Eshoo Recognized as National Park Champion

Press Release

Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) was given the National Park Heritage Award today from the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). This award commemorates Eshoo's support of the major public lands bills included in the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, which created the largest expansion of the National Park System in nearly three decades.

"It's an honor to recognize Congresswoman Anna Eshoo for championing this historic diversification and expansion of our National Park System," said NPCA President and CEO Clark Bunting. "As the National Park System readies for its 100th anniversary, we're so proud of people like Congresswoman Eshoo, who work with colleagues across the aisle and across the country to protect and enhance America's "best idea.'"

Said Eshoo, "Conservation of our nation's public lands is a critical and worthy cause that I'm grateful to have an active role in. From preserving California coastal and ocean resources, to ensuring that our endangered species are protected, I've always fought for the conservation of our nation's natural resources. I'm deeply honored to receive the National Park Heritage Award, and I will continue to support and defend the integrity of the National Park System."

The National Defense Authorization Act created seven new national park sites, expanded nine existing sites, and extended funding authorization for 15 heritage areas. Congress also authorized eight formal resource studies to determine whether other sites would be appropriate for future inclusion in the National Park System. Information about the major bills included in the public lands package can be found here.

Eshoo is also a sponsor of legislation (H.R. 908) to designate the federally-owned land known locally as the Coast Dairies property as a new unit of the California Coastal National Monument. Coast Dairies is a 5,800-acre ranch near Davenport, eight miles north of the City of Santa Cruz. The picturesque land stretches from Highway 1 into the Santa Cruz Mountains, and is home to six watersheds, several endangered species, rolling coastal terraces, and 500 acres of redwood forest. After the Dairy folded in the 1950's, private development of luxury homes and a nuclear power plant were proposed. The Ranch was acquired by the Save the Redwoods League with funding from the Packard Foundation in 1998, and donated to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2014.

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