Heinrich Celebrates National Park Week
Free entry for Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Parks Saturday, April 20
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released a video statement celebrating National Park Week, days after the Senate unanimously passed a resolution he cosponsored marking the week of April 20 through April 28 as National Park Week 2024.
The resolution, supported on a bipartisan basis with 64 Senate cosponsors, seeks to boost awareness of the value and availability of recreational areas. National Park Week encourages people across the country to spend time in America’s treasured national parks.
In honor of National Park Week, entrance into all national parks will be free, tomorrow, Saturday, April 20.
Heinrich’s remarks as delivered in the video statement are below:
In New Mexico, we are the proud home to both Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Parks.
It was one of the greatest honors of my career to lead the legislative effort to elevate White Sands to full-fledged National Park status.
Additionally, we just celebrated the 100th anniversary of Carlsbad Caverns becoming a National Park Service site.
And I have worked hard over the last decade to secure more than $30 million for critical infrastructure upgrades at Carlsbad Caverns,
Including funding to fully replace the elevators that transport so many visitors to Carlsbad’s underground wonders.
Four years ago, I also helped pass the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, which is delivering nearly $2 billion every year to repair infrastructure in our national parks and public lands.
And I’ve secured historic funding levels for landscape and watershed restoration work on our public lands in both the Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.
I hope you can take some time soon to get outside to
Enjoy the stunning limestone formations in Carlsbad Caverns,
Hike and sled down the miles upon miles of gypsum dunes at White Sands,
And explore the other priceless public lands throughout the Land of Enchantment.
###
