In 2018, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, was Missouri was designated as a national park. Unlike every single other national park, the Gateway Arch centered around a physical man-made monument, and offers no natural features, species, landscapes, or items meriting interest or conservation that can't be found in a typical city park. Even similarly urbanized parks (such as Hot Springs National Park) are based around a priceless national feature or offer a wide array of outdoor and nature based activities..

As such, the designation of national park cheapens the National Park brand as a whole, and undermines the basis for which the NPS exists in the first place. In short, the monument is in no way suited for the designation, or for the specific benefits and legal requirements that come with such a designation. Indeed, the only real justification for calling it a park in the first place seems to be that the decision was strongly motivated by commercial interests.

    The category of U.S. National Monument is applied to most similar national features, including the iconic Statue of Liberty. By reclassifying it to this more accurate categorization, the U.S. government can restore the dignity and credibility to the National Park Service and the National Park System that has been lost. I call on Congress to do the right thing and revoke the title of National Park from the Gateway Arch and it's surrounding area