WASHINGTON (August 31, 2006) -- The National Park Service today issued its final management policies, which emphasize the conservation of natural and cultural resources over recreation.

Below is a statement by Charles M. Clusen, director of national parks and Alaska projects at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

"This is a bright day for our national parks and their surrounding 'gateway' communities. We hope Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne will now ensure that the Bureau of Land Management embraces an equally enlightened philosophy in the managing of public lands by ending the administration's favored treatment of the oil and gas industry."

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.2 million members and online activists nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco.