This Land, Your Land

You can now walk right in and speak your mind at any of the nation's 392 national parks (nine of which are in North Carolina).

The National Park Service announced Thursday that, effective immediately, it had eliminated a long-standing requirement for individuals and small groups to obtain permits to demonstrate and distribute literature in national parks.

The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said on August 6 in Boardley v. Department of the Interior that the policy was too broad, and the Park Service says it will not appeal the decision.

The court upheld the Park Service's practice of setting aside designated areas in parks, and requiring a permit for larger demonstrations and the sale of printed material.

The Park Service says in its news release that in the case of larger groups, "the permit process allows NPS to protect park resources and guarantees groups a priority for a space when multiple groups or individual demonstrators want to use a designated area in a park."

The release does not say what size group or demonstration would require a permit.