WHAT WE DO

When Seattle resident Kathy Connors visited Mount Rainier this summer for the first time, she was aghast. "I was shocked and annoyed that I saw no rangers all day, and I was in several areas of the park. The restrooms at the Paradise Information Center were not much better than a gas station. All I could think of was that this was due to administrative cutbacks, and lack of support for these incredible treasures. I think it makes us look bad to have no respect for our national treasures."

Visitor Facilities Suffer

Without adequate funding, the Park Service is unable to effectively manage park wildlife and cultural and historic treasures, while also meeting the needs of nearly 300 million annual visitors.

And it is starting to show. From neglected trails to dirty or deteriorating facilities, national parks across the country are showing the strain of budget shortfalls in excess of $600 million annually.

For example, the Park Service is struggling to maintain popular trails in Grand Canyon National Park, several of which are more than 100 years old. At Acadia National Park this past summer, restrooms were not cleaned as frequently, roadsides were not mowed as often, and solid waste was removed less often. The visitor center at the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii is overcrowded, its foundation is cracking, and it is sinking.

A shortage of staff and funding limits the ability of the Park Service to maintain campgrounds at Nevada's Great Basin National Park. Broken benches, dilapidated buildings, and a crumbling boardwalk greet visitors to Riis Park in Gateway National Recreation Area in New York and New Jersey. Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico lacks funding to maintain and repair the park's 28 miles of backcountry trails. As a result, trails are damaged by heavy use and weather, compromising the experiences of visitors and the integrity of cultural resources and nearby natural resources that become trampled when visitors cannot follow the trails.

In other parks, the lack of visitor services is a challenge. The Alaska parks' five-year construction program needs $76 million to fund 14 significant projects, including building a much-needed new visitor center in Kenai Fjords and replacing a visitor center at Denali, and additional funding to staff these public facilities. Shenandoah National Park's Loft Mountain and Dickey Ridge visitor centers are closed part of the year for lack of sufficient funding and staffing.

Key Recommendation: 
Funding Needed to Repair Facilities, Offer Services

Funding for the maintenance of existing and new visitor facilities in the national parks is available through the Park Service's limited operating budget; through the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program, which generates more than $150 million annually through visitor fees; and through the construction budget. But clearly, available funding has not kept pace with need.

Congress and the administration need to address the parks' operating shortfall, now in excess of $600 million annually, and fully fund the ongoing maintenance needs of the national parks so that visitor facilities are in the best possible shape to welcome - and inspire - visitors.

Take Action

• Write a Letter to the Editor  If your experience in a national park wasn't what you were expecting - or didn't meet the standards you remember from prior visits - send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.