There is much to think about with recent environmental and political turmoil. In a recent article by BivyTales’s own Emma Murray, she tackles the topic of National Parks and the proposed fee increase for the Boulder Weekly:
“For a bit of perspective, Congressman Jared Polis says, ‘For the price of Trump’s proposed border wall ($20 billion), we could make all the national parks free for everyone. And take care of all [its] deferred maintenance.’
“But seeing as the Trump Administration’s track record continues to link degrading environmental policies one after another, the National Park Service (NPS) can’t hedge its bets on a $20 billion bonus. In fact, at the end of October, the federal government voted to cut 10.4 percent off the NPS’s 2018 budget. This leaves the NPS high and dry, considering the backlog of maintenance needed in national parks currently adds up to about $11 billion, while the annual budget has now shriveled to $2.6 billion.
“As clear as it is that federal funding and advocacy is waning, the upward surge of public interest tells another side of the story. More people than ever are enjoying national parks, monuments, recreation areas and memorials across the country. And why wouldn’t we? We own these lands, after all.”
bivytales.com 