The Bush administration's proposed fiscal year 2005 National Park Service budget does not keep up with the day-to-day funding needs of national parks or the multi-billion-dollar backlog of maintenance projects, critics say.
The budget would provide $2.4 billion to the Park Service and includes a $76.5 million, or 4.5 percent, increase for park operations. Although the budget targets some specific needs in the parks, critics say the overall budget does not come close to upholding the president's campaign promise to "restore and renew" the parks.
"One of the few environmental commitments President Bush made was to eliminate the maintenance backlog in the national parks," says NPCA President Thomas C. Kiernan. "Regrettably, the administration has made little progress toward meeting this pledge."
While on the campaign trail in 2000, Bush pledged $4.9 billion over five years to eliminate a backlog of park maintenance projects. Critics say not nearly enough money has been given to clear the backlog and that the parks are falling deeper into debt amid a series of rising costs within the Park Service. One of the biggest expenses involves protecting iconic parks for homeland security, a cost that rises to $60,000 daily when the country goes to "orange alert."
On average, parks receive just 60 cents for every dollar needed, research shows. This shortfall threatens the integrity of the parks and limits the Park Service's ability to educate and inspire its visitors.
"Americans expect the government to fully protect the national parks-the touchstones of our shared history and culture," says Kiernan. "By neglecting their duty to adequately fund our national parks, Congress and the administration are squandering the nation's legacy."
In a letter to the administration in January, Americans for National Parks, a 350-member nonpartisan coalition led by NPCA, requested a $240 million increase for park operations. The coalition, which includes businesses, chambers of commerce, tourism associations, park friends groups, and various other groups, said that such an increase was "critical to meeting the [president's] promise" to restore the parks.
Among highlights of the proposed budget is its $37 million increase for land acquisitions, more than half of which will fund the purchase of mineral rights in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. Multi-million dollar acquisitions are also slated for Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, Fort Clatsop National Memorial in Oregon, and the National Capital Parks in Washington, D.C., among other parks.
The budget also provides $329 million for maintenance and construction, which equals the enacted 2004 funding. The money will go toward various projects, including intensive restoration of the historic bathhouses at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas and building a new museum that will interpret American Indian culture at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
Take Action: Urge your senators and representatives to push for increased park funding.
