The Trump administration’s relationship with the National Park Service has been rocky so far. Last month, the National Park Service announced plans to sharply increase entry fees to 17 of America’s most iconic national treasures. Starting next year, it will cost cars $70 —instead of $25 or $30 — to enter public parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite, Shenandoah and the Grand Canyon during peak season, fees which are insurmountable for some low-income families and individuals.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke holds that the fee increases will be used to repair the parks’ roads, campgrounds and bathrooms and “will help ensure that [the parks] are protected and preserved in perpetuity and that visitors enjoy a world-class experience that mirrors the amazing destinations they are visiting.”
The National Park Service must “conserve the scenery” of our public lands and “provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner ... as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations,” an instruction that reveals the friction of managing public parks, marine or terrestrial: preserve for use, but leave unchanged. Preserve, and yet use. It is incredibly difficult, and very expensive, to fulfill the duty of national parks when they are tasked with keeping large tracts of land pristine, when those lands are also are bombarded with millions of visitors each year.
The backlog of national park maintenance is currently nearly $13 billion. My problem is not with national parks needing money. My problem is that these fees are being imposed on top of the $168 million budget decrease proposed by the Trump administration. While the increased fees will bring in an estimated $70 million, this is not enough to totally offset the deficit of funding for national parks. Zinke has additionally proposed leasing national park lands to oil companies for drilling.
Essentially, Zinke is slowly closing the doors to national parks. These fees decrease access to national parks while simultaneously exacerbating the problems of disrepair and industrial destruction. Narrowing access to national parks and sanctuaries is one of the worst things the Trump administration is doing for the environment and for Americans.
America needs its national parks now more than ever. To stop environmental destruction at its source, we need more men and women who are willing to stand-up to their congressional representatives, their senators and their president. To combat environmental destruction in the era of climate change, we need to create a new generation of American citizens willing to fight for new wastewater laws, carbon regulations and renewable energies.
It is impossible to pass through a national park, terrestrial or marine, and leave unaffected by the majesty of our country. By increasing visitation in national parks, we can create a new generation of stewards. To endure the uncertainty of climate change, our parks must certainly remain open – they must if we are to keep faith with future generations and serve the men and women of today.