Defend Our National Heritage: Oppose the Transfer of National Parks and Public Lands

Dear Friends,

I write today with deep concern and steadfast conviction. In recent months, a disturbing trend has gained momentum—the United States Congress continues to advance legislation that would open the door to drastically reduced federal support for our national parks and even allow for the transfer of irreplaceable public lands, including national historic sites, to state or local control. This is not just an administrative shift; it is a direct threat to the protection, accessibility, and meaning of our shared American story.

Let us not forget: our national parks and historic sites are not regional amenities. They are sacred ground—places that preserve the struggle, vision, and creativity that define who we are as a people.

The Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site in Cambridge, Massachusetts is one such place. During the darkest early months of the American Revolution, George Washington made this house his headquarters, making fateful decisions that laid the groundwork for our nation's independence. Not so many years later, it became the home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose poetry helped shape our national identity and conscience. This one house tells two distinct but intertwined stories of American leadership, resilience, and imagination.

Only the National Park Service can fully preserve and interpret such a place in its national context—ensuring that visitors from across the country and around the world understand the full sweep of its historical and cultural significance. Transferring it to local or state management would not only diminish its stature, but also isolate it from the larger narrative of our democracy that the NPS uniquely safeguards.

State and local governments, however well intentioned, often lack the consistent resources and long-term protections that federal stewardship provides. We have seen state-level funding shortfalls lead to the closure of historic sites and parklands, reduction of services, and, in some cases, the erosion of public access. The consequences of fragmentation, underfunding, and mismanagement are real—and irreversible.

Even more concerning are the motives behind some of these efforts: to weaken environmental and preservation protections and open the door to commercial development under the guise of "local control." These proposals are not about better care or more efficient management—they are about stepping away from our collective responsibility to protect and interpret our nation's heritage for all Americans.

This is not a matter of partisan politics—it is a matter of national pride and civic duty. From George Washington to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, our country has been shaped by leaders who believed in the power of shared purpose and collective memory. Our national parks and historic sites embody that belief. We must not let short-term interests dismantle what generations have built and protected.

We must act—firmly and without hesitation. 

I urge each of you to:

• Speak out against proposals to transfer national parks and historic sites out of federal hands.

• Support legislation that strengthens federal funding and protection for these national treasures.

• Contact your elected officials and demand their public opposition to these dangerous transfers.

• Stand with organizations committed to the defense of our public lands and national memory.

This is a moment that will define us. Will we allow the quiet dismantling of our most powerful symbols of unity, or will we stand up to protect them?

For the sake of our history, our culture, and our future—we must not yield.

With gratitude and resolve,