Latest news with #NPCA
Axios
2 days ago
- General
- Axios
Assateague Island has no lifeguards this summer amid Trump cuts
Assateague Island National Seashore doesn't have any lifeguards this year, and local officials and residents are sounding the alarm about the risk this poses for beachgoers. Why it matters: It's the height of summer tourist season, and Assateague — which has seen a record number of visitors in recent years — is a popular weekend escape for many Washingtonians. Plus, the 100th annual nearby Chincoteague pony swim on July 30 is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors to the area. The big picture: The National Park Service (NPS) — which operates federal beaches like Assateague — is scrambling to keep parks running amid a national staffing shortage due to President Trump's cuts to the federal workforce, public parks advocates warn. NPS has seen a 24% drop in its permanent staff since January, according to the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Hiring for seasonal roles like lifeguards is down, too, with only about 4,500 roles filled of the almost 8,000 committed to by the administration. This means delayed emergency response times and fewer resources to protect visitors, per NPCA. State of play: The six lifeguard positions on each of Assateague 's Virginia and Maryland sides are unfilled, as is the chief lifeguard position. There were recently life-threatening situations during which "good Samaritans" had to help until emergency services could arrive, Chincoteague Mayor Denise Bowden told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. By the numbers: Assateague lifeguards completed 24 rescues last year, and oversaw at least 21 incidents that would have otherwise been handled by local emergency medical services — which often take longer to reach the scene and aren't properly trained in ocean rescue. What they're saying: "You can't put a price on somebody's life," Bowden told the Times-Dispatch. "You can't put a budget cut on somebody's life." "The lack of lifeguards will undoubtedly result in death and injury that would otherwise be prevented," B. Chris Brewster, chair of the National Certification Committee at the United States Lifesaving Association, told the Washington Post of the national shortage. The other side: "Visitors have always had access to unguarded beaches and guarded beaches even after lifeguards leave for the day. Lifeguard shortages are a nationwide concern even outside of our public lands," a NPS spokesperson told Axios. "We appreciate the public's understanding and cooperation as we work to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all." The NPS spokesperson recommended that visitors learn to identify riptides, stay alert for strong ocean currents, and never turn their backs to the ocean. Zoom in: NPS never posted listings for the Assateague lifeguard positions, Ed Stierli, a regional director at the NPCA, told the Times-Dispatch. The administration's initial federal hiring freeze came as NPS was recruiting seasonal workers. It later lifted this freeze, but local officials speculate it was too late by then for hiring.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Feeling down? Ask your doctor for a prescription to visit a Niagara conservation area
Doctors and other health care professionals can now prescribe a visit to four Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) parks as part of their patient's treatment regimen. On July 3, the NPCA launched the PaRx program that enables people with a prescription to get five free visits to Ball's Falls , Binbrook , Chippawa Creek or Long Beach conservation areas. NPCA chief administrative officer and secretary-treasurer Leilani Lee-Yates said the program 'recognizes the importance of connecting people to nature for not just their physical but mental health as well.' The nature prescription began as a national initiative by the BC Parks Foundation , which registers health-care professionals to the program. Melissa Bollinger Seiling, a social worker and PaRx prescriber at the Welland McMaster Family Health Team , said studies have shown getting out to a nature area lowers stress. 'Cortisol levels go down, blood pressure goes down, we know that heart rate variability is improved, we know anxiety goes down,' Bollinger Seiling said. 'It helps improve focus, concentration, creativity, it lowers feelings of aggression and I see that all the time in my walks with people.' Bollinger Seiling said doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers and occupational therapists can all issue PaRx prescriptions. She said the potential for the program is huge, adding the Welland McMaster Family Health Team alone has more than 30,000 patients. Once someone is issued a prescription, they go to and click on the PaRx pass request form link and fill out a brief form. 'Once you complete that form, within five business days, one member of our administrative team will be able to reach back out to you with your free five bar codes that they are able to scan at our automated gates or present to our gate staff for validation,' said Dr. Alicia Powell, manager of conservation areas programs and services at the NPCA. Health-care professionals who wish to take part in the PaRx program can register by going to . Karine Ohanian, a health promoter with Niagara Health , said they are working to promote PaRx prescriptions to Niagara's medical community and other health care providers. 'We're reaching out to some of our partners like community health centres who have different health care providers, doctors and social workers and part of our plan is to help with promotion and create awareness,' Ohanian said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
04-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Easier access to water at Chippawa Creek Conservation Area
