Pinnacles National Monument is set to make history this year as a bill to make it a national park was approved by the U.S. senate with a unanimous vote on Dec. 30. It is awaiting the signature of President Barack Obama to make it official.
House of Representatives Bill 3641 is one of 22 bills awaiting the President’s signature at midweek, with a rush of bills approved on Dec. 31.
San Benito County Supervisor Jerry Muenzer received the word the bill had been approved by the Senate on Sunday when Congressman Sam Farr, who authored the bill to make the monument into a national park, called to let him know it was heading to the President’s desk.
“It is very exciting news,” Muenzer said. “I’m so very happy it was able to get through and hopefully the President will sign it real soon.”
Muenzer traveled to Washington, D.C. in June to testify before the subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Lands in support of the bill.
“It will have an increase in the amount of visitors,” he said. “It will mean more people driving through San Benito County to get to the park and something we should be able to capitalize on.”
Karen Beppler-Dorn, the superintendent of Pinnacles National Monument, also received a call from Farr Sunday evening letting her know the bill just awaits the signature of the President to make it official.
She said one thing will change for sure when the bill is signed to make the monument a national park.
“We will have to fix our signs,” she said. “We will have to change our signs.”
Once signed by Obama, the bill elevates the 26,000 acre monument to the 59th National Park and it is the first national park created by Congress since 2004.
Beppler-Dorn said in talking with other superintendents who oversaw transitions of properties to national parks, they said they saw increased media interest, especially from tourism writers.
“What we know about the tourist demographic is that when people visit a state or particular area, they focus on the 58 national parks,” she said. “European tourists tend to focus on getting to Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Teton.”
With national park status, it is anticipated that more of those visitors will also make the trek to Pinnacles.
Beppler-Dorn said the primary mission to preserve and protect the natural and cultural resources at Pinnacles will remain the same, but she said the bill allows the park staff members to increase focus on the history of the people who have lived in and around the unique property.
“This is a new era in the history of Pinnacles,” she said. “Instead of a single focus of scientific interest for the ancient volcanic (eruption,) it will include cultural history and all the remnants of Californian’s early history as we know it.”
The elevation to a national park does not come with increased federal funding, but an increase in visitors could be an economic boon to the community.
“There are opportunities for climbing-equipment providers, restaurants and hotel industries,” she said, noting the Pinnacles campground operator will likely see an increase of visitors as well.
She said for those who prefer “solitude and peacefulness,” Pinnacles will continue to offer those types of opportunities in the park.
Mark Paxton, the interim executive director of the Pinnacles Partnership, a nonprofit that supports the park, said he believes national park status will increase the number of “casual visits” to the park as well as planned visits.
When he stopped at the park over the weekend, he said he ran into a couple from Palm Desert at the Visitor’s Center who had visited Big Sur and decided to stop by Pinnacles to see the condors.
“Between payroll at the monument and park visitation, the fiscal impact of Pinnacles to San Benito County is about $3 million a year,” Paxton said. “With national park status that is certain to grow exponentially.”
Paxton referred to the approval of Pinnacles as a national park as a “great piece of Congressman Farr’s legacy.”
“He’s talked a lot about ecotourism in the region and he’s made this happen,” he said. “If you look at the definition of a national park, Pinnacles absolutely qualifies. It offers a significant natural resource that’s unique. It deserved park status generations ago and it’s got it now.”
Established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, Pinnacles National Monument is the 11th oldest National Monument in the United States. The area draws its name from the volcanic spires that were formed by the eruption of the Neenach Volcano more than 23 million years ago.
The Pinnacles system is home to 149 species of birds, 49 mammals, 22 reptiles, six amphibians, 68 butterflies, 36 dragonflies and damselflies, nearly 400 bees and many thousands of other invertebrates.
The monument is also home to 30 endangered California condors. Since 2003, the Park Service has been a part of the California Condor Recovery Program to re-establish California condors at Pinnacles.
“The Pinnacles is a special place and I am proud to have worked with Senator (Barbara) Boxer to elevate it to a National Park,” Farr said, in a press release. “Often referred to as the missing novel in our National Park’s library, this treasure will finally take its rightful place on the shelf next to Yosemite, Yellowstone and all of our other wonderful parks. Today is a great day not just for California but for all Americans, who will want to now come visit this geological and ecological wonder.”
The bill was approved unanimously by the House of Representatives in July, with the Senate approving it unanimously Dec. 30 just days before the end of the congressional session.
“The Central Coast is ready to welcome visitors to this national treasure,” Farr said. “From exploring caves, to viewing springtime wildflowers, to hiking through spire-like rock formations, visitors and families can participate in activities that leave lasting memories. It is truly worthy of National Park status.”
The legislation also renames the Pinnacles Wilderness within the National Monument as the Hain Wilderness. Schuler Hain was a conservationist who led the effort to establish Pinnacles National Monument in 1908.
“I’m just really excited to see it get signed by the President and have that ribbon cutting ceremony down at the park as soon as possible,” Muenzer said.
