Group gives national park system ‘fair’ grade

BY JUDITH KOHLER | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS • Published June 28, 2008

National parks across the country, including ones in Washington, face obstacles to protecting their natural and cultural resources because of underfunding and understaffing, according to new report by a national conservation group.

The report released Tuesday by the National Parks Conservation Association gives the national park system only a “fair” grade. The assessment, “The State of Our National Parks: A Resources Index,” was based on studies since 2000 of 54 parks, including Washington’s Olympic National Park, San Juan Island National Historical Park and Nez Perce National Historical Park.

Ron Tipton, senior vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, said he is confident the report is a good representation of the 391-unit national park system.

“It really is the first report to give a clear summary of the condition of the national parks’ resources: wildlife, plants, animals, air and water quality,” Tipton said in a phone interview.

The group gives the national park system’s natural resources an overall grade of 70, based on a scale of 0 to 100. Natural resources include air and water quality, wildlife and ecosystems.

Cultural resources, including historic buildings and museums, received a score of 61.

Olympic National Park received an 81 for natural resources, 65 for cultural resources and 59 for stewardship capacity. The park’s report, developed in 2004, says it received a poor grade for stewardship capacity because “insufficient funds affect Olympic’s ability to meet (its) core mission.”

San Juan Island National Historical Park’s report, developed in November 2007, says the park’s budget has not kept pace with rising expenses, and the park has problems with nonnative rabbits and plants. The park received a 72 for natural resources and 67 for cultural resources.

Nez Perce National Historic Park, which also stretches into Idaho, Montana and Oregon, received a 59 for natural resources and a 75 for cultural resources.

The NPCA is releasing the report as millions of Americans make plans to visit national parks over the Fourth of July holiday. Tipton said he hopes politicians from both sides of the aisle and the presidential candidates will use the information when considering funding for national parks.

“We hope it will be an influential document,” Tipton said. “We want the public to understand just how precarious park resources are.”

The national parks don’t have enough money or staff to deal with many of the challenges facing them, Tipton said. The challenges include nonnative species crowding out native species; air and water quality; wildfire prevention; climate change; and effects of energy development and mining.

“The fact is that the National Park Service budget overall has declined in terms of buying power the last 15 to 20 years,” Tipton said.

Funding to buy private land inside park boundaries to protect a park’s integrity and cover maintenance and construction has declined, he added.

Tipton said the Park Service cooperated with his group on individual assessments and the report.