| Page 1592 | National Parks Traveler

Again, no surprise here. Everyday we hear loads of bluster and pomp and PR-amplified rumbles from inside the Beltway. But when it comes time to cross the Ts and dot the Is, the bottom line always comes up short. As long as we have a president whose name is George W. Bush, we will continue to see cuts in the budgets of each natural resource agency: FWS, NPS, USGS, etc.

Watch Out for Those Recreation Fees

May 4th - 07:48am | repanshek

John, methinks you're venturing onto a slippery slope. Congress created the national park system for all Americans to enjoy and benefit from. It didn't create the system only for those who could afford the fees. You ask whether those who often or frequently visit the parks should pay more than those who don't?

May 3rd - 16:47pm | John D.

Well, we all know that the Parks need money to operate - and as you have amply demonstrated, they need a lot more money than they are getting currently. The question, then, is should all American contribute equally to the funding of the Parks? Or should Americans who use the Parks contribute some bit more to the Parks than Americans who don't use the Parks?

Apr 28th - 12:41pm | x-ranger

Kurt, one thing to consider with the fee issue is that they are not donation based, but instead fine based. For Forest Service and BLM lands, for instance, if you put off getting the proper parking permit and backcountry fee, you could get fined or even put in jail for repeat offences.

So What if the NPS Needs to Cinch Its Financial Belt?

May 4th - 07:34am | Kurt

John, you're right,of course. I shouldn't have so quickly dismissed Sen. Thomas's bid to see $150 million added to the Park Service's 2007 budget. However, when you realize that President Bush already has cut $100 million from the agency's budget, that $150 million would equate to only a $50 million increase above current funding levels.

May 3rd - 16:57pm | John D.

Its worth noting that in a below post, you described a $150 million increase in the Park Service's operating budget a "drop in the bucket." If that's so, then when wonders what the $5 million in earmarks you listed above amount to.

Conservation Groups Sue to Get Yellowstone Trout Protection

May 3rd - 23:50pm | yellowstoner

Good for you, again! This story needs wider circulation and continued attention

Lawsuit Focuses on Two Everglades Bird Species

May 3rd - 16:15pm | brandon nowell...

i 'm 9 year looking to a stoery on snail kite bird can you help me please

Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam

Apr 17th - 15:24pm | Alan Gregory

Woah there pardner. Y2Y is not about "removing people from the landscape." You've leaped to a conclusion that's not borne out by the language in the Y2Y proposal. In brief, Y2Y (and all the other conservation network proposals I'm aware of) is about restoring corridors linking core wild areas. People are very much a part of these proposals.

Apr 15th - 11:32am | repanshek

Val, I hear where you're coming from. My wife is a second-generation Wyoming native, and her dad was a rancher for a long time.

Apr 14th - 22:39pm | Val Jones

Although the idea of an unrestricted corridor from Wyoming to the Yukon is inspiring, it is in reality, a pipedream. As much as some of us would like to remove human beings from the Mid-American landscape this is just not practical.

Talking Points...and Points of Concern

Apr 17th - 15:19pm | Alan Gregory

We used to hear this in the Air Force (I was on active duty for 10 years and in the Air Force Reserve for another 16 years). It's called do more with less. And it is a pernicious trend. Here again, the problem is only likely to worsen pending a great waking up by the mass confused public.

Apr 14th - 06:08am | John D.

I think that they are greatly misrepresenting that "96% satisfaction" statistic. Of course it would be hard to go to some place as amazing as Yellowstone and "not be satisfied" - but they shouldn't kid themselves that people don't notice outdated exhibits, or that it is harder than ever to spend time with an experienced Park Ranger while in the Park.

Of Pigs and Parks

Apr 17th - 15:16pm | Alan Gregory

So goes the tale of conservation in the United States today; one step forward for every two backward.

Park Visitation Trends: Is There a Problem?

Apr 16th - 15:44pm | JLongstreet

There's another factor that doesn't get reported when discussing NPS visitor statistics. In my own park, where there is no entrance gate and there are many different places and ways that visitors enter, we rely on NPS staff and volunteers to count visitors.

Apr 14th - 05:52am | John D.

Kurt - Thanks for posting these additional numbers. One thing that jumps out at me from them is that with visitation bottoming-out in 1990, and visitation peaking in 1990, its clear that economic conditions affect visitation. I think you're right that fees can also affect visitation.

