Date: 2012-10-10
To: An Update on the Question ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂSo, whatÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs next?ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ
Miles today: 0.0

Well, that didn¢t last long¢¦ Back on our summit day, we posted a group picture showing the entire membership of the "Seen 'em all"/ AT Thru Club. The eligibility requirements of the club are to have visited all the units of the National Park System (including parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas, seashores, lakeshores, battlefields, etc.) AND, within one calendar year, to have hiked the entire length of the longest park in the system. We noted that currently the club membership was very small, in fact consisting of only one person - our own unassuming N. Trovert! However, on Monday, the club membership dropped to zero, as detailed in the following news item announcing the number of national parks has risen from 397 to 398, leaving N one park short of eligibility. So, in answer to ¢what¢s next?,¢ it looks like N will have to plan a trip to southern California within the next few months in order to rejoin the Club:10/08/2012: President establishes 398th National Park Service SiteKEENE, Ca. ¢ Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today applauded President Obama¢s establishment of the C©sar E. Ch¡vez National Monument at Nuestra Se±ora Reina de la Paz in Keene, California, Ch¡vez¢ home and the headquarters of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) since the early 1970s when Ch¡vez was its president. ¢C©sar Ch¡vez was one of the giants of the Civil Rights movement, leading a life rich with purpose and providing a voice for the powerless and oppressed,¢ Salazar said. ¢By designating La Paz as a national monument, President Obama is ensuring that future generations will have a place to learn about this extraordinary man and the farm labor movement that improved the lives of millions of workers.¢ The National Park Service will manage the new national monument as the 398th unit of the National Park System in cooperation with the National Ch¡vez Center. In consultation with the UFW, the C©sar Ch¡vez Foundation and members of C©sar Ch¡vez¢ family, the Center donated properties at La Paz, including the Ch¡vez home where Helen Ch¡vez will continue to reside, the Memorial Garden where C©sar Ch¡vez is buried, and Visitor Center, to the federal government. Once the land was donated to the federal government, President Obama used the Antiquities Act to create the C©sar E. Ch¡vez National Monument. National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis, who joined the President and Salazar at La Paz for the ceremony, said ¢C©sar Ch¡vez was one of the most influential Latino leaders of the twentieth century. The contributions he made are an important part of the American story and we are honored to be entrusted with the responsibility to preserve this place and share its history to inspire future generations. We are grateful for the support the National Park Foundation is providing to ensure that the Ch¡vez monument is open for visitors from day one.¢ The monument will be the fourth national monument designated by President Obama using the Antiquities Act. The President previously designated Fort Monroe National Monument in Virginia, a former Army post integral to the history of slavery, the Civil War, and the U.S. military; Fort Ord National Monument in California, a former military base that is a world-class destination for outdoor recreation; and Chimney Rock, which is located in the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado and offers a spectacular landscape rich in history and Native American culture. First exercised by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, the authority of the Antiquities Act has been used by 16 presidents since 1906 to protect unique natural and historic features in America, such as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Colorado's Canyons of the Ancients. C©sar E. Ch¡vez National Monument is located at 29700 Woodford-Tehachapi Road in Keene, California, approximately 30 miles southeast of Bakersfield. The site is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit the C©sar E. Ch¡vez National Monument website at www.nps.gov/cech.