Proposed increased funding for National Park Service

One of the few domestic areas where President Bush's FY2008 Budget is requesting increased funding, to the tune of $258 million, is the National Park Service. The Budget's Department of the Interior section (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2008/interior.html) highlights this National Parks Centennial Initiative. In addition to federal funds, the President is asking the public and philanthropic organizations to donate money as well. Should this proposed budget pass in Congress, the donated funds, up to $100 million a year, will be matched by the federal government through 2016, the National Park Service's centennial year.

The National Parks Service was established on August 25,1916 when President Woodrow Wilson signed into law an act creating the agency. At the time there were 35 national parks and monuments. The Sevice now protects and preserves 390 sites all over the United States. Colorado is home to 15 sites (http://www.nps.gov/state/co/), including one of the most visited, Rocky Mountain National Park.