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Traveler's View

Traveler's View: Are You Really Working For The Good Of All Americans, Mr. Zinke?

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was so anxious to score a major infrastructure success project last fall that he drained a quarter of the National Park Service's construction budget to do that. Now we're left wondering what else is being drained of $12 million so a backcountry lodge in Glacier National Park can be rebuilt to serve a very, very select group of park visitors. At the same time, a program that reaches out to millions of fourth-grade students is hanging in the balance because the secretary sees it as a money loser.

Traveler's View: Economics Fail To Measure A National Park's Value

Did you hear the news? The more than 330 million people who visited the National Park System last year generated nearly $36 billion in economic activity. Good to know, but we're guessing folks don't visit a park to see how much they spend or how much a business makes. If that were the case, folks would be rooting for Burnett Oil Co. to strike it big in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida.

Traveler's View: "Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee" Out Of Balance

If you're in the RV business, or want larger campgrounds, or perhaps more lodging concessions on public lands, you're likely thrilled with the makeup of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's "Made in America" Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee. If you prefer less infrastructure on public lands, well, you're probably in a funk over his appointments.

Traveler's View: Corporate Welfare At Caneel Bay In Virgin Islands National Park?

A private equity firm with global operations that include luxury hotels, ski resorts, and transportation interests such as shipping and railcars is on the brink of what appears to be a sweetheart deal to operate a luxury resort inside Virgin Islands National Park for just about the rest of the century.

Traveler's View: Is Secretary Zinke Determined To Make His Legacy The Redefinition Of Public Lands?

From dismantling national monuments to privatizing national park operations to skirting the National Environmental Policy Act to open parklands up to hunting and vanquishing wilderness. Is that on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's agenda? It doesn't take much of an imagination to think so.

Analysis: Would A Government Shutdown Usher In A New Vision For The National Park Service?

What would the National Park System be without a National Park Service? Would you treasure Old Faithful, Delicate Arch, or Thunder Hole as much without a nearby ranger to answer your questions, provide some reassurance for your safety, and care for the integrity of the natural resources that drew you to these places.

Traveler's View: Surge Pricing For National Parks Doesn't Pencil Out Or Make Sense

Having to hand over $70 to gain entrance to Yellowstone National Park for a week's stay is not outrageous. Indeed, there are many who say the fee should be higher. But the problems with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's plan to institute surge pricing for 17 national parks during their busiest seasons are many.

Traveler's View: How Much Of Secretary Zinke's Approach To Conservation Can Public Lands Tolerate?

Trying to understand how Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke views himself as a conservationist cut from the mold of Theodore Roosevelt is an ongoing challenge. While he wants to bolster the ranks of hunters and anglers, the secretary also wants to shrink some national monuments, allow target shooting on as many public lands as possible, and allow hunters to chum for bears with donuts and greasy loaves of bread.

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