National Park Service Releases BASE Documents
This week, the National Park Service - NPS - office at the New River Gorge National River was kind enough to send me 1308 pages of their internal records, including emails, discussing Bridge Day and other BASE related issues during the last ten years. Sherri Clendenin, the special events coordinator for the NPS at the New River Gorge, gathered and sent me the material, and did so quickly and conscientiously after some preliminary discussions. The emails were very interesting; so were some of the letters.
One four page letter was addressed to Congressman Thomas Tancredo from P. Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary of Policy, Management and Budget. The July 1, 2004 letter explained that in order to allow backcountry parachuting at a national park, the superintendent of that park must submit a request to NPS Headquarters. In order for that to happen, citizens must get involved in the planning process and incorporate that potential use into that park's planning documents, a process that could take years.
Many of the emails express fear that approval of annual jumping at New River Gorge would create a legal precedent for other locations, and recommend the insertion of language that would preclude this possibility.
Other emails describe how, locally, NPS employees go out of their way to help ensure the success of the October event despite bad vibes from headquarters, while taking pains to cross their t's and dot their i's.
In my opinion, the documents appear to provide a good snapshot of the current NPS feelings toward BASE jumping.
The only documents that are not very interesting are the permits and permit applications, which are very repetitive.
If you would like a copy of this material, you can obtain it upon written request to:
Sherri L. Clendenin
New River Gorge National River
P.O. Box 246
Glen Jean, West Virginia 25846