"Questioned by lawmakers, Blinken called on Congress to give President Joe Biden the power to waive a US law that requires an end to US funding to any international organization, such as UNESCO, that recognizes Palestine as a state. We believe that having the waiver authority would be important and necessary and I can say with authority that our partners in Israel feel the same way. They would support our rejoining UNESCO," Blinken told the Senate Appropriations Committee."

View the video here - Skip to 1:15:40

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220427-israel-backs-us-return-to-unesco-blinken

In Tsunami's recent review of the UK's Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape, he makes the following observation: "I don't know how common this practice is in other countries, but off the top of my head I can't think of any National Parks in the US where train runs through, except some tourist trains / steam locomotives."

In that, he's pretty accurate -- most of the US national parks, and certainly all of the ones that are World Heritage Sites, don't have the Amtrak passenger rail service running through them. One of the closest near misses would be Glacier National Park, whose southern border quite purposefully ends right before the rail line served by the Empire Builder route, which runs from Chicago to Seattle.

That said, most of the national parks do have an early history with the railroads, which served the purpose of getting tourists to remote areas before the United States road network was fully developed. For instance, the former Northern Pacific Railway used to run a route to Yellowstone National Park's northern border. The Grand Canyon Railway used to take passengers right up to the park at Grand Canyon Village; it is now run as a tourist train.

If you do hope to travel through national parks via the United States' Amtrak network, your best opportunity would be some of the newest national parks in the system (which will likely not ever be World Heritage Sites). Several of Amtrak's routes run through Indiana Dunes National Park, near Gary, Indiana, en route to Chicago. Additionally, Amtrak's Cardinal route, from Chicago to Washington, DC via southern West Virginia runs through New River Gorge National Park.

Okefenokee seeking World Heritage Site designation
https://news.yahoo.com/okefenokee-seeking-world-heritage-designation-091900821.html

I think this will take some years yet, but it's encouraging to see some natural sites potentially moving forward. It irks me that this article and others kept getting the number of world heritage sites in the United States wrong. There are 24 WHS in the US, not 23.

On record as strongly in favor.

Video covering the Chicago School nomination:
https://youtu.be/BmiDUw-MPWA

When the world heritage nomination is mentioned they don't actually clarify that the two historic structures slated for demolition are not included.

Summary of News and Resources around the Civil Rights Movement Sites nomination.

Preparing a Serial Nomination of U.S. Civil Rights Landmarks for UNESCO World Heritage Status

"What They Did Here Inspired The World" (video)

Planned U.S. Civil Rights Movement Sites Symposium April 27-28, 2023

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site has been re-designated and expanded on 5/12/22. Now it will be a National Historical Park.

US/ICOMOS and 17 Heritage Organizations Urge the Senate to Fully Fund the World Heritage Fund and UNESCO

https://usicomos.org/us-icomos-and-17-heritage-organizations-urge-the-senate-to-fully-fund-the-world-heritage-fund-and-unesco/

Specifically an article about the Hopewell nomination, there are some insights into what might happen moving forward.

"Ultimately, the committee didn't meet and is just waiting out Russia's time as chair. Since the committee didn't meet, it also didn't vote on nominated sites that were expected to be approved this year. The NPS expects the committee will get sorted out and meet as usual in 2023."

". . . expects the committee will just vote next year on the nominations that should have been considered this year, as well as the 2023 nominations."

https://news.wosu.org/2022-09-12/ohios-unesco-world-heritage-bid-is-on-track-despite-upheaval-with-the-world-heritage-committee

It's strange to consider that the U.S. has not had a "National Park" inscription in 27 years. The controversies primarily in the early/mid-90's (many highlighted in this forum previously) have had an enormous effect on the United States not seeking additional National Park inscriptions. Before another National Park is inscribed it will undoubtedly be a 3-decade gap (or more), since we know the upcoming U.S. nominations up until 2025. Just over 1/5 of the 64 U.S. National Parks are UNESCO World Heritage Sites

►The First Ten American National Parks on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1978-1987)

Mesa Verde National Park (1978) 4.14
Yellowstone National Park (1978) 4.81
Grand Canyon National Park (1979) 4.58
Everglades National Park (1979) 3.64
Redwood National and State Parks (1980) 4.13
Mammoth Cave National Park (1981) 3.20
Olympic National Park (1981) 4.04
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (1983) 3.30
Yosemite National Park (1984) 4.28
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (1987) 4.24

*Kluane / Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek was inscribed in 1979 albeit under a different name and boundaries. Both U.S. components Wrangell-St. Elias and Glacier Bay were actually National Monuments in 1979 and were designated as National Parks in 1980.

*Haleakalā National Park was removed from the U.S. Tentative List in 1983

►1990's - 2000's [Decline of Nominations and U.S. hiatus from UNESCO]
Carlsbad Caverns National Park (1995) 3.44
Waterton Glacier International Peace Park (1995) 4.03

►National Parks, Former TWHS (National Parks Removed from Tentative List in 1996)
Acadia National Park (Maine)
Arches National Park (Utah) *listed by users as Top Missing in 2020
Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
Death Valley National Park (California) *listed by users as Top Missing in 2014
Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
Joshua Tree National Park (California) *listed by users as Top Missing in 2020 as serial property with Death Valley
Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
North Cascades National Park (Washington)
Rocky Mountains National Park (Colorado)
Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
Sequoia/King Canyon National Parks (California) *listed by users as Top Missing in 2020
Zion National Park (Utah)

►National Parks, Former TWHS (National Parks Removed from Tentative List in 2008)
Denali National Park (Alaska)
Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
Katmai National Park (Alaska)

►2008 - 2017 (Increased Engagement with UNESCO: Updated Tentative Lists)
- Petrified Forest National Park (nominated 2008) *100% community rating based off 10 votes
- White Sands National Park (nominated 2008) *88% community rating based off 8 votes
- Big Bend National Park (nominated 2017) *100% community rating based off 4 votes

I think the whole western USA is pretty stunning and one challenge is picking a proper subset of sites. From personal recollection, I feel:
Sequoia/King Canyon National Parks = Sequoias.
Zion National Park => Stunning
Bryce Canyon National Park => I think this is stunning nature, but also a native american site? If Danxia is added in China, this should be, too.

Only on Acadia NP would I disagree. It's too settled. I would guess in Canada you get the same but better.

Updates to the US World Heritage Program

1. US ICOMOS has now been renamed "World Heritage USA" and the link includes several recent videos.

2. Collaboration between Canada, Mexico, and the United States continues to progress regarding world heritage. There remains serious discussions around a transnational nomination between the US and Mexico regarding both the El Pinacate/Organ Pipe Cactus corridor and Big Bend/Maderas del Carmen.

3. The most likely natural nomination from the US Tentative List that has shown significant interest in compiling a dossier is Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (Georgia). Why have no natural sites sought world heritage status in US for the last 30 years? Simply less interest by stakeholders; while there has been more interest and commitment at the local/state level to see cultural nominations through the process toward inscription.

4. Update on US Funding to UNESCO "There is language in the current Senate appropriations bill which would allow the US to resume funding of UNESCO. Of course whether that will make it all the way to the President's desk for signature (presumably as part of an Omnibus spending bill) this year is uncertain." from NPS representative

Thanks for the link and updates, winterkjm! I hadn't heard about Okefenokee considering a dossier. Additionally, I would love to see some joint nominations/extensions between the US and Mexico (though I am a bit skeptical they will gain too much traction while the border remains such an area of political contention within the US).

On a different topic, for those thinking about making a trip to Volcanoes National Park at some point, now would be a fascinating time due to the first eruption of Mauna Loa in almost forty years.

Breaking ground on a World Heritage Center in Texas? I would never have expected this 10-15 years ago.

https://sanantonio.culturemap.com/news/city-life/san-antonio-breaks-ground-on-world-heritage-center-the-new-gateway-to-the-missions/

Partnership with Mexico to pursuit new cross-border Nominations? I wonder what additions to our respective tentative lists emerge from this partnership? I have 2-3 in mind, but perhaps there are others as well.

https://worldheritageusa.org/icomos-u-s-and-mexico-to-collaborate/

Omnibus Spending Bill that MIGHT include UNESCO reinstatement/funding by December 23rd? Maybe by Thursday; and will the language around Palestine and UNESCO be finally dropped as to allow US participation and paying of dues? *Note: the article does not mention UNESCO, it seems like it's not really part of the negotiations, but I have been assured its in there somewhere!

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-congress-aims-pack-additional-measures-into-government-funding-bill-2022-12-19/

PASSED - and just like that the USA is back in UNESCO

Text from Bill:

UNESCO:
· The bill supports the United States rejoining UNESCO, by providing the Administration the waiver authority required to resume U.S. funding for the organization.