Move to raise national park entry fees hits resistance.
Prices at Yosemite, others would more than double
The Trump administration’s plan to shore up funding for the National Park Service by more than doubling visitor fees, while cutting the agency’s annual budget, is meeting resistance from a number of Democrats, conservationists and social-justice advocates.
Opponents say the proposal, which would raise entrance fees for part of the year at Yosemite and 16 other popular parks to $70 from $25 or $30 per vehicle, will price out visitors and deny many the opportunity to experience the nation’s most coveted landmarks, from the Grand Canyon to Mount Denali to Old Faithful.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who oversees the National Park Service, is seeking the higher admission fee to address the agency’s maintenance backlog — some $11.3 billion of repairs needed for aging ranger stations, washed-out trails and outdated water systems. While critics aren’t necessarily opposed to boosting fees, many say such large hikes on the heels of President Trump’s proposed 12 percent reduction to the park system’s $2.85 billion budget next fiscal year is wrongheaded.
“Suggesting that a cut and a massive fee increase is going to fix this, well it’s not helpful for American families, and it’s not helpful for the parks,” said Neal Desai, director of regional field operations in Oakland for the National Parks Conservation Association, a promoter of the park service since 1919. “It just doesn’t add up.”
Legislation that would finance the park system’s maintenance hole from federal oil and gas royalties is pending in Congress.
The administration’s plan, announced Tuesday, calls for higher fees per vehicle — which are good for a week — during peak periods at “highly visited” national parks. For California’s Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon, as well as such blockbusters as Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon and Glacier, the $70 price would apply May 1 through Sept. 30. At California’s Joshua Tree, the new fee would run Jan. 1 through May 31.
The higher fee would commence next year if approved by National Park Service leaders. The agency is collecting public comment on the proposal through Nov. 23.
“Targeted fee increases at some of our most visited parks will help ensure that they are protected and preserved in perpetuity and that visitors enjoy a world-class experience that mirrors the amazing destinations they are visiting,” said Zinke, in a prepared statement.
Under the plan, motorcycle entrance fees would rise to $50 and pedestrian fees would be $30. The annual park pass, which provides free admission throughout the year, would remain $80.
Opponents say the proposal would hit minority groups particularly hard. The park service, which surveys have shown mainly attracts white people and relatively few Latinos or black people, has increased its outreach in recent years, an effort many say will dissolve with higher prices.
“You don’t need much money to go to the parks, just money for gas, but with this?” said George Holland, an Oakland attorney and president of the city’s NAACP branch. “Many of us who have limited income take advantage of the natural beauty of these parks. We can’t necessarily go to Disneyland or Aspen every time we feel like it.”
Critics have also taken to social media, where they outnumbered supporters of the plan by perhaps 2 to 1 on the National Park Service’s Facebook page.
Backers of the new fees mostly cited the need to invest more in parks and saw the payment as a bargain compared to other activities.
“Just consider how much it costs to go to the zoo, a museum or an amusement park,” wrote one Southern California man. “The national parks offer SO MUCH MORE.”
A number of Democrats in Congress were quick to attack the proposal, including California Sen. Kamala Harris.
“Public lands should be open for all Americans, and raising fees is another callous effort by this administration to tarnish our environmental treasures and cater to the wealthy,” Harris told The Chronicle.