A Strategy for Restoring America�s National Parks (original) (raw)

2003, Duke Environmental Law Policy Forum

A change is taking place across the American landscape. Hikers, climbers, and picnickers are finding a way to promote better care of our resources; they are paying to play. Until recently, Americans paid almost nothing for recreational access to federal lands. Yet "free" recreation has often meant starving parks of resources to improve eroding roads, fix leaking sewer systems, and provide visitor services. Americans are beginning to realize that if resources are not managed correctly, the opportunities for outdoor recreation and the quality of outdoor experiences decline severely. A great deal of federally owned land is used for recreation. Although the National Park Service, which controls 83 million acres, is the organization most people identify with federally provided outdoor recreation areas, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have more acreage and receive more recreational visitors. These lands cover 455 million acres and, according to governmental estimates, host about 1 billion visitors each year, compared to 290 million visits in our national parks. The Federal government, one of the largest providers of recreational services, has begun to explore alternative methods of funding. Under the experimental Fee Demonstration Program, Congress allows agencies to charge higher fees and to keep most of these fees where they are collected rather than sending them to the national treasury. Four agencies-the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service-are trying new entrance and user fees on some of