Conservation Group Names Top 10 Endangered Parks

Visitors to the Petrified National Forest in Arizona annually steal 12 tons of the fossilized tree remains that give the park its name, marking one of the more blatant reasons for naming it to the National Parks Conservation Assn.’s list of the 10 most endangered parks.

In a report released Wednesday, the conservation group ranked 10 areas most threatened.

In addition to Petrified National Forest, Yellowstone National Park in Montana and Denali National Park in Alaska are both threatened by snowmobile noise, while Denali also faces a threat from resort development.

California’s Joshua Tree National Park could see its pristine desert surroundings blemished by a proposed landfill outside its gates.

Also on the top 10 list is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, which is endangered by power plant and vehicle air pollution.

Stones River National Battlefield in Tennessee is threatened by a proposed highway that would bisect the grave-laden Civil War site, while Ozarks Scenic Riverways National Park has mining companies seeking to explore the watershed for lead.

Completing the list are the underfunded National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom system; Everglades, Biscayne and Big Cypress parks in Florida, which are threatened by proposed airport expansion and off-road vehicles; and Haleakala National Park in Hawaii, also threatened by airport construction.