Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (Fodor's) - Fodor's [62]
NPS in Transition. In January 2009, Mary Bomar resigned as director of the National Park Service. Dan Wenk served as acting NPS Director, until late September of that year, when the Senate approved NPS veteran Jonathan Jarvis to be the new director.
Centennial Challenge Charges Ahead. As part of the national parks’ Centennial Challenge, designed to get the parks into shape for their 100th anniversary in 2016, the NPS plans to put $27 million—$10.5 million from the federal government, the rest matching gifts from private companies and individuals—toward improving structures, managing natural assets, and increasing educational programs.
Economic Stimulus Money Going to the Parks. In April 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the $787 billion economic stimulus package passed by Congress would provide more than $750 million to the NPS, restoring and protecting resources and creating jobs in more than 750 national parks.
HOT ISSUES
More than a century ago, conservationists were instrumental in establishing the national parks as preserved areas; their efforts continue today, as these set-aside areas face a host of challenges, including overcrowding, noise and light pollution, and wildlife management. And of course, funding is consistently a concern.
Here are a few of the issues facing the National Park Service today:
Attendance. Although the parks must compete with an ever-expanding range of entertainment options, attendance has been holding steady for the past several years, with close to 275 million recreational visits each year. A major challenge for the coming century will be attracting an increasingly busy, plugged-in population to visit the wilderness. Paradoxically, the most popular parks are facing the opposite problem—making sure huge seasonal crowds don’t negatively impact the parks.
Funding. Tight budgets force the parks to consider alternative revenue sources, including corporate sponsorships. But you won’t be seeing "McDonald’s Grand Canyon" or "Half Dome, brought to you by Coca-Cola" anytime soon. In fact, 2009 was the second year that the NPS, through its Centennial Challenge program, was able to more than double its federal dollars with matching donations made by private companies and individuals.
Migration Patterns. Managing wildlife is an increasingly complex responsibility. The parks’ animal inhabitants don’t recognize political boundaries: for example, elk stray into unprotected areas around Rocky Mountain National Park, and wolves hunt beyond the confines of Yellowstone, sometimes killing animals on nearby ranches.
Pollution. Standing in a pristine natural paradise like Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, you’re not likely to think about pollution—but the problem encompasses more than just visible smog. As development encroaches on the parks, it brings the bright lights of the city one step closer to the wilderness. The resulting light pollution causes overly illuminated skies with fewer visible stars, which can be disappointing for visitors and deadly for disoriented birds and other animals.
Meanwhile, noise pollution, much of it from aircraft, threatens to break the silence that many visitors seek in the parks. This is especially troublesome at the Grand Canyon. There are also other factors putting the parks’ air, water, and land at risk. High ozone levels in Sequoia National Park, for example, can cause respiratory irritation and are damaging Jeffrey pines.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE NPS
Currently underway is a multimillion-dollar program called the Centennial Initiative, launched under the George W. Bush administration, designed to get the parks ready for another 100 years of service in time for their centennial anniversary in 2016. In 2008, the NPS established the Centennial Challenge hoping to match an equal or