77 



^^^^S^ national association of 



EH state park 

 Ol directors 



STATEMENT BY 



President 



David L. Weizenicker 



Wisconsin 



Vfce President 

 Fran P Mainella 

 Florida 



Secretary- Treasurer 

 Kenneth E. Travous 

 Arizona 



Yvonne S Ferrell 

 Idaho (1997) 



Gregory A Marshall 

 New Jersey (1997) 



Laurie Mathews 

 Color; 1997) 



Ron Holliday 

 Texas (1999) 



Philip K McKnelly 

 North Carolina (1999) 



Gerald J Pagac 

 Indiana (1999) 



PAST PRESIDENT 



Edward J Koenemann 

 VermonI 



EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 



Ney C Landrum 

 126 Mill Branch Road 

 Tallahassee. FL 32312 

 Phone 904-893-4959 



David L. Weizenicker, President 



National Association of State Park Directors 



On the "Teaming with Wildlife" Initiative 



House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans 



June 6, 1996, 10:00 a.m. 



I am Dave Weizenicker, the President of the National Association of State 

 Park Directors. This organization consists of the administrative heads of all 

 50 state park systems I appreciate the opportunity to share our 

 perspectives with you on this important conservation initiative. I'd like to 

 include for the record our organization's resolution of support for Teaming 

 with Wildlife 



The National Association of State Park Directors is pleased to be a partner 

 with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in this 

 important effort to conserve fish and wildlife habitat and enhance the public's 

 opportunity to observe, understand, and enjoy fish and wildlife in its natural 

 habitat! 



There are 5,357 state parks, state forests, and natural areas throughout the 

 nation consisting of nearly 24 million acres. The nation's state park systems 

 hosted over 752 million visits in 1995. 



Our organization is supporting this proposal for basically two reasons: 



1 The fish and wildlife conservation, fish and wildlife-related recreation 

 and education components of this proposal can provide magnificent 

 opportunities for the outdoor recreationists who are growing in numbers in 

 every state. In fact, nature tourism is the fastest growing segment of the 

 travel industry, boasting a 30% annual increase each year since 1987. 

 Additionally, dramatic increases in tent camping, backpacking, off-road 

 biking, hiking, and canoeing continue, with projected growth in these 

 activities ranging from 11% to almost 35% from 1989 to 2000. 



2 The proposal offers an opportunity to rely less on government and more 

 on ourselves-as users-to fund outdoor recreation and resource programs. 

 More and more people are seeking outdoor recreation opportunities for 



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