This seemed to be the best forum for this announcement here, so I apologize in advance if it isn’t.
Visitation to our National Parks has been diminishing since the 1980s, and the National Park Service is hoping to turn that around during the Centennial celebrating our National Parks in 2016. It may seem early, but most initiatives are already in place; and we should all expect to see some great, new things in our parks come 2016.
Looking over the granted, and proposed, initiatives, very few of them benefit those of us who spend the majority of our time in the backcountry. Bear in mind, however, that these initiatives are designed to increase visitation to the National Parks. For our own selfish reasons, we may not like the idea of potentially not finding the same solitude in the parks we do today; but there are more important reasons to support the Centennial initiative. With the dwindling attendance in the parks, it is apparent that many people are missing out on the great spectacle that is our National Park system.
Admission is now $25 per vehicle in most National Parks, and that is already enough to turn around many would-be visitors at the gates. With enough support for the Centennial, hopefully we can manage to keep this rate steady as inflation increases.
I just want to throw this out there as an announcement since I think many people here would be interested in giving back to the system that potentially got us started in this great hobby and keeps us coming back for more.
I would like to refer everyone to the following website for more information:
You can find out more about the programs and initiatives granted for our parks; and you might be interested in donating or volunteering at your local National Park.
