Curbing expansion, reallocating dollars and developing public-private partnerships would help the National Park Service put a dent into its $11.9 billion maintenance backlog, according to a nonprofit research institute.

In a 24-page report, Breaking the Backlog, the Property and Environment Research Center says creative actions are required to “enable parks to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on Congress for annual appropriations.” PERC, which is dedicated to improving environmental quality through property rights and markets, notes that Congress continues to devote less funding to deferred maintenance and that discretionary appropriations for the backlog have decreased by 40 percent over the past decade.

Instead of asking for more direct funding, PERC says Congress should permanently reauthorize three laws, and update two of them to focus proceeds on “addressing critical maintenance projects on existing federal lands, rather than land acquisition.”

* The Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses offshore oil and gas royalties for public land acquisitions

* The Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, an expired law that allowed the Bureau of Land Management to sell some federal lands but required that proceeds were used to purchase inholdings within existing federal lands

* The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which allows the National Park Service to keep recreation fees within the agency

In addition, the report says park managers should have more flexibility over raising fees, such as entrance fees, without the approval of Congress.

Outside of Congress, PERC suggests the National Park Service harness public-private partnerships for infrastructure needs, outsource routine park operations to the private sector, and create a national park franchising system for additions to the agency.

Currently, the Park Service contracts with businesses to manage its lodging and restaurants. In fact, maintenance is one of the issues raised in Delaware North Co.’s trademark claim against the National Park Service, citing nearly $15 million for “other assets” in the form of maintenance and improvements it performed in Yosemite National Park.

But PERC says private companies can be more efficient and flexible in managing certain projects and operations.

“Although none of these ideas alone will solve the deferred maintenance problem, together they would significantly reduce the agency’s reliance on Congress, improve park management and operations, and help prepare the National Park Service for the challenges of its second century,” the report concludes.