...no.
While one may get a laugh out of this photo, I'd like to point out that it's becoming rather evident that our National Parks have entered into a state of disarray with the current budget crisis...
Answer: Several factors are contributing to this. The NPS budget has been meager for the last 10 years and this year it was cut by 101 million dollars. This may not seem like much, but the service as a whole has a maintenance backlog of about eleven billion dollars. In addition, with the recession, most NPS units are still experiencing a high visitor volume. In 2010 there were over 281 million visitors to the National Parks. Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon each entertain 3.5 – 4 million visitors each year and the numbers are increasing. This colossal traffic jam occurs on narrow winding roads that used to accommodate horse trails. The bumper-to-bumper assemblage produces pollution, noise and chaos that stress the wildlife and environment. The visitor “experience” is reduced to barely survivable, and it takes all efforts of the meager Ranger staff just to survive the busy season on very few hours of sleep.
Now, you may be asking- what can I do to help? For starters, keep on top of legislators to slate more funding for these precious resources in order to meet the demands being placed upon them by the visiting public. While it may sound harsh, we may even see a limit to visitors within our generation. These magnificent parks deserve our best efforts to protect them for future generations. You can also contact park Superintendants regarding specific park issues, but be aware that they do not really have a hand in how much money is allotted to each park unit-- rather, just how that small fraction of money is split between divisions.
These are just my views and opinions, and not that of the agency- but the facts and numbers above were obtained from the NPS website. So, faithful readers, what's your opinion?
While one may get a laugh out of this photo, I'd like to point out that it's becoming rather evident that our National Parks have entered into a state of disarray with the current budget crisis...
Exhibit A: "Classic Ranger Fix: 'duct tape fixes all'- Yosemite Entrance Sign" (August 2011)
... which will lead our visitors, who, of course know about the budget crisis, but are on vacation... thus entering into "ask a Ranger" mode, to inquire to the Rangers on the frontlines: "Why is this happening?!"
Now, you may be asking- what can I do to help? For starters, keep on top of legislators to slate more funding for these precious resources in order to meet the demands being placed upon them by the visiting public. While it may sound harsh, we may even see a limit to visitors within our generation. These magnificent parks deserve our best efforts to protect them for future generations. You can also contact park Superintendants regarding specific park issues, but be aware that they do not really have a hand in how much money is allotted to each park unit-- rather, just how that small fraction of money is split between divisions.
These are just my views and opinions, and not that of the agency- but the facts and numbers above were obtained from the NPS website. So, faithful readers, what's your opinion?
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