There was a time when the National Park Service was perhaps the best-run land management agency in the USA. That is no longer true. Today politics rule supreme within the Department of Interior and the integrity of those at the helm must be challenged. Today it appears to me that when the leadership of the NPS is not misdirecting the media and the American public, they are speaking out of both sides of their mouths.

Days ago I shared with you an article about a funding scandal that was about to rock the agency. That story described how the NPS was quietly and secretly cutting visitor services and reducing park hours due to a lack in appropriated funding. Today I'm sharing an article written three weeks ago. This one describes how the National Parks Service and their private partners in the tourism industry are attempting to stem the decline in park visitation through efforts to aggressively lure additional paying customers back into the parks.

Clearly something is afoot within the agency and that being the case, I'm about to make a prediction. Perhaps someone would be so kind as to bury this prediction in a time capsule and unearth it 6 months or a years from today. Or better yet, perhaps people will chose to appropriately act upon it. By acting today, perhaps we can alter the future.

  ***** I PREDICT ****

  Budgets will be starved while money is instead put into marketing and promotion of the parks. Three months from now (give or take), the Bush Administration will announce that the National Parks are in decline and must seek creative new funding solutions. Gale Norton and Fran Mainella will announce a new public-private partnership initiative. Legislation to facilitate new private, commercial, development and private participation within park management will be introduced. It will be a foregone conclusion that the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program must be permanently authorized and expanded. The President's legislation will attempt to accomplish that objective as part of their larger privatization package.

Scott

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Thursday, February 26, 2004
Volcanoes park gets publicity boost
By Chriz Miller/ Stephens Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - More tourists might be attracted to Hawaii national parks because of a new government and private industry promotion, officials said Wednesday.

The campaign focuses on the Internet, including creation of web sites in Japanese to lure visitors.

Promoters said Hawaii stands to benefit from the effort, which was announced by Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

"We are doing extensive public relations and media coverage in Japan," said Cathy Keefe, spokeswoman for the Travel Industry Association of America that is taking part in the campaign along with the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation.

Keefe estimated about half of tourists to Hawaii come from Japan.

While elements of the campaign already have been established, a big push is planned for National Parks Week in April. It will feature an e - mail campaign, posters and a short online video which includes footage of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Managers at the Big Island park were hopeful new promotions will boost visitor counts that declined after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to park management assistant Aleta Knight.

Norton said 37 percent fewer foreign travelers are coming to the United States than in 1992. But those that visit national parks report a 93 percent satisfaction level, she said.

"I can't think of a single institution, public or private, that does so well," Norton said. "They tell an important part of the American story."

The core of the campaign is a national parks feature that has been added to the SeeAmerica.org website operated by the Travel Industry Association of America. Users can find parks to visit based on state, park name or zip code.

The site also includes information on places to stay, things to do, and available vacation packages.

The travel industry estimates 38 percent of tourists now use the Internet to plan their vacations.
 

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