WASHINGTON -- April 11 -- News Advisory:

WHAT: The second in a series of congressional hearings about the funding needs of America's national parks

WHO:

• Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.)
  
• National Park Service
  
• Office of Management & Budget
  
• National Park Foundation
  
• Gretchen Long, chair, Board of Trustees, National Parks Conservation Association
  
• Richard Moe, president, National Trust for Historic Preservation
  
• Mike Finley, former National Park Service superintendent of Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Everglades national parks

WHEN: Thursday, April 14, NEW TIME: 2 p.m.

WHERE: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

On Thursday, April 14, Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) is holding on Capitol Hill the second in a series of congressional hearings over the next two years to examine the funding needs of the national parks.

Rep. Souder is Chairman of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee of the House Government Reform Committee, which has jurisdiction over national parks. Chairman Souder's first field hearing was held last month in Gettysburg, Pa., enabling Congress to come face-to-face with the funding needs of Gettysburg and other regional national parks. This second hearing will offer members of Congress a nationwide perspective on the funding needs of the national parks.

This is the first focused effort by Congress in decades to examine park funding issues in-depth, and to identify solutions to meet the challenges. Information gathered during these hearings is being used by Congressman Souder to establish a comprehensive record of the needs of the nation's parks—one that mirrors and expands upon existing data gathered from other sources.

For more information about the funding needs of the national parks, including the need to address poaching and drug smuggling, repair shoddy roads and trails, and provide sufficient educational programs for school groups and park visitors at parks from Gettysburg to Yosemite, see the National Parks Conservation Association's latest report, "Faded Glory: Top 10 Reasons to Reinvest in America's National Park Heritage" online at http://www.npca.org/report/investinparks.asp.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Updated time of event.

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