The Dollar Check-off program at Ruby's Inn has helped pay for trail work on the Navajo Loop Trail/Rebecca Latson file

Over the past 14 years visitors to Bryce Canyon National Park have given nearly $800,000 to the Bryce Canyon Natural History Association, a dollar at a time.

The "Dollar Check-Off" program is run by Ruby's Inn. When guests check in, they're asked if they'd like to donate a dollar to the association for every night of their stay.

“Ruby’s Inn, my family and I wouldn’t be where we are today without Bryce Canyon National Park,” said Lance Syrett, general manager of Ruby's Inn. “My ancestors didn’t plan to start a hotel, but they ended up opening Ruby’s Inn so everyone could experience Bryce Canyon’s beauty. This is the reason why we do the dollar program today, to help preserve Bryce Canyon for all visitors.”

So far, the program has raised about $770,000 for the association. The money is used for several essential improvements needed in Bryce Canyon, and in the past has helped pay to fix parts of the park's Navajo Loop trail. 

“The dollar donation program is a valuable resource to Bryce Canyon National Park by filling funding shortfalls that have become an annual reality for the National Park Service,” said Gayle L. Pollock, CEO and director for the Bryce Canyon Natural History Association.

The Dollar Check-Off program started in 2004 as a way to raise money for several essential improvements needed in Bryce Canyon, including fixing parts of the famous Navajo Loop trail. Now the program has grown to a 98 percent participation rate among guests, with an estimated 118,000 participants in 2016.

“Since 2004, the funds have been utilized to enhance the visitor experience at Bryce Canyon,” Pollock said. “Funds have been expended for free publications and the popular, 'I Hiked the Hoodoos' program. Equipment for search and rescue events and a visitor comfort station were purchased with the funding as well. These are just a few examples of how Bryce Canyon National Park has benefited from the Dollar Check-Off program.”

Donations also support educational events, including the annual Astronomy and Geology festivals, printing of educational materials about the park’s natural and cultural resources for visitors, and field trips for area school children, preservation of historic photos, documents and records, paleontology research and wildlife studies, among other activities.