Apr 13th - 07:27am | repanshek

For what it's worth, after NPS visitation peaked at a record 287.2 million in 1987, it plummeted all the way down to 255.8 million in 1990, rebounded a bit to 274.7 million in 1992, and then slid again to 265.8 million in 1996 before climbing back up to 287.1 million in 1999.

Apr 12th - 19:34pm | John D.

Actually, I think that declining visitation to the National Parks is something worth being concerned about. From 1986 - 1988, National Park visitation consistently topped 280 million recreational visits, and the NPS has never topped the 287.2 million recreational visits recorded in 1987 - coming closest in 1999. In 2005, the NPS only had 273 million recreational visits.

Apr 11th - 10:53am | jersu

In light of a giant maintenance backlog, falling operational budgets, and fewer park personnel, it is surprising that the Govt would be worried about lower visitation numbers to the NPS. If anything, they should be exploring ways to restrict public access to the parks until there is a budget that can support the numbers of visitors today.

Apr 11th - 06:50am | Kris

In the last ten years, the federal recreation fee programs have increased entrance fees, some of them have doubled. This could be a key factor impacting visitation. However, 277 million Americans continue to visit parks and are willing to pay for the experience.

Are Park Inholdings Good Partnerships?

Apr 15th - 14:28pm | David Barnum

Dear Mr. Repanshak,

Park Visitation, Part Two

Apr 13th - 07:14am | repanshek

John, while you raise questions in need of answers, I didn't intend to suggest that NPS trends mirrored those at New Mexico's state parks or vice versa. Rather, it was simply to point out that just as NPS visitation goes up and down, so does that at New Mexico's state parks yet Tourism Secretary Michael Cerletti didn't seem as concerned about that in his testimony.

Apr 12th - 19:17pm | John D.

Some aspects of this post don't ring true. For example, Kurt wonders if Carlsbad's remote location has been a factor in its declining visitation - but unless Carlsbad Caverns have moved recently, its location should not have played any role in declining visitation.

Secretary Norton's Farewell

Apr 7th - 07:44am | yellowstoner

Get off the snowmobile issue. They are vile, loud, smokey, and intrusive! But more damage is done to back country features by skiers tracking through runoff chanels, or climbing to the top of geyser cones for pictures with the tips of their skis poking the fragile geyserite. We need an honest evaluation of how to use the parks that is inclusive - not exclusive.

TWS Wants Kempthorne To "Correct" Norton's Damage

Apr 7th - 06:47am | Yellowstoner

Love your Kempthorne picture.

How Long Will the Parks Last?

Apr 4th - 21:10pm | John D.

Its a shame that this amateur column is getting publicity, as this piece is pure scare-mongering. Mr.

Mar 28th - 04:47am | Alan Gregory

Mike does a good job of encapsulating the whole Norton-era debacle. It will only get worse under Kempthorne. I've been watching him for years. I'm a native of Idaho.

Keeping the Night Dark in the Parks

Apr 4th - 20:55pm | John D.

Readers interested in the issue of light pollution should check out the International Dark Sky Association at http://www.darksky.org , and which is dedicated to combatting light pollution.

Mar 28th - 04:49am | Alan Gregory

I saw the Milky Way (our galaxy!!) while standing in the surf after dusk at Popham Beach, Maine, last September, fly fishing for striped bass. I hadn't seen the galaxy like that for years, not since leaving New York's Adirondack region.

Gulf Islands National Seashore Still Recovering

Apr 4th - 20:48pm | John D.

I wonder, though, given all the needs of the National Park System, if a road has been destroyed by hurricanes in two consecutive years, should we really spend the money to rebuild it? The article reports that the lack of human activity on the fragile seashore - activity which used to include bustling campgrounds and commercial concessions - has produced an increasing abundance of wildlife.

Blue Ridge Head Scratcher

Apr 4th - 20:40pm | John D.

What's truly astonishing about this proposal is that the Blue Ridge Parkway already boasts 11 Visitor's Centers, not counting the facilities at Mabry Mill and the shared Oconoluftee VC with Great Smoky Mountains, which I believe makes it the Nationl Park with greatest number of Visitor's Centers in the System.

Apr 3rd - 11:52am | jersu

I agree with you. Why build a multi-million dollar centerpiece on top of a crumbling infrastructure? I think this politician is going after the "sexy" headline grabbing project for his community, rather than the more prudent but less noteworthy long term solution. I have seen the effects of funding cuts along the Parkway.

