A recent report by NPCA reveals a critical shortage of staff in national parks, a problem sure to be seen and felt by many of the millions of visitors to the parks this summer.
The fact-based report, Endangered Rangers, highlights several culprits for the staff shortages, chief among them shoestring park budgets. It's a simple but worrisome equation: a lack of park funding leads to fewer rangers, which leads to fewer programs, diminishing the rich experiences visitors have come to expect from the national parks and the ability of the Park Service to preserve America's heritage.
"America's national park rangers are becoming an endangered species," says NPCA President Thomas C. Kiernan. "President Bush has made strong commitments to the American people about protecting our national parks, but regrettably the administration and Congress have failed to keep them."
Among the many effects of staff shortages across the park system are wildlife and American Indian artifacts being poached, a lapse in scientific monitoring of endangered species, historic structures deteriorating until their roofs cave in, and museum collections piled up in corners or stashed in damp basements.
Other examples include: locked historic buildings at Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania, where visitors cannot fully experience George Washington's encampment; closed visitor centers at Olympic National Park in Washington, where the park can no longer afford seasonal staffers; and a 25 percent cut in education programs at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, America's most-visited park.
