Memo to Congress: Don't cut national park funding.

That's the message from more than 105,000 who signed a petition circulated by the National Parks Conservation Association under its National Parks Protection Project initiative.

"As we approach the Centennial of the National Park Service, we must ensure our national parks receive adequate funding for our children and grandchildren to enjoy," said NPCA President Tom Kiernan. "This is by far the most successful petition drive we've ever had – in nearly 100 years of operations – and it's time for Congress to take notice of how many people have joined this effort."

NPCA founded the National Parks Protection Project as an effort to show both Congress and the American people why it is important to adequately fund the national parks for our children and grandchildren.

NPCA officials note that national parks not only protect America’s heritage, but they are important to local economies nationwide. Research shows that every federal dollar invested in national parks generates at least four dollars of economic value for the American people, the park advocacy group notes, adding that national parks support more than $13 billion of local private-sector economic activity and nearly 270,000 private-sector jobs.

The federal government has a responsibility to keep our national parks adequately funded," said Mr. Kiernan. "The National Parks Protection Project is our effort to explain why and I am grateful to the more than 105,000 people across the country who joined our effort."