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Civic Engagement, Identity, and Group Mobilization

Jamal Bell

Arizona State University

PAF 112

DR. Jonathan Koppell

12/09/2020
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Introduction

“We're protecting and enhancing America's National Park System for present and future generations.”

(National Parks Conservation Association). National Parks Conservation Association's mission statement

is bold and inspiring to millions of activists and green advocates alike. NPCA was established in 1919

with two goals, educate the public and inspire to protect parks. Over 100 years later, they now tackle

many issues: air, park conservation, water, ecosystem protection, global warming, and much more.

NPCA has Built an organization through identity, social capital, engagement, mobilization, and American

democracy.

Identity

The small group of people who founded NPCA was scientists, artists, and civic leaders. All were educated

and dedicated to conserving the natural ecosystem. NPCA brings the attention of many different

identities together. Identities such as young, literate, scientific establishments, “tree huggers”, and

green corporations. Because NPCA is a huge national organization, they benefit large corporations that

choose to partner with them. Nature Valley, Suburu, and Avacodo green mattress are just three of the

many partner companies that donate and share similar goals. Although these four companies are very

different, they have many overlapping identities. One specific identity they share is wanting to reduce

their carbon footprint.

Social Capital

According to Kelley LeRoux, “nonprofit organizations contribute to civil society in many tangible ways,

providing goods and services.. non-profits also play in advancing the common good.” (LeRoux &

Feeney, 2015). NPCA provides a service dedicated to protecting the parks and the environment which in

turn advances what is needed for the common good. There are 1.4 million members and supporters of

the organization. They also provide a twenty-five dollar tax-deductible membership fee that includes
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member benefits including a quarterly magazine, travel information kit, discounts, and much more.

Social capital aspects of NPCA are politically designed. Members fight for political change and policy

change. According to NPCA.org, “In 2011, NPCA marked a significant victory for regional air quality by

brokering a historic agreement with the country’s largest power utility to retrofit or retire 54 of its 59

coal-fired boilers.” (National Parks Conservation Association). Having a huge social capital enabled NPCA

to weigh heavily on decisions companies make. Choosing not to negotiate with NPCA would have caused

the utility company a lot of backlash from many other partner organizations and organizations that

identify with similar goals as NPCA.

Political Engagment

There are three main categories of engagement: political, social, and civil. NPCA frequently engages in

the political realm of engagement. They are advocates for voting and ensuring all voices are heard.

NPCA encourage their members to act and engage politically. Most of the battles are through changing

policies that mitigate harm to national parks. Not only do they affect policy and local change, sometimes

they create policy change at the federal level; a huge victory. “A 2011 decision by the Supreme Court

ended a decades-long battle to stop what would have been the nation’s largest landfill at Eagle

Mountain — on a site surrounded on three sides by national park-land.” (National Parks Conservation

Association). Although NPCA mostly engages in the political realm, they also participate in social

engagement. The organization hosts events and rallies for anyone that has similar beliefs and wants to

advocate for any aligning issues. They also host weekly virtual park talks for free on the NPCA website.

The presentations provide information from top staff members of the organization and experts on the

issues they currently face.

Mobilization
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NPCA organizes its members through numerous ways including public events, rallies, weekly virtual

presentations, and announcements. The use of firm, persuasive, and emotional statements seem to be

prominent in the website's articles. They use a lot of call to action statements and encourage

participation and donation. With 1.4 million members it would be an understatement to say many

people have aligning goals and identities. The organization has many political and social issues that it

addresses: Air quality, climate change, clean energy, history, culture, natural landscapes, park funding,

clean water, and wildlife preservation. NPCA addresses many issues that are different but similar which

in turn attracts many like-minded individuals. They solve public problems by getting the public involved.

On their website, they have advocacy in action page. On this page, the viewer can click on the act now

icon. Pressing the icon will take the reader to another page that lets them send an email to whoever is in

charge of the policy that allows that particular project to take place, usually congress. The difference

between the mobilization of NPCA and mobilization of groups studied in the PAF112 course such as the

voting rights act and the teacher strikes is that NPCA focuses its issues on public issues and actively

stopping and changing policies that are already in place. There are also some similarities between the

organization such as all work towards a collective change for present and future participants of its social

identity.

American Democracy

NPCA seems to understand American democracy thoroughly. They have successfully changed many

policies at all levels including at the federal level. NPCA focuses a lot of its members to email congress

directly. They also advocate voting and rallying around their public issues. NPCA transfers the members’

email to whoever is in charge of the particular issue. For example, to protect the grand canyon from

mining they will direct your message to the U.S. Forest Service comment delivery.

Summary
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National parks conservation association was founded in 1919 with one pressing issue; How to keep the

beautiful parks of this land beautiful. One hundred years later NPCA now addresses over 10 hugely

important issues. Through the years they managed to gather hundreds, thousands, millions of people

with similar identities to fight alongside NPCA's mission. They Gained the necessary social capital to

keep striving for victories. NPCA politically and socially engaged the public. NPCA mobilized all groups

willing to participate. NPCA studied American democracy to use it to its advantage. “Here is your

country. Do not let anyone take it or its glory away from you. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests

skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance. The World and the Future and your very

children shall judge you according to (the way) you deal with this Sacred Trust.” (Theodore Roosevelt,

1907). (McCarthy, Stiles, Cusomato, & Hood, 2019).

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References

Le Roux, K. & Feeney, M. (2014). "Nonprofits and Community Building." Nonprofit Organizations and

Civil Society in the United States. New York: Routledge.

McCarthy, T., Stiles, W., Cusomato, F. H., & Hood, L. (2019). National Parks Conservation

Association: A century of impact. Franklin, TN: Grandin Hood.

National Parks Conservation Association. (n.d.). Retrieved December 09, 2020, from http://npca.org/