 
Fifty-one years ago, historian Bernard De Voto said, "The progressive impairment of the parks by budgetary bloodletting is a national disgrace." That statement remains as true today as it was in 1954.
Although the national parks remain premier destinations for American families, a description of current conditions in our parks is unacceptable: education and enforcement cutbacks, traffic jams, marijuana farms operated by drug cartels, forests besieged by foreign insects, dirty restrooms, and crumbling artifacts.
To be sure, the National Park Service does a great job with the funding available, and a vast majority of visitors enjoy their vacations. But behind the scenes is a litany of problems caused by chronic underfunding. It is an unfortunate reality rooted in decades of inadequate investment by the American public, Congress, and the White House. But we can no longer neglect our responsibility to act. The national parks represent America's heritage-our legacy to the future. Under current conditions, the future for the parks is a limited one.
This March, NPCA released Faded Glory: Top Ten Reasons to Reinvest in America's National Park Heritage. The report calls attention to the most dramatic funding needs facing the national parks. Our research has shown that, on average, the parks suffer from a $600 million annual operating shortfall.
Congress recently made some significant headway, boosting funding to the operations budget by $75 million, the single largest increase for the national parks. Unfortunately, decades of insufficient funding cannot be wiped out with one generous increase. But an innovative solution is now being considered by Congress.
On March 3, Reps. Mark Souder (R-IN) and Brian Baird (D-WA) introduced legislation that will help to eliminate the chronic funding shortfall. The bipartisan National Park Centennial Act seeks to increase funding for the maintenance needs of the parks and fund natural and cultural preservation projects through 2016 - the 100th birthday of the National Park System. The legislation authorizes new funding for the parks from the general treasury and from an innovative, voluntary check-off on federal tax returns.
We have a prime opportunity to renew our commitment to these national treasures. Our report highlights ten reasons to reinvest in our parks, but really we need only one: These extraordinary places represent our heritage and deserve our help.
TAKE ACTION >> Visit our Take Action Center to encourage your representatives to support this legislation.
Thomas C. Kiernan | 
