Long before I served on the Covington City Council, I logged a lot of time – and miles – in national parks as a park ranger. One of my most memorable experiences was working at Yellowstone, America’s first national park.
During my National Park Service career I developed programs and shared countless stories about the culture, history, and geography of the parks and even helped with wolf recovery and bear management.
I recently returned to Yellowstone with my family. We saw towering geysers, bubbling mud pots, raging rivers, deep canyons, and awe-inspiring wildlife. I also saw huge crowds of people from all over the world. I met people from America’s deep south, East Coast, mid and far-west. I also talked to people from Europe, South America and Asia.
At Old Faithful, I stood in crowds of hundreds of people from all over the world. Standing in that crowd watching the world’s most iconic geyser I realized that one thing hasn’t changed since the time I wore the ranger’s flat hat, people come to national parks to connect with something larger than themselves, to feel part of something important and lasting.
The National Park Service’s mission is to provide for the enjoyment of park resources and wildlife in such a way that leaves them unimpaired for future generations. In other words, America’s parks are gifts present generations give to the unborn future.
To do this, I’ve learned how important community support is to the park system’s success.
And in return, national parks return many benefits to their neighbors.
Mount Rainier Visitors
A 2015 park service report shows how important Mount Rainier National Park is to gateway communities like Covington. More than 1.2 million people visited Mount Rainier and spent $45.7 million in communities surrounding the park. The number of visitors and the amount of money they spend have increased every year, and 2016 promises to bring even more growth.
Interest in our national parks is on the rise. As the country celebrates National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, the agency is encouraging people to #FindYourPark, and many are answering the call. As visitation rises, it has become apparent that our parks need more support.
Repair Backlog Hurts Our Parks
Along with increased visitation, aging infrastructure, and a lack of reliable funding to care for these sites have contributed to an unprecedented $12 billion deferred-maintenance backlog across the National Park System. The deferred maintenance cost for national parks in Washington alone is more than $510 million. A majority of the needed repairs – $285 million are right in Mount Rainier. This backlog is affecting our ability to preserve these sites and make them accessible and safe for today’s visitors and for future generations. We must fix our parks.
It won’t come cheap: The park service has a long to-do list. The backlog is a major problem, and repairs and preventive measures can’t wait. Park roads have to be maintained. Structures have to be rebuilt or restored. Repairs will allow visitors to experience the parks safely, and for rangers to properly maintain and manage our nation’s natural, cultural, and historic sites.
Congress Should Fix Our Parks
The National Park Service’s more than 400 sites are not getting the funding they need from Congress, but Americans can make a difference by asking Congress to do more. Lawmakers should reaffirm our commitment to the national parks and ensure reliable funding for repairs.
Our national parks, children, and grandchildren deserve no less.
Sean Smith is the Covington mayor pro tem and a former National Park Ranger.
