Not everyone is embracing higher entrance fees proposed for national parks/Kurt Repanshek
As more and more units of the National Park System propose higher entrance fees as directed by Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, opposition is being voiced around the country, with one mayor saying higher fees to enter Yellowstone National Park could lead to reduced tourism dollars in her town.
With Congress poised to create at least four new units to the park system, and approving expansions of other parks, funding the Park Service likely will become even more difficult if the lawmakers don't also find more money for the agency. While park officials across the country say higher entrance fees are needed to fund various improvements and provide for visitor services, they are seeing some pushback.
In Cody, Wyoming, Mayor Nancy Tia Brown is opposed to the higher fees being proposed at Yellowstone -- a 3-day pass for $30, a 7-day pass good for both Yellowstone and Grand Teton for $50 -- arguing that the fees would result in fewer tourist dollars spent in her town.
At Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts, a former fee supervisor for the park said the proposal to increase fees would create a "logistical and political nightmare."
"The Seashore has not made the enforcement of its current $3 daily individual pass a priority because of the park's unique permeable nature, and because of the wish to encourage visitors to use alternative forms of transportation aligned with the Climate Friendly Parks initiative. While parks like the Grand Canyon have gates, the Seashore does not, so attempting to charge that fee would be logistically impossible," Karl Thompsen wrote in a letter to the Cape Cod Times.
"Actually implementing such a draconian change would also prove politically disastrous for the park's community and visitor relations, which both undermines the park's interdependent relationship with surrounding towns and places an unnecessary burden on the rangers interacting with the public," he added.
At Gulf Islands National Seashore, a proposal to relocate entrance fee booths on the eastern and western ends of U.S. 399, also known as the J. Earle Bowden Way, and then charge $15 per vehicle to use the road that connects Pensacola Beach to Navarre Beach was being criticized by nearby residents who frequent the national seashore. Superintendent Dan Brown has tried to downplay the matter, telling the Pensacola News Journal the collection booths won't be moved if the public strongly opposes it. But he also noted that most locals would probably buy an annual pass to the seashore and so not encounter the entrance fee every time they headed to the seashore.
"Most of the comments so far have emphasized the worst-case scenario," the superintendent told the newspaper. "They're talking about a $15 toll, and you know no one who lives here locally and drives that on a regular basis would pay the fee every single time. '¦ If you drive it 240 days of the year to commute, it wouldn't be $15 times 240 days ' they would pay $30 for an annual pass."
Back in Wyoming, Jackson town leaders opposed higher fees proposed for Grand Teton National Park and the proposal to "unlink" Yellowstone and Grand Teton from one pass good in both parks. Fishing guides and other outfitters also opposed the increases.
'It is a little discouraging that the Park Service is going to go ahead and double the weekly cost of a pass from $25 to $50,' Taylor Phillips, who owns a wildlife safari company, told the Jackson Hole News & Guide. 'I would say 90 percent of our guests visit both parks.
A proposal to boost the entrance fee at Cabrillo National Monument near San Diego from $5 per car to $15 drew an angry response from Paul Nestor, who called the proposal "one of the most aggravating things I've ever heard."
"It is families who don't have a lot of money who come up here to show off this beautiful place in San Diego for all the residents. For them to bilk them out of $15, it's going to turn a lot of people away," Mr. Nestor said told ABC 10 News.
Mr. Nestor's view might play out across the National Park System at some of the small, urban parks where many visitors stop by during lunch or after work, or stop after seeing the park sign as they pass by. Five dollars per vehicle for a quick visit to enjoy a view or learn something about the park and why it was created might not sway people from stopping, but when the fee jumps to $15, those casual visitors might not pull in. If that scenario plays out, some park units could possibly lose money.
Another issue is that once parks collect more than $500,000 in entrance fees, they have to send 20 percent of the revenue to Washington for redistribution to other parks. Up to $500,000, they keep it all, thus creating another possible reason not to raise fees.
Comments
Whipperin, your rant is a bit funny. You rant about how the parks gate receipts at YSNP seem too low because they only pull in about 9 million. Then you go off about NPS removing bison trails. BOY, that sounds like a stretch, but i'll consider the upper deck hecklers if they can showcase some evidence. I did a quick search on that and came up with nothing. Can you provide some links to show that this is being the case? And are you talking about the IMAX theatre that is ran by Nat Geo on the south rim, or something else?
If I do recall, the Superintendent in charge of the Effigy Mounds fiasco was demoted, but to apply that case to a big broad brush is once again a stretch. The parks would be rather hideous looking if they allowed EVERYONE to do what they wanted. I'm not saying the Park is perfect, but man, the hecklers on this site make it seem like they do everything wrong. It gets old. You, like Mr Quillen need to provide evidence, not just hearsay, if you want to be taken seriously.
I did an FOIA request on the Grand Canyon theatre closure, so I have the evidence. The attempted destructtion of bison trails was personally witnessed by me and I have FOIA documents in regard to the trail destruction. I do not say that the NPS does everything wrong but neither do I say that whatever the NPS does is right.. I and others have a right to be critical of our government including the NPS. My personal dealings with NPS employees have been mixed. I have that the NPS employees are very friendly until asked a critical question and then they act rude and haughty. They forget they are public servants and act more like public masters.
Do you mind posting the documents? I'd prefer to read through them and form my own opinion.
Re the Valor of the Pacific - I was there yesterday. While getting tickets is an issue the Park itself looked to be extremely well run. The services were very efficient and I saw no signs of disrepair.
I would be happy to post all the documents if I had them in digital form. The NPS sent the documents to me in paper form and I don't have a way to post them. The NPS claims to be green and then rountinely uses snail mail and paper documents. They had my email address so why not just send me and email with the documents attached? Better yet why not give citizens access to the NPS electronic files?
Smokies, I can vote with my feet by not going to a park and therefore not paying a fee. There's no delusion required. It's an entirely optional expense.
The same reason, Whimpering1, that I invite folks into my garden but tend to keep the gate locked against folks who just want to wander and trample on the flowers.
Of course, looking at electronic files would do no harm - accept maybe to the reputation of those that are supposed to be serving the American public.