As National Park Service Celebrates Centennial, Plans to Sell Naming Rights in Parks Raise Alarm
Aug. 23, 2016
As National Park Service Celebrates Centennial, Plans to Sell Naming Rights in Parks Raise Alarm
More Than 200,000 Americans Oppose Corporate Advertisements in National Parks; Public Citizen Expert Available to Comment
The National Park Service (NPS) will celebrate its achievements of the past 100 years on Thursday, but the NPS says it is really focusing on its future. One of its plans is to lift restrictions on naming rights in parks by permitting corporate donor recognition on walls, benches, bricks and other prominent places. Another plan would permit the NPS to partner with alcoholic beverage companies.
The proposal has galvanized strong public opposition. Public Citizen on Aug. 12 delivered to NPS headquarters 200,000 petition signatures opposing commercialism in national parks. The signatures were gathered by CREDO Action, Public Citizen and the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.
Petition signers are concerned that allowing naming rights and corporate logos to proliferate in America’s national parks could result in increased corporate-influenced park policy, leading to conflicts of interest and compromised public trust in the NPS.
Kristen Strader, campaign coordinator for Public Citizen’s Commercial Alert program, is available to explain how this plan will destroy the sanctity of national parks and turn them into billboards for corporate advertising.
Read Public Citizen’s latest press release on this issue. View the petition. Learn more about Public Citizen’s Commercial Alert program.
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