In 1999, the Christian Science Monitor ran an article titled, "Whose Heritage? -- Attracting minorities to National Parks." It began with these words, "As nation becomes more diverse, Park Service tries to bring Blacks and Hispanics to Old Faithful an El Capitan." The article was about promoting ethnic diversity within the parks.
Today the Tucson Citizen ran an article titled, "National parks try to attract Hispanics -- Centennial Initiative drives push to reach untapped market." That article goes on to say: "Hispanics, who account for more than a quarter of Arizona's population, represent a vast potential market for national parks." Today's article was about marketing park visitation to minority populations.
What's changed?? Here are a few thoughts...
1) Park managers, since 1996, have gotten to keep park entrance fees and they have be forced to rely upon that revenue stream. Prior to 1996, entrance fees were not retained by the NPS.
2) In recent years park managers stopped speaking of visitors and began referring to visitors as "customers."
3) Park managers have been brainwashed, or coerced, into believing that they are in the business of luring paying customers to the entrance gate. During the past decade, business has been bad, park visitation is in decline, and so a park marketing campaign has been being kicked into high gear.
4) The President's Centennial Initiative is as disingenuous as it is potentially destructive. It is less about reaching out to minority populations than it is about using minority populations as an excuse to further privatize and commercialize the parks while transforming them along the Disneyland model. Learn more.
The appended article begins with some of the more honest words you are likely to read on this topic.
Scott
--- begin quoted ----
Published: 09.10.2007
National parks try to attract Hispanics
Centennial Initiative drives push to reach untapped market
STEPHANIE SANCHEZ - Cronkite News Service
SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK - "Válganme las víboras! (For goodness snakes!),"
a brochure warns guests treading among the towering cactus here. Those
visitors often include school groups from Mexico hiking with bilingual
rangers. During the summer, the ranger might be a teacher supplied by a
Tucson school district with a large percentage of Hispanic students.
As the nation becomes increasingly diverse, Saguaro and other national parks are taking steps to connect with Hispanics.
"We want to make it more comfortable, and we also want to let them know
that the park does have a rich Hispanic history," said Bob Love, chief
ranger at Saguaro National Park.
The National Park Service has made reaching out to diverse groups a key
part of the Centennial Initiative leading up to its 100th birthday in
2016. Many parks already are taking steps to appeal to Hispanics.
"We obviously want to connect with all Americans," said Kathy Kupper, a National Park Service spokeswoman in Washington.
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument has added Spanish subtitles to its
visitor orientation films. Tumacacori National Historical Park,
featuring ruins of Spanish colonial missions, uses its "Junior Ranger
Day" to invite southern Arizona Hispanic families to take part in a
scavenger hunt. At Petrified Forest National Park, rangers are learning
Spanish.
Simple things can make a difference. Some parks offer moveable picnic
tables to accommodate extended families celebrating Easter and Mother's
Day.
"A lot of it is understanding how the (Hispanic) families want to use
the parks - little things like allowing the picnic tables to be placed
together," said Lyn Carranza, chief of interpretation at Petrified
Forest National Park.
Coronado National Memorial, southeast of Sierra Vista, commemorates and
interprets the Spanish explorer's expedition. It partners with two
parks in Sonora, Mexico, to promote awareness among Hispanics on both
sides of the border.
Hispanics, who account for more than a quarter of Arizona's population,
represent a vast potential market for national parks. They are the
nation's largest and fastest-growing minority group, according to the
U.S. Census Bureau.
The National Park Service doesn't track visitors by race, but recent
studies of some parks outside Arizona have found minorities
underrepresented.
Meanwhile, Arizona's national parks, recreation areas, monuments and
historic sites are eager to attract more visitors. Annual visitor
counts have declined 21 percent since a peak in 1993, with Grand Canyon
National Park an exception, according to National Park Service data.
At Saguaro National Park, outreach to young Hispanics extends into neighboring Tucson.
The park partners with the Sunnyside Unified School District to give a teacher the opportunity to spend the summer as a ranger.
The latest ranger is Michael Barr, an art teacher from Sierra Middle School.
"I translated the environmental issues into a level that kids can
understand, through art, and at the same time they're making a
connection to the environment," Barr said.
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- Land management 
