You are here

Mr. Kempthorne and the Parks

Share

    Well, Dirk Kempthorne has been breaking in his new job as Interior secretary for what, almost two weeks now, and I'm not thrilled with what I'm hearing about his take on the health of the National Park Service.
    Just the other day Secretary Kempthorne had a conference call with the fine folks at the American Recreation Coalition, you know, the people who advocate for more motorized recreation and access to the national parks and other public lands. At one point during the conversation the secretary said he didn't think the Park Service's maintenance backlog was too bad, that the agency was making good progress in that arena.
    Now, perhaps that was simply the impression gleaned by ARC President Derrick Crandall, who provided ARC members with a rundown of the telephone call. But if Crandall got it right, what can Secretary Kempthorne be thinking?
    At a time when park budgets are being pared to the bone, when the Government Accountability Office has documented parks' inability to function properly with scant funding, how can the secretary possibly think the NPS is doing a good job battling its budget woes?

    The Coalition of National Park Service Retirees is trying to point out the NPS's budget plight to Secretary Kempthorne. In a somewhat lengthy letter to the Interior secretary, the coalition's executive council touched on variety of issues, including NPS funding levels. Here's how the coalition painted the budget picture:

         "Despite increases in appropriations during several of the recent years, actual dollars allocated to parks not obligated to fixed costs and unfunded mandates are diminishing," the letter stated. "This results in drastic reductions in ranger-led educational and information programs - once a hallmark of the NPS. Resource protection and visitor safety patrols are fewer, placing visitors and resources at risk. 
        "Parks are forced to scale back their research and resources management programs, placing park managers in the position of having to make decisions based on inadequate information. Many visitors complain they never see a ranger when they visit parks. Deferred routine and preventive maintenance is increasing the maintenance backlog, which the President promised to eliminate. The President's proposed $100 million reduction for Fiscal Year 2007 will significantly compound every problem you face in the parks. 
        "Because parks are good politics, most of the reduction is likely to be restored by the Congress during this election year.  The nation counts on you to be an advocate for the effective management of our park system, and you cannot do so while supporting such reductions."
   
    In the months ahead it definitely will be interesting to see how Secretary Kempthorne's view on the health of the Park Service evolves. That said, I'll be extremely surprised if the secretary lobbies President Bush or Congress for more funding. Rather, watch if he doesn't jump on the same privatization wagon that his predecessor, Gale Norton, was riding.

   

Comments

Not too bad? Kempy is showing his rocket scientist background when it comes to the nation's natural heritage. The National Park System is in the financial shape it is because the Bush team wants it that way. It's the same story with the Fish and Wildlife Service's ecological services offices. The Bush administration scheme is easy to follow once exposed: starve an agency for money through budget cuts, then claim that it can't do its job and should, therfore, be turned over to private industry (e.g., the Wreckreation Coalition).

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.