Kimberly Clark is grateful she no longer has to push a stroller through beach sand to get her granddaughters into Dils Lake at Chippawa Creek Conservation Area in Wellandport. 'Trying to pull a wagon or a stroller through sand is a nightmare,' said the Fonthill resident, who has been using the new Mobi-Mat , a portable, non-slip, accessible 30-metre-long pathway that was laid down by Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority earlier this year. 'Allowing us to get closer (to the water) … makes a huge improvement.' Alicia Powell, NPCA manager of conservation areas and programs, said the accessible pathway is part of the authority's Nature for All vision. 'It's an accessible point of access to the beach for folks who are utilizing mobility devices, strollers, families with children that want to access the beach and the waterfront in a good way that they're not getting stuck in the sand,' said Powell, adding both NPCA conservation areas that have sandy beaches —Binbrook Conservation Area is the other — now have the Mobi-Mats. 'Research shows more and more that having access to nature improves not only your physical health, but mental and cognitive health and well-being as well,' said Powell, who added being close to water further enhances the outdoor experience. Kimberly Clark and her granddaughters, four-year-old Harper Nutley (in the stroller) and six-year-old Cainsley Nutley, on the recently installed Mobi-Mat at Chippawa Creek Conservation Area. The Mobi-Mat is made from recycled polyester often sourced from recycled plastic bottles and will be removed from the park during the off-season. TNPCA was able to purchase the mat thanks to a $7,000 donation to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Foundation from Port Colborne-based Jungbunzlauer Canada Inc . Nate Devos, park manager at Chippawa Creek Conservation Area, said the accessible pathway has been well-received. 'We do have a couple of people that have accessibility issues that have been making use of the mat as well,' Devos said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
E&E News
04-07-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Interior reorganization will shift nearly 5,700 employees
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's office will absorb nearly 5,700 employees from various agencies under a reorganization plan, according to an internal document detailing the shift. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) obtained the list of the employees who are being reassigned to the secretary's office from their individual agencies overseen by the Interior Department, which the group shared with POLITICO's E&E News. The employees work in specific specialties, such as communications and information technology. The document — which provides the employees' emails, duty locations, job areas and other information — shows Interior moving staffers from the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior Business Center, National Park Service, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey, and Office of the Solicitor. Advertisement Interior spokesperson Alyse Sharpe declined to respond to questions about the reorganization effort, citing the department's policy on not commenting on personnel issues.
CBS News
17-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Signs at Bay Area national parks ask visitors to report any "negative" history
At National Park sites across the country, small signs are popping up at the entrances asking the public to keep an eye out for any negative references to American history. It's part of an executive order from President Trump issued on March 27, called the Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. At the Rosie the Riveter visitor center, people learn about the contributions of the Homefront during WWII, and about the way women and minorities were being treated at the time. A sign at the center now directs visitors to notify the National Park Service of any "signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features." "It seems like a clear attempt to whitewash history," said Dennis Arguelles with the National Parks Conservation Association. "To erase narratives from the past that they feel don't fit the narratives that they want to see portrayed, and probably most dangerously, omit aspects of our history that are really important for us to understand and learn from." The NPCA is a nonprofit that advocates for the National Parks. Arguelles said he believes the signs invite people to seek out things about history they would like to erase. "We're seeing this as an attempt to circumnavigate the authority of the Parks Service to tell these stories, to tell accurate history, and to make sure that we learn, particularly from the mistakes of the past," he said. But it is the National Park Service that is placing the signs at their sites. "Well, in our view the Parks Service has no choice," said Arguelles. "These directives are coming down from the administration, from the Department of Interior, from the Secretary. And in many cases, they don't have a choice but to go along with this." The Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, the site commemorating a massive explosion during WWII that killed 320 Black sailors and the 256 who were court martialed for refusing to return to work, is also under the Department of the Interior. "We will not allow our history to be erased, regardless of orders, policies, or political tides … These histories are not separate or optional — They are central to understanding who we are as a nation," the Port Chicago Alliance told CBS News Bay Area in a statement. Another sign is located at the Manzanar National Historic Site where Japanese Americans were interned during WWII. The imprisonment of innocent Americans is the entire purpose of the monument, so is it really possible to have a site like Manzanar and not have some negative history assigned to it? "I don't think so. I don't think it's possible," said Cal State East Bay Ethnic Studies Professor Dr. Nicholas Baham. "But at the same time, the understanding of the things that we've done is not, in and of itself, a negative process. It is not a process that is designed to make people feel bad about being American. It's a process that's designed to make us better as Americans." Baham said he is also disturbed by the fact that the Parks Service can no longer even see the comments that the people are submitting. "I don't know what kind of system that sets up," he said. "Other than one that creates a sense of distrust between visitors to the park, American citizens, and people who work at the park." The president's directive also criticizes the removal of various statues and monuments during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. And he directed that the National Park Service reinstate them wherever possible. In his order, President Trump wrote, "This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light." But Dr. Baham said it is precisely the founding principles of the nation, and its struggle to uphold them, that has always provided America with its moral compass. "What happens to this country if we erase the history of enslavement at any of our National Park sites? At the plantations that Jefferson or Washington owned? Listen, really this is quite insulting to the American people. It assumes that you can't critically evaluate both the good and the bad." CBS News Bay Area reached out to the National Park Service about the signs, but has not heard back.
