section 4105 of the Dingell Act instructs the NPS and other federal land management agencies to develop a priority list of lands with no or restricted public access that meet a set requirements and considerations. In the coming months, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will also seek the public’s input to nominate lands within their jurisdictions under similar criteria. 

NPS’s final priority list will be posted online by March 12, 2020, and updated biennially thereafter for 10 years. 

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Public comments will be accepted through January 4, 2020, via the NPS’s Planning, Environmental and Public Comments website at, https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ListofNPSLandwithRestrictedorNoPublicAccess\. 

Nominated lands must meet the following requirements and considerations:

• Must be managed by the NPS.

• Must be at least 640 contiguous acres.

• Must have significantly restricted or no public access.

• Potential for public access and the likelihood of resolving the absence of, or restriction to public access, are among other criteria for consideration.  

  • For example, if a sizable parcel of NPS land is completely surrounded by privately owned land with no or restricted public access, the NPS may consider adding this to the priority list and begin working with states, local governments, nonprofit organizations and/or property owners to acquire land or other means of access to the NPS land, ensuring its long-term protection. 

Recommendations must include the following information:

• Location of the land or parcel.

• Total acreage of the land or parcel.

• Description or narrative about the land’s restricted or complete lack of access.

• Any additional information the NPS should consider when determining if the land should be on the NPS’s priority list.

 

For additional information and a full list of required criteria for consideration as specified by the Dingell Act, visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ListofNPSLandwithRestrictedorNoPublicAccess\.

www.nps.gov
 

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.