It seems not a week goes by without some issue being identified as a threat to the national parks. One week it might be funding woes, another week pollution, another diversity concerns, and then, of course, there's climate change.
So, from the following list, which do you think poses the greatest threat to our national parks? And if your concern is not on the list, please tell us what it is.
* Funding issues. It's been often reported that the National Park Service has a maintenance backlog of about $9 billion. And, of course, there's the issue of annual funding in general for the Park Service. Is Congress spending too little on the parks, or is the Park Service not as fiscally fit as it could be?
* Pollution. Whether it's ground-level ozone at Acadia or Great Smoky Mountains national parks, air quality in general at places such as Shenandoah and Sequoia national parks, or heavy metals and acid rain deposition in the Sierra, Rockies, or Appalachian parks there are plenty of pollution issues that can be cited across the National Park System.
* Diversity. This is a two-pronged issue, as there are concerns over both a lack of diversity in park visitors and within the NPS ranks.
* Climate change. Is this, as Park Service Director Jon Jarvis has said, "fundamentally the greatest threat to the integrity of our national parks that we have ever experienced"?
* Visitation. This also is a two-pronged issue, as some worry that the parks are not being seen by enough visitors, while others argue that places such as the Yosemite Valley, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and Old Faithful in Yellowstone are overrun with visitors in the summer months.
* Inholdings. There are many cases across the National Park System where pockets of private property exist within the borders of a national park. And earlier this year there were news stories about a developer who was buying up parcels to build multi-million-dollar homes on them. Is the Park Service's inability, due to lack of funding, to buy these parcels harming the integrity of the parks?
* Motorized recreation. How great a threat are snowmobiles, personal watercraft, and off-road vehicles to national parks?
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Comments
I agree with the others here.
It is us, our hubris.
We should come to the realization that "enjoyment" does not mean enjoyment in any manner that you as an individual desire. There's enjoyment that leaves little or no (or manageable) impact on the parks, and then there's enjoyment that degrades both the parks' vitality and enjoyment by others.
Nicely put Barky... awesome insight. The backlog f maintainence in the Parks is shameful. To have let these gems erode is a waste of the investment. Climate change is to great an issue and would be a waste of resources. Over crowding is an easy fix, drop campsite and back country permits by 25% and up costs/fees by 30%. And drop motorized activity by 40%. Done deal. Cleaner, quieter and less crowded w/ out losing much revenue.
But the maintainence backlog would do something else not mentioned. It could up the NPS labor force by 20% if these areas which need attention got it. WPA/CCC type situation.
Industrial tourism, motorized recreation, and over-development, especially in Gateway communities.
Just ask anyone who resides in E TN who makes the commute to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The traffic coming into and departing from the tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is a disincentive to visit. Overcrowding also affects the visitor experience in places like Yosemite Valley and the Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim.
On the other hand, to escape the crowds, all one has to do is park the car at a trail head and go for a hike. A few hundred yards is all it takes to find relative solitude. But, one still has to fight the traffic on the return trip. Ugh.
"Over crowding is an easy fix, drop campsite and back country permits by 25% and up costs/fees by 30%. And drop motorized activity by 40%. Done deal. Cleaner, quieter and less crowded w/ out losing much revenue. JRM"
Wow JRM, is it really this easy? Or, would there be a tremendous political backlash from those who would lose real or perceived revenue resulting from a drop in motorized tourism?
If addressing overcrowding were as easy as you claim, we'd already be rid of the private car in Yosemite Valley, and we would allow only hiking, biking, and shuttle traffic along the Cades Cove loop in the Smokies.
I was going to make the same comment! The first thing I thought of: Republicans are the greatest threat to our National Parks (and the enviroment, any wilderness area, wildlife)!!
Imagine how much less pollution there would be if we were only allowed to replace coal fired power plants with nuclear power?
The Europeans have managed to utlilize this solution on a large scale....
Thinking outside the box for a moment, I would add that perhaps the greatest threat to the parks is a national system of values that places a very low priority on the importance of preserving lands and landmarks of significance to our natural and cultural heritage.
Ecoonomic collapse, prolonged warfare, and dominance of political ideologies which persistently give development, resource extraction, and commercialism priority over resource preservation can each contribute to a degradation of the overall value that our society places on the future of our parks, monuments, and historic places.
In an attempt to reach out to a wider segment of society, I also contend that it would be a mistake for the NPS and other park advocates to ignore their base supporters, those who return for more than a single one-hour, one stop visit, those who spend a week or more camping and backpacking on a routine basis, those who work especially hard to get to know their park on intimate terms. In many ways, these enthusiastic base supporters of our parks become ambassadors for the national park idea to the rest of America and the world.
The fact that most people choose to do something durng their limited free time other than visit a park prevents massive overcrowding, but it is also a clear sign that a national park experience is not of the highest priority in the lives of many Americans. On the other hand, for those who do take the time and who commit personal resources to devote to a park visit, I hope that their experience while in the park will always be rewarding, refreshing, inspirational, and part of a life-long memory.