Draft of Park Rules Stresses Conservation By Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post Staff Writer

The Bush administration has issued new draft guidelines for managing the national parks that make conservation the top priority — ahead of recreation and energy development. …

In a news conference Monday, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said department officials had decided that preserving the country’s parks ranks above any other management goal.

“When there is a conflict between conserving resources unimpaired for future generations and the use of those resources, conservation will be predominant,” Kempthorne said. “That is the heart of these policies and the lifeblood of our nation’s commitment to care for these special places and provide for their enjoyment.”