Life Buoy for the Parks

The national parks are under more stress than ever, says the president of the National Parks and Conservation Assn., a 400,000-member nonprofit organization. This sort of comment is not new. The parks have been deteriorating for decades as financing stagnated, as development encroached on park boundaries and as usage soared, to a record 287 million visitors last year.

The problem, of course, is money. The parks get up to $150 million a year through a new fee system, but that is barely a dent in the need. Experts say the backlog of maintenance, construction and protection of resources ranges from $4 billion to $6 billion.

At last, there is hope that more can be done. Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Bob Graham (D-Fla.) have proposed legislation that would dedicate $500 million a year for the parks. They would get the money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, established in 1965 to earmark offshore oil lease revenues to protect the nation’s natural and recreational resources. In 1977, Congress authorized the use of $900 million from the fund annually for these purposes, but most of the oil revenues have gone to offset budget deficits in recent years.

The Clinton administration has also promised to seek $1.3 billion in federal land acquisition money and grants to state and local governments, financed by the fund. The proposal does not designate a huge chunk for the parks as the Senate proposal would, but it is another good, corrective step.

With the prospect of balanced budgets in coming years, Congress should make a substantial appropriation this year to begin correcting the decline of the parks. These are the last and best of all the natural treasures we ever had. Our responsibility to future generations of Americans demands that we be good stewards of these jewels.