Position on H.R. 1492 & H.R. 1572

H.R. 1492 – Yucca House National Monument Boundary Revision Act: NPCA supports this legislation to revise the boundary of Yucca House National Monument to include 160 additional acres that have been offered as a donation. As an unexcavated, ancestral Puebloan site, Yucca House is a regionally and nationally significant archaeological and cultural resource that was entrusted to the American public as a national monument in 1919. Unfortunately, for many years, the public’s access to the monument has been restricted and impractical because the monument shares a driveway with a working ranch. This has caused confusion and management challenges for the National Park Service. H.R. 1492 would help alleviate these challenges; a neighboring landowner has agreed to donate a 160-acre parcel to the National Park Service in order to adjust its boundary, providing space for a new trailhead and a parking lot away from the ranch.

H.R. 1572 – Botanical Sciences and Native Plant Materials Research, Restoration, and Promotion Act: NPCA supports this bill to promote botanical research, improve staffing of trained botanists on federal lands, grow the market for native plant materials, and support federal programs to protect rare, endangered, and native plants such as those species found in our redwood forests. National parks host biodiverse habitats that are essential to the overall health of federal lands, native plants play a critical role that allows all lands to thrive.