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National parks protect cultural artifacts and historic buildings. They preserve unique and diverse ecosystems. They provide recreational opportunities to interact with, observe, and enjoy nature and history. Without adequate funding, the Park Service is not able to effectively manage the resources and visitors - allowing both the park and the experiences of park visitors to deteriorate. From vandalism to neglected trails and dirty facilities, national parks across the country are showing the strain of budget shortfalls.
"I can tell you that we will definitely be able to keep this park open and keep the visitor center open through the worst of the future year projections," John Latschar, the superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park told the Harrisburg Patriot-News earlier this summer. "What I cannot guarantee is the quality of your visit."
- Olympic National Park has only 120 of the 202 permanent staff needed to protect and manage 3.2 million visitors and 950,000 acres of resources. Most visitor restrooms will be left dirty at least 28 days this summer.
- The Park Service is struggling to maintain the historic trails at Grand Canyon National Park, several of which are more than 100 years old.
- Mount Rainier National Park relies solely on volunteers to control the park's litter.
- At Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Southern California, the Park Service struggles to maintain 200 miles of trails, which must be expanded to meet the growing demand of Los Angeles citizens. Staff is only able to conduct deferred maintenance to repair disappearing treads caused by encroachment of vegetation and erosion caused by washouts and landslides.
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico lacks the funding to staff a trails crew to regularly 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 and natural resources nearby that become trampled when visitors cannot follow the trails. Additionally, the majority of the park's world-renowned 1,000-year-old Chacoan cultural sites remain inaccessible to people with disabilities.
- This summer, Gettysburg National Military Park deferred maintenance to its many historic structures because it did not refill the vacant position of a preservation specialist.
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