Chiricahua in southeastern Arizona is now the 64th U.S. national park. President Donald Trump signed the Chiricahua National Park Act late Tuesday, making it the first new national park in six years, The Washington Post reported.
The site, known as the “Wonderland of Rocks,” is sacred to the Apache people. Hundreds of rock spires rise there from a landscape where desert, grassland and forest meet. The bill passed the House by voice vote in March and cleared the Senate by unanimous consent last month.
From monument to park
President Calvin Coolidge made Chiricahua a national monument in 1924, noting the scientific interest of its volcanic spires. The rocks formed about 27 million years ago in a volcanic eruption, according to the National Park Service. The new designation does not enlarge the 12,000-acre site, which makes Chiricahua the fourth-smallest national park. Only Congress can create a national park, and the label usually brings more protection and resources.
The effort took more than a decade. Cochise County officials say the late Air Force Lt. Col. Bob Gent started the push. Then-Rep. Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican, introduced a bill in 2016, and similar bills came up in every session after that. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, a Republican who represents the area, introduced the version that passed this year. Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego sponsored the Senate companion bill.
Ciscomani is in a tight race for a third term against Democrat JoAnna Mendoza. He appeared with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum at the park on Tuesday to mark the signing. Burgum said the designation would draw more visitors and help local economies. Neither Ciscomani’s office nor the White House answered the Post’s questions about the timing of the announcement.
The park has a “mom-and-pop” feel, said Sanober Mirza of the National Parks Conservation Association, because you keep seeing the same people on the trails and at the campground.
Money and staffing questions
The announcement drew criticism from groups that say the administration is cutting the agency that runs the parks. The National Parks Conservation Association noted that the National Park Service has lost about 25 percent of its staff under the Trump administration, and the administration has held back millions of dollars in funding. It has also redirected part of national visitor entrance fees to Trump’s priority projects in Washington, D.C.
Rob Arnberger, a former superintendent of Grand Canyon and Saguaro national parks, said it is inexcusable to celebrate a new park while neglecting existing ones. He pointed out that Grand Canyon still waits on money for recovery work and safety upgrades after last year’s Dragon Bravo fire and recent deadly flash floods. Bill Wade of the Association of National Park Rangers said the administration has favored Washington projects, such as the East Potomac golf course renovation, while Arizona parks need funding for visitor safety. We covered that dispute in our report on the East Potomac golf course trees.
The Interior Department has not said how much money Chiricahua will receive as a national park.
