CONGRESSMAN TOM TANCREDO'S LETTERS AND REPLIES; OTHER RELATED DOCUMENTS

Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo is a supporter of backcountry parachuting in our National Parks and he's written numerous letters to the National Park Service and Department of Interior. In many of these letters, Congressman Tancredo asks for the NPS to rescind Section 8.2.2.7 of their 2001 Management Policies and to discontinue the blanket prohibition on backcountry parachuting in National Parks. Descriptions of each letter are listed along with Acrobat PDF downloads of each document. The list is in date order: the most recent letters appear at the bottom. Visitors can download all of Congressman Tancredo's letters, including the NPS/DOI replies, by clicking here (377 kb, .zip)

Letter Date: April 2001
Description: Yosemite superintendent David Mihalic's response to Jim Guyer's permit request.
Content: A 73-year-old BASE jumper named Jim Guyer - who wanted to celebrate his 50th year of parachuting by jumping from El Capitan and landing in the same valley his cavalry lieutenant grandfather had camped in while protecting the valley wildlife from poachers - wrote to Yosemite superintendent David Mihalic requesting a permit for the jump. Mr. Mihalic turned him down flat, but also went to great lengths to explain NPS reasoning and policy.
Downloads: (Mihalic's April 2001 response to Guyer).

Briefing Date: September 2001
Description: Briefing for Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo
Content: Prepared by Robin Heid to brief Congressman Tancredo on the blanket NPS prohibition on jumping, the institutionalized access discrimination and the history of parachuting/NPS relations since 1978.
Downloads: (The Tancredo Briefing).

Letter Date: April 8, 2002
Description: Congressman Tancredo's letter to R. Clarke Cooper (Assistant Director of Congressional and Legislative Affairs, National Park Service) regarding backcountry parachuting discrimination.
Content: Congressman Tancredo writes, "I am of the opinion that backcountry parachuting ought to be treated in much the same way as other recreational activities in most NPS units like whitewater rafting, ice climbing, and rock climbing. Moreover, I would like to see a separate, more relaxed permitting process for this activity in areas like Lake Powell where the primary focus is recreation. Given how much this sport has evolved in the last two decades - much like mountain biking or rock climbing - I believe it is a matter of fundamental fairness that NPS reassess its attitude toward backcountry parachuting."
Downloads: Congressman Tancredo to R. Clark Cooper 2002-04-08.pdf in Adobe Acrobat format (118 kb).

Letter Date: June 4, 2002
Description: Richard Ring's (Associate Director, Park Operations and Education) reply to Congressman Tancredo's April 8, 2002 letter.
Content: Richard Ring writes, "My staff has been contacting employees of the individual parks mentioned to get a better understanding of the issues you raised. We appreciate your patience while we work towards drafting a more comprehensive response to your letter."
Downloads: Richard Ring to Congressman Tancredo 2002-06-04.pdf in Adobe Acrobat format (5 kb).

Letter Date: July 30, 2002
Description: Richard Ring's (Associate Director, Park Operations and Education) second reply to Congressman Tancredo's April 8, 2002 letter.
Content: Richard Ring writes, "The NPS takes a fairly conservative approach to new or developing recreational uses. Often uses do not require a national park setting and are more appropriate in other areas. The Management Policies that support this decision were recently updated and reflect the current position of the NPS in regards to this activity."
Downloads: Richard Ring to Congressman Tancredo 2002-07-30.pdf in Adobe Acrobat format (7 kb).

Letter Date: April 21, 2003
Description: Congressman Tancredo's reply to Richard Ring's (Associate Director, Park Operations and Education) July 30, 2002 letter. Congressman Tancredo includes a proposed new National Park Service parachuting policy.
Content: Congressman Tancredo writes, "...it seems to me that NPS policy is based on an obsolete paradigm no longer supported by common-sense. Whatever safety and compatibility issues did or did not exist in 1980, all indications are that they do not exist now - at least not to any great degree. I think these facts, if examined closely, will lead NPS to the same conclusion that has been reached by NPS personnel including Director Mainella who has moved away from the blanket prohibition to a fair access decision."
Downloads: Congressman Tancredo to Richard Ring 2003-04-21.pdf in Adobe Acrobat format (126 kb).

Letter Date: July 01, 2004
Description: P. Lynn Scarlett's (Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget - Dept. of Interior) reply to Congressman Tancredo's April 21, 2003 letter.
Content: P. Lynn Scarlett writes, "...Director Mainella is committed to providing the public with appropriate opportunities for enjoyment of park resources and values, and to thoughtfully reviewing our policies and procedures when they are called into question. I am confident that she would expect park superintendents and other NPS decision-makers to give serious consideration to parachuting and similar activities as part of their normal responsibilities for managing recreational uses."
Downloads: P. Lynn Scarlett to Congressman Tancredo 2004-07-01.pdf in Adobe Acrobat format (51 kb).

Letter Date: November 15, 2004
Description: Congressman Tancredo's reply to P. Lynn Scarlett's (Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget - Dept. of Interior) July 01, 2004 letter. Congressman Tancredo asks for the NPS to rescind Section 8.2.2.7 of their 2001 Management Policies.
Content: Congressman Tancredo writes, "...I would like to ask that you rescind Section 8.2.2.7 of the NPS 2001 edition of Management Policies so that backcountry parachutists are treated the same way as other recreational users within national park service units, and operating on a level playing field when it comes to the planning process."
Downloads: Congressman Tancredo to P. Lynn Scarlett 2004-11-15.pdf in Adobe Acrobat format (114 kb)

Letter Date: May 2005
Description: Congressman Tancredo reminds P. Lynn Scarlett (Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget - Dept. of Interior) of his November 15, 2004 letter and his request that NPS rescind Section 8.2.2.7 of its 2001 Management Policies.
Content:
Downloads: Congressman Tancredo to P. Lynn Scarlett, May 2005.

Letter Date: September 1, 2005
Description: ABP writes NPS Director Fran Mainella requesting that the NPS rescind Section 8.2.2.7 of its 2001 Management Policies in the upcoming revision of the policy document.
Content:
Downloads: ABP to Fran Mainella, September 1, 2005.