“Denali National Park and Preserve is one of the premier tourist destinations in Alaska and the flagship Park in the system dedicated to preserving a portion of the Interior's landscape and wildlife” said DCC president, Nancy Bale.  “To continue to provide a quality park experience to visitors, it is essential that Congress fully fund the Park's needs.”

1. Staffing
The dedicated National Park Service rangers at Denali are the human voice for park protection and visitor education. Keeping the park fully staffed is essential.  For example, next summer visitors will not be able to speak with a park ranger at the Visitor Access Center because of funding shortages.

2. Backcountry Ranger Patrols
Denali needs adequate funding for staff to conduct ranger patrols in the backcountry to provide for visitor safety and monitor resource damage.  Ranger patrols into the backcountry were severely limited during summer 2004 due to budget shortfalls.

3. Research
Managers at Denali need solid scientific information and data to protect the Park's fragile resources and to guide use of those resources by the visiting public. Investments in research are essential to preserving the park’s wildlife and other resources for current and future generations.

4. Monitoring Impacts to Resources
Backcountry users should primarily hear the sounds of nature (such as the babble of a creek, a bird song, or the rustle of the wind) as opposed to airplanes, helicopters, or snowmobiles.  Funds for monitoring manmade sounds and other resource impacts are imperative to successfully implement the nearly completed Denali Backcountry Management Plan.

5. Managing Growth
Visitation to Denali should be managed to provide visitors with a true wilderness experience.  In order for Denali to remain a special place, park planners must have adequate funding to maintain traffic on the park road within vehicle limits previously set, and to plan for distribution of visitors between the North and South side of the park.   

6. Sustainable building practices
The park needs adequate funding in order to use environmentally friendly and energy efficient practices in building construction and to design buildings that are architecturally appropriate for the Denali area.

7. Historic Structures
Preservation and maintenance of historic structures within Denali National Park contribute to the historic record of life on Alaska's rugged frontier.  For instance, funding is needed to restore backcountry patrol cabins, such as the Lower East Fork Cabin, which has been used for winter patrols since the 1920s.

8. Mountaineering
Denali National Park and Preserve is home to Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain in North America. Its majesty attracts visitors from those who simply want the pleasure of admiring it from afar to those who relish the challenge of reaching the top of the continent. Intensive NPS management is required to sustain the experience of both idle viewers and those who actually dare to scale the mountain's flanks. Denali needs full funding to promote safe mountaineering practices and to preserve a pristine mountain devoid of trash and human waste. 

9. Science Education
Adequate funding will enable NPS, along with partner groups, to provide important educational programs for both adults and children through the Murie Science and Learning Center, including hands-on science programs.

10. Artist and Writer Program
Denali offers an ideal setting for a formal Artist and Writer program with Denali's created art and writing collections on display for park visitors.

“Park visitors have the right to see and interact with rangers during every phase of their visit. NPS employees are the backbone of research, monitoring, enforcement, planning and policy setting that carry out the legislative goals of our parks,” said Bale.