Deadline Nears to Oppose Big Entry Fee Increase at National Parks
Monday, November 6, 2017
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Many New Mexicans who visit national parks could be priced out next summer.
The U.S. Interior Department is taking comments until Nov. 23 on its proposal to more than double entry fees at 17 of the most popular national parks during the peak season.
The department says a fee increase from $30 to $70 per vehicle would fund overdue park improvements.
Susan Torres, communications director for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, worries that national parks are at risk of becoming playgrounds for the better-off.
"This is a prohibitive amount,” she states. “I think it's a huge increase that will really prevent a lot of, especially low-income, families from getting out onto the pubic lands that belong to them."
The Interior Department's rate increase would fund improved park roads, bridges, campgrounds, restrooms and visitor centers.
The public can comment on the proposed increase at nps.gov.
The boost in entry fees would raise $70 million, but that's less than the $1.5 billion cut to the National Park Service budget proposed by the Trump administration.
Torres cautions the public could pay more without seeing any improvements.
"This fee increase is coming at a time when the administration is proposing a 12 percent cut to the Interior Department budget, so raising the fees really won't help with the maintenance backlog overall," she stresses.
The hike in prices would affect popular parks, including Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone.
Torres says the fee increase means working families earning minimum wage could spend more than a day's pay to get the family into a national park.
"During the previous administration, there was a real push to get more youth into the parks and get more diversity into the parks and get what makes up America and kind of make it more representative of who was visiting the parks, and I don't think we're going to be seeing that push anymore," she points out.
More than 330 million people visited the National Parks during the 100th anniversary in 2016.
get more stories like this via email
Health and Wellness
A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …
Social Issues
Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …
Social Issues
Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…
Social Issues
A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …
Social Issues
Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …
Social Issues
Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…