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Pasted below is a News Release, issued today by the Department of Interior. It announces a new promotional campaign designed to attract more paying customers into America's National Parks. Only thing is, the campaign is not new. It was originally called "Luring International Visitors to America's Great Outdoors" when first put forth by the tourism industry in 1993. And as someone who is intimately familiar with this ongoing effort, I can say that is little more that the tourism industry's effort to use America's Crown Jewels as LURES and to deliberately CREATE and/or exacerbate an overcrowding problem in our parks!!! Let me explain....
National Park visitation has been generally flat for 25 years. Overnight camping in the National Parks has been in steady decline since 1981 while Park visitation has generally been falling since entrance fees began to rise in 1997 with the passage of the rec-fee-demo program.
National Park concessionaires HATE this situation. They not only want more customers, they want to be able to claim that "Our National Parks are Being Loved to Death". They are working with the Department of Interior, reconfiguring the parks in ways that will better allow the tourism industry to bus more and more warm bodies directly to ever-expanding gift shops. They are looking for ways to sell ever-increasing numbers of visitors more of everything from hamburgers to memories. And if anyone wants to see an example of how this is being done, please just look at what is happening to Yosemite Valley! No better example is possible.
Our National Parks are being underfunded. Money that is available, is being misspent. The entire National Park paradigm is based upon the Disneyfication Model and that is the wrong model.
The announcement made today the Department of Interior is counterproductive. It is inappropriate and it reflects the very mistaken priorities of Interior Secretary Norton and NPS Director Fran Mainella. Today's announcement is very bad news for America's National Parks.
Scott
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For Immediate Release: Feb. 25, 2004
Travel Industry Joins With the National Park Service and National Park
Foundation For "See America's National Parks" Promotional Campaign
TIA: Cathy Keefe, 202-408-2183
DOI: Mark Pfeifle, 202-208-6416
NPF: Jennifer Hanna, 202-238-4187
WASHINGTON - Efforts to increase visitation to America's national parks
and to increase the sale of park passes got underway today through an
agreement with the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), the
U.S. Department of Interior's National Park Service and the National
Park Foundation. They are joining forces to launch a new partnership
and promotional campaign called "See America's National Parks." The
campaign was announced today by Interior Secretary Gale Norton and
William S. Norman, president and CEO of TIA.
The See America's National Parks campaign scheduled to begin this
spring will focus on raising awareness of the diversity of the National
Park System, encouraging visitation to lesser-known parks and helping
to increase the sale of park passes.
"Our National Park System is the envy of the world," Norton said.
"These breathtaking sites pay tribute to America's past and the
principles upon which our great nation was founded. This unique
partnership with the travel industry will help bring about additional
opportunities to educate and inform the public about the many
magnificent opportunities America's national parks and special places
have to offer our visitors."
Secretary Norton noted that President Bush has visited more of our
national parks than any previous president. Also, the president's
commitment to protecting and preserving America's national parks is
demonstrated in the administration's proposed 2005 budget, which calls
for investing more than $1 billion in maintenance, rehabilitation and
road repair to keep our parks in top shape.
Major components of the campaign include a See America's National Parks
microsite at www.SeeAmerica.org, a national sweepstakes, branded travel
packages, a nationally distributed promotional poster, a video e-mail
provided by the Travel Channel, and domestic and international co-op
advertising inserts.
"This new partnership is yet another example of how the public sector
and private industry can work together to leverage our resources and to
use the See America brand to promote the entire USA. Further, we know
that both domestic and international travelers have a high interest in
our national parks," remarked William S. Norman.
Visitors to the non-profit www.SeeAmerica.org web site will find
information on each of the 388 National Parks by clicking on the See
America's National Parks icon. Travelers will be able to search by park
name, activity, state, or even zip code to find their ideal match as
well as find maps, suggested travel itineraries, packages and special
deals. Links to relevant sites, including www.nps.gov and www.npf.org,
will make it easy for travelers to truly learn and appreciate the depth
and diversity of the National Parks system. Most importantly, the site
will make it easy for travelers to visit parks throughout the nation
and to buy a park pass. Funds from the sale of park passes are used to
improve park facilities and enrich the visitor experience.
TIA is the national, non-profit organization representing all
components of the $529 billion travel industry. TIA's mission is to
represent the whole of the U.S. travel industry to promote and
facilitate increased travel to and within the United States.
The National Park Service preserves the natural and cultural resources
and values of nearly 400 units of the National Park System for the
enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.
These national treasures cover more than 84 million acres in every
state (except Delaware), the District of Columbia, American Samoa,
Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
The National Park Foundation, chartered by Congress in 1967, is the
official nonprofit partner of America's National Parks. The National
Park Foundation strengthens the enduring connection between the
American people and their National Parks by raising private funds,
making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships and
increasing public awareness. Over the past seven years, the Foundation
has contributed more than $135 million in total grants and program
support to National Parks across the country
The National Park Foundation and the National Park Service launched the
Proud Partners of America's National Parks initiative in 2000. Five
major American companies-Discovery Communications, Inc., American
Airlines, Ford Motor Company, Kodak, and TIME magazine-have each
committed to multi-year support of the National Park Foundation to help
fund visitor enhancement projects, promote the National Parks Pass, and
invite more Americans to experience and support their Parks. For more
information, visit www.nationalparks.org/proudpartner.
-DOI-
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- Land management 
