by Erin Huskey 1 The National Park Service (NPS) is a federal agency under the direction of the 2 The history of the NPS shows a commitment to

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1 Privatizing Our National Park Service by Erin Huskey 1 The National Park Service (NPS) is a federal agency under the direction of the Department of the Interior. There are 388 parks maintained and regulated by the NPS, not including national monuments. All across the country, the NPS not only preserves our natural and historic resources in these protected areas, but also it welcomes citizens and educates them about the park. The NPS serves the public in many valuable ways. This continued service leaves many people wondering why the federal government continues to underfund the budgets and move increasingly to contracting services and labor to keep the national parks running. 2 The history of the NPS shows a commitment to preserving our natural resources and educating citizens about them. In 1832, artist George Caitlin took a trip to the Dakotas. On this trip, he felt concerned about the impact of westward expansion on Native American civilization, wildlife, and the wilderness. These concerns were echoed by others who were interested in a conservation movement. In 1864, Congress donated the Yosemite Valley to California. They reserved Yellowstone Country (in modern-day Wyoming and Montana) in At that time, there was no state government to oversee these lands so they remained under the control of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Yellowstone became the first designated national park. Other national parks were reserved and named in the 1890s and early 1900s. 3 By 1916, the Department of the Interior was responsible for fourteen national parks and twenty-one national monuments. No agency or organization managed them until a Chicago businessman, Stephen Mather, organized a public relations campaign. He presented a proposal for a National Park Service to Congress who responded by passing legislation creating a federal agency. President Woodrow Wilson approved the legislation. The National Park Service was then created within the Department of the Interior. 1

2 4 In 1918, the first set of guidelines for the NPS was issued by Secretary of the Interior, Franklin Lane. In these policies, he listed three principles for the NPS to follow: First, that the national parks must be maintained in absolutely unimpaired form for the use of future generations as well as those of our own time. Second, that they are set apart for the use, observation, health, and pleasure of the people. Third, that the national interest must dictate all decisions affecting public or private enterprise in the parks. 1 Although policies and guidelines have changed since the start of the NPS, these principles still influence how the agency operates and how the general public views the mission of the NPS. 5 With over 84 million acres of land and 20,000 full- and part-time employees, the NPS has a great deal of responsibility. The responsibility to the public remains its top priority. Part of the responsibility to the public includes proper maintenance and improvement of facilities, including upgrades so that the parks are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Nearly every park has a maintenance backlog. The Grand Teton National Park has a maintenance backlog of $60 million. 1 Letter from Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, to Mr. Stephen T. Mather, Director, National Park Service, May 13,

3 6 Maintenance and accessibility costs are not the only financial challenges that the NPS faces. Park visitors are increasingly looking for upgraded facilities. Campers are not seeking out rustic campsites like they used to do. They are looking for recreational vehicle hook-ups, including electricity, water, and even television access. 7 Budget problems are made even more difficult when federal funding continues to be cut. Some experts estimate that with adjustments for inflation, the NPS budget has dropped by $500 million from 1977 to During this same period of time, 53 million additional acres of land have been acquired by and added to the responsibility of the NPS. Park visitors have also increased in that time by 35 percent. 8 The NPS is in a financial crisis. Some solutions have resulted in job cuts, a reduction in public service programs, and a decrease in interpretive programs. 2 One solution that President George W. Bush has endorsed is the outsourcing of services and labor for the parks. Concessions, or food service, are often contracted to private companies. Hotel establishments are also usually contracted arrangements. Some jobs, such as fee collectors and maintenance positions, are being increasingly outsourced to vendors. What is Interpretation? The word Interpretation means many things. It can mean the translation of languages, perceptions about poems or novels, how a person feels about a historic building, or thinks about a scientific theory. In the National Park Service, Interpretation is the process of helping each park visitor find an opportunity to personally connect with a place. Each individual may connect to the place in a different way. Some may not connect immediately, but everyone should have an opportunity to explore how a park is meaningful to them. It might be that a ranger s discussion of a scenic vista inspires an emotional connection for some. In the mind of another, the same landscape might provoke a more intellectual connection through an interpretive sign describing the geologic history of the scene. The goal of all interpretive services is to increase each visitor's enjoyment and understanding of the parks, and to allow visitors to care about the parks on their own terms. 9 Outsourcing or privatization is a controversial issue. Some people feel that the financial crisis would be solved if the federal government would simply allocate more funds for the NPS. Other people are concerned that our federal agencies are increasingly 2 Interpretive programs are offered by NPS staff such as park rangers. They interpret, or teach and guide, visitors about the resources and land in the parks. 3

4 controlled by private companies run for profit. Some of these people feel that the opportunity for profit compromises the mission and the original purposes of the NPS. 10 Advocates of outsourcing claim that contracting some of the more lower-level jobs and functions frees up time and resources for the NPS to concentrate on designing longrange strategies, protecting national resources, and reviving the interpretive programs. Some citizen action groups have spoken in favor of the outsourcing. They feel that outsourcing is beneficial to the mission and the budget of the NPS as long as planning, management, and law enforcement duties remain under the control of the government. 11 While some people feel that the outsourcing of lower-level jobs is the policy the government is following, other groups claim that the outsourcing of jobs is approaching highlevel areas. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) claims that the following jobs are now being outsourced: archaeologists, biologists, museum curators, masons, and other workers who serve and educate park visitors. 12 Citizen advocacy groups are also offering alternate solutions to help solve the budget crisis at the national parks. One solution involves the development of Learning Centers at parks. These centers bring together scientists, teachers, park employees, and the public to increase scientific awareness of the parks. This program also helps researchers by providing them with labs, offices, equipment, and an NPS liaison. 3 Other solutions include financial support from corporations, individuals, or citizen groups. These solutions focus on building partnerships between the NPS and the public. 13 Internships and volunteer work are still other solutions that have been suggested. The NPCA and the NPS worked together to develop the Business Plan Initiative. In this solution, graduate students analyze the operations and financial needs at different parks. This program gives the graduate students vital experience and offers the NPS further solutions for decreasing costs while maintaining the principles of the mission. Some recommendations that have come out of this initiative include hiring a volunteer coordinator so that volunteer workers and hours could be increased and effectively 3 NPS liaison: A person responsible for making sure effective communication occurs between two or more parties. 4

5 managed, streamlining garbage collection and waste management, and economizing on utilities. 14 While many of these solutions are creative and forward-thinking, neither outsourcing nor its alternatives seem to be adequate solutions for solving the funding crisis. By all accounts, outsourcing saves anywhere from one to three million dollars per year. Even though the alternate solutions get the public involved and attempt to retain the spirit of the national parks, no one can provide any solid data for how much money these efforts actually save the NPS. In a time when the budget shortfall is estimated at $600 million, a good deal of creativity is needed to come up with cost savings strategies. The more practical solution might just involve an increase in federal funding for this federal agency. 5