National parks funding

On April 5 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report and a companion statement on funding trends for the National Park Service. The Park Service manages 390 park units in over 20 designations, from national parks to national memorials, such as the USS Arizona Memorial. Appropriations to the Park Service totalled almost $1.7 billion in FY 2005. The Park Service allocates funds to park units in two categories: daily operations and specific projects. Broadly, GAO found that from 2001 to 2005 funding for operations declined while funding for projects increased. Project-related allocations primarily went towards reducing an estimated $5 billion maintenance backlog and to protecting natural resources through an initiative called the Natural Resource Challenge.

The 12 park units GAO selected for this study:

• Acadia National Park
• Badlands National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Gettysburg National Military Park
• Grand Canyon National Park
• Grand Teton National Park
• Mount Rushmore National Memorial
• Shenandoah National Park
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park
• Yellowstone National Park
• Yosemite National Park
• Zion National Park

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: Major Operations Funding Trends and How Selected Park Units Responded to Those Trends for Fiscal Years 2001 through 2005, GAO-06-431
     Full report (pdf, 2.7 MB, 107p.)
     Highlights (pdf, 60KB, 1p.)
     Abstract (html)

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: Major Operations Funding Trends and How Selected Park Units Responded to Those Trends for Fiscal Years 2001 Through 2005, Statement for the Record by Robin M. Nazzaro, Director, Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), GAO; GAO-06-631T
     Full report (pdf, 460KB, 26p.)
     Highlights (pdf, 64KB, 1p.)
     Abstract (html)

See related FR post, National park air tours