As societies around the globe recognize with great concern the declines, drastic in some cases, of wildlife and wild places, the National Park System, a key to preserving nature and its life forms in the United States, is facing a confluence of challenges that could jeopardize efforts to reverse some of those declines. At the same time, the National Park Service seemingly is facing an uphill struggle to care for the rich cultural and natural resources placed in its care.
Look out across the park system and you can find marine parks threatened by human pollution and politics, desert parks rived by flood waters (photo above from Death Valley National Park) coastal parks losing ground to the Atlantic Ocean, majestic trees at risk from the warming climate and wildfires, and understaffed parks struggling to manage visitors and protect resources. The cascading effects of climate change, including severe storms and rising seas, are also causing major headaches for culture resource managers throughout the National Park System. Preservation projects will require not just traditional restoration, but also reinforcement or relocation of park resources.
Some of these impacts are just a moment in time, others are becoming entrenched. The National Park Service is working hard to counter these challenges and is making progress in some areas but, combined, the risks to the park system are not insignificant.
In this, the National Parks Traveler's 4th Annual Threatened and Endangered Parks package, we take a look at some of the pressure points and efforts to mitigate them. The charts below are not intended to be all-inclusive of endangered and threatened parks, but rather reflective of the issues challenging the entire park system.
We'd be remiss if we didn't point to the progress being made on deferred maintenance and repairs thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act and the $13.5 billion being spread across the public lands infrastructure to address some of the backlog. But, to put it bluntly, it's not enough. The current backlog costs in the National Park System alone are estimated to be around $21 billion. And that doesn't begin to cover the costs the Park Service is going to encounter in the years ahead as it works to cope with climate-change impacts.
To properly care for the "best idea" America ever had, the Congress is going to have to shift its philosophy on funding the Park Service and dealing with the impacts of climate change. Whether it will remains to be seen.
Story Categories:
A copy of National Parks Traveler's financial statements may be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: National Parks Traveler, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah 84098. National Parks Traveler was formed in the state of Utah for the purpose of informing and educating about national parks and protected areas.
Residents of the following states may obtain a copy of our financial and additional information as stated below:
- Florida: A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER, (REGISTRATION NO. CH 51659), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 800-435-7352 OR VISITING THEIR WEBSITE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
- Georgia: A full and fair description of the programs and financial statement summary of National Parks Traveler is available upon request at the office and phone number indicated above.
- Maryland: Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401 (410-974-5534).
- North Carolina: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 888-830-4989 or 919-807-2214. The license is not an endorsement by the State.
- Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of National Parks Traveler may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
- Virginia: Financial statements are available from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 102 Governor Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219.
- Washington: National Parks Traveler is registered with Washington State’s Charities Program as required by law and additional information is available by calling 800-332-4483 or visiting www.sos.wa.gov/charities, or on file at Charities Division, Office of the Secretary of State, State of Washington, Olympia, WA 98504.
