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迎接美國家公園成立百年 募款作法惹爭議

2007年10月19日
摘譯自2007年10月15日ENS美國,德州奧斯丁報導;林盈秀編譯;莫聞審校

美冰河國家公園的飲食店 :: 圖片來源:ENS美國第一夫人蘿拉(Laura Bush)15日在德州奧斯丁召集國家公園基金會第一屆慈善董事會,共思如何為國家公園出力。此次召集目的為協助布希政府解決長久以來維持美國58個國家公園營運的經濟問題,包括數百個國家名勝、湖岸、戰區、荒野暨自然河流、史蹟步道等。

2006年8月25日美國內政部長柯偉德(Dirk Kempthoorne)宣佈「百年紀念行動」。他提出從2008年會計年度開始,10年內每年聯邦財庫撥款1億美元,這筆款項與私人贊助相當,共同為復育國家公園出力,迎接2016年的百年紀念。

柯偉德指出:「國家公園系統建立的背後動力,是全美人民設立數千畝荒野區,享受自然之美的單純願望。現在,當我們期待慶祝2016年來臨的百年慶時,抱持著相同的付出和慈善理念,將帶領我們的公園一起邁向下一世紀。」

另一方面,面對輿論批評,國家公園管理處也調整了早先聲明的計畫:公園官方直接向企業募款,並以「捐贈表彰」形式在公園裡展示,以及將公園特色以企業命名,如「Nike步道」、或「可口可樂丘」等。這些政策在2006年5月發佈後,因受到許多批評而改變。

新的政策是,公園管理處將讓企業在其廣告上註明其對國家公園進行捐贈,但禁止企業使用國家公園管理處的識別符號或是機構制服。捐贈匾額或其他「非侵入性的展示」則可獲得許可,像是從公園官方網站以及電子解說站上,出現企業捐贈者的網站和影片連結。

批評者指出,「百年紀念行動」事實上將使已經延宕的設施維護計畫,延遲的更為嚴重;國家公園相關事務的推動優先順序,恐怕也會因捐贈企業的使力而偏頗。「環境責任公職人員組織」(PEER)則表示,百年計畫的首要實施主題,幾乎都不是公園管理處待進行的維護項目,即使有也很少。 

Centennial Philanthropy to Fund U.S. National Park Improvements
AUSTIN, Texas, October 15, 2007 (ENS)

First Lady Laura Bush today convened the National Park Foundation's first Leadership Summit on Partnership and Philanthropy to benefit national parks at the University of Texas at Austin. The gathering is intended to advance the Bush administration's solution for dealing with the perennial financial problems of maintaining the 58 U.S. national parks and hundreds of other national monuments, lakeshores, battlefields, wild and scenic reivers, trails and historic areas.

On August 25, 2006, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced the Centennial Initiative. He proposed that $100 million dollars of Federal funds, for 10 years beginning in Fiscal Year 2008, be leveraged with equal private donations to restore the national parks by their centennial year - 2016.

Secretary Kempthorne said, "The driving force behind the creation of our National Park System was the sheer will of the American people who set aside thousands of acres of wilderness for all to enjoy. And now, as we look forward to celebrating our 100th anniversary in 2016, it will be this same spirit of giving and public philanthropy that will keep our parks thriving for the next century."

In the face of public criticism, the National Park Service has reversed its previously announced plans to increase corporate donations through direct solicitations by park officials in return for greater "donor recognition" in the form of in-park displays and christening of park features - the Nike Trail, for instance, or Coca-Cola Hill. The reversal was announced in May 2006 after many critical comments were received.

Instead, the Park Service will allow corporate advertising featuring a tie-in to donation to park causes but would forbid corporate use of the NPS arrowhead symbol or the agency uniform. Donor plaques or other "non-intrusive displays" will be allowed, as will web and video links from park websites or kiosks to those of corporate donors.

But critics say the Centennial Initiative may actually worsen the growing backlog of deferred maintenance and skew priorities toward questionable projects pushed by donors.

Few if any of the projects selected in the first round of Centennial projects are on the park service maintenance backlog list, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER, a national association of workers in natural resources agencies.

全文及圖片詳見 ENS

作者

林盈秀

林盈秀,財務金融系畢業,曾任職於綠建築顧問公司。2019年獲得台達電英國環境獎學金後,於英國里茲大學攻讀企業永續碩士。目前研究主題為永續金融與氣候金融。