Denver Post Has Suggestion for Kempthorne

Apr 4th - 20:30pm | John D.

And of course, the ironic thing is that the so-called Revised Management Policies still do far too little to recognize the sheer diversity of sites within the National Park System.

Entrance Fees Going Up

Apr 4th - 20:26pm | John D.

The good news, however, is that I believe that Park Pass money is all sent back to the Parks. I have to believe, though, that the 2007 Parks Pass will be a bit more than $50 - which will be good for the Parks....

Has Secretary Norton Opened the Way for OHV Use in Parks?

Mar 28th - 06:08am | Howard Gross, ...

Thanks for your reporting the dangers of Norton's guidelines and dissecting this latest RS 2477 chapter in a clear and thorough manner.

That Road To Nowhere

Mar 22nd - 13:53pm | Alan Gregory

The good congressman's stance, I'd be willing to bet, has less to do with enhancing the transportation alternatives available to a handful of constituents than it does with accommodating some very special interests -- those who've kicked in campaign dollars to his re-election warchest. No, no, that couldn't be the case. Or could it?

Cedar Breaks National....Park?

Mar 21st - 16:45pm | John D.

This post ends with the question "can the NPS afford another National Park at this time?" One thing about the maze of designations within the National Park System is that ultimately I don't think that there would be much cost difference in the way a Cedar Breaks National Park would be run from the way Cedar Breaks NM is being run right now.

Global Warming's Impact on Glacier NP to Be Discussed By UNESCO

Mar 19th - 23:11pm | HANK HOWARD

ADVISE THAT THE SHIP IS SINKING AT DOI AND THE RATS ARE FLEEING. NEXT IN LINE BUREAU OF RECLAMATION JOHN KEYS ANNOUCED RESIGNATION EFFETIVE APRIL 15, COULD FRAN MANELLA BE NEXT. INTERESTING FOUR DAYS AFTER SEC. NORTO ANNOUNCEMENT. HANK HOWARD BOR CRITIC

Park Lodging Bargains Beginning to Sprout

Mar 17th - 10:19am | Bonnie Avonrude

Zion National Park: Stayed @ Best Western in Mt Carmel, about 9 miles from Zion....$50 including tax! Great place, clean, and reasonable!

Funding the Parks: A Mixed Bag

Mar 15th - 16:28pm | Former ranger

Having worked as a seasonal ranger at Mesa Verde relatively recently, I doubt that Mesa Verde is any better funded than any other park. The summer I worked there, the park administration saved money by not leasing government vehicles and requiring interpreters to drive their own vehicles to and from tour sites.

Mar 7th - 06:15am | Arthur Allen

A local park has 50 permanent vacancies. They are hoping that retirements will occur so that they can keep the remainder of the staff. Meanwhile the appearance of the park is worsening because of a decimated maintenance staff. Parks should quit trying to keep services at "normal" level and shut down facilities commensurate with the parks ability to maintain them properly.

Reaction to Rethinking the NPS

Mar 14th - 19:20pm | jersu

I agree. How is anyone supposed to know which federal agency manages the many scattered National Monuments across our country. The distinction is very important. Mt. St. Helens National Monument is managed by the Forest Service, and within the monument Weyerhaeuser presumably still holds some logging rights.

Mar 14th - 16:44pm | John D.

Myrna Johnson is absolutely right that any look at revamping the National Park Service aught to encompass a broader look at the organization of Federal Lands.

Do We Need to Rethink The NPS?

Mar 14th - 17:20pm | repanshek

John,

Mar 14th - 16:55pm | John D.

In defense of Craters of the Moon NM, I think that it is one of the most unique locations in all of the United States, and because of that uniqueness, is worthy of preservation. There are, after all, only a handfull of lava fields in the US - and I believe that Craters of the Moon is the largest.

What Yellowstone Rangers Say, and Don't Say

Mar 14th - 16:19pm | George Wuerthner

How do I sign up to get regular blogs from you?

Time for a New Interior Department Logo?

Mar 8th - 19:05pm | Jeff DeMeester

My question is why would this site give so much exposure to PEER? PEER seems to me to support it self with doom and gloom articles that only gives half truths. This type of extreme spin does nothing to help the environment. I Looked at Jeff Ruch's site and he has not one positive Idea to help.

Mar 8th - 10:50am | jersu

I bet they'll receive a number of very creative ideas. I'm sure a number of them will involve a snowmobile in some form, or at least a nod towards the commercial end of the Interior's recent activities.

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