Report lists top reasons why national parks need more money

The Daily Inter Lake

As legislation was introduced in Congress to boost national park funding, the National Parks Conservation Association released a report Wednesday listing 10 reasons national parks need more money.

The association's report, "Faded Glory: Top 10 Reasons to Reinvest in America's National Park Heritage," points out that the Park Service's budget is insufficient to address myriad needs including poaching and drug smuggling, invasive plants and animals, shoddy roads and trails, and cutbacks in educational programs.

Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., and a bipartisan group of other lawmakers on Wednesday introduced the National Park Centennial Act of 2005, which seeks to increase funding for maintenance needs of the parks and fund natural and cultural preservation projects.

The legislation authorizes new funding for the parks from the general treasury and from a voluntary check-off on federal tax returns.

"We've got ten reasons to invest in our national parks," association President Tom Kiernan said. "But we should need only one: The national parks are our heritage and need our help."

The need for more funding extends to Glacier National Park, said Steve Thompson, the association's Glacier program manager.

"Glacier National Park is a national treasure for all of America, and it's also a big part of what makes Northwestern Montana such a great place to live and visit," Thompson said. "Unfortunately, years of neglect have created an enormous backlog of unmet needs. Our national parks are the soul of America. As a great and wealthy nation, we must find a way to reinvest in our parks."

The top 10 reasons America's national parks need more money: Parks are vulnerable to crime; cutbacks are affecting the education of schoolchildren and park visitors; park roads are unsafe; historic buildings are crumbling; museum collections are collecting dust; storms need not drown the parks and their budgets; invasive species are overrunning parks; park science is inadequate; park facilities are in bad shape; and finally, neglected parks can't be good neighbors.

Although park funding needs are tremendous, Thompson noted that Montanans have dug into their own pockets to support Glacier. More than 10,000 Montana residents pay an extra $20 annually for Glacier license plates. That money, along with other private contributions, has enabled the private Glacier Fund to donate $1 million to Glacier over the past five years.

Park advocates are assisting Glacier in other ways. Every year, hundreds of volunteers donate their time to work on park projects. Groups such as the Glacier Associates and Glacier Natural History Association organize their members to volunteer in the park.