Poll Indicates Americans Want Parks to be Protected

A national poll released today shows Americans are strongly concerned about the direction the Park Service is taking with management of the national park system.
Nearly 80 percent of the 1,002 respondents to the Washington Post-ABC News poll on environmental trends believe the Park Service should be focused foremost on protecting natural habitats and wildlife. Just 13 percent felt the agency should give priority to recreational opportunities in the parks.
But when asked how they felt the Park Service was actually managing its vast landscape, 56 percent of the respondents felt the agency was giving priority to recreation. Just 34 percent thought protection of the landscape and its wildlife was being given a higher priority by the agency.
The survey was conducted April 5-10.