National parks log a decline in visitors | Salt Lake Tribune

National parks log a decline in visitors

By John Keahey
The Salt Lake Tribune

The number of visitors to the nation's parks is declining -- down nearly 8 percent for the first five months of the year, compared with the same period in 2002, according to National Park Service documents obtained by an environmental group.

This should be a signal for park officials "to shift away from edifice building" and "to invest in reversing the decline in the integrity and quality of park resources," said Frank Buono, a former park manager and current board member of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

Buono's comments were included in a news release the Washington, D.C.-based group released Thursday, along with visitation numbers gleaned from NPS Web sites.

According to an executive summary prepared for NPS employees and obtained by PEER, national park visitation numbers declined from 97 million to 90 million for the first five months of 2003, compared to the same period a year earlier.

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half the population thinks Bush has either closed the parks, clear-cut their forests, or put oil rigs in them.

It costs a lot money to gas up the ol' Winnebago. I bet many people are vacationing closer to home, if at all.

just to visit the National Parks. But, of course a lot of these folks were intimidated and insulted by Bu$h and his "freedom fries" brigade for not supporting the Iraqi Invasion. So, these foreign tourists are staying home...or, going to other more friendly and welcoming countries. I don't blame them one bit!

I have visited both Yosemite and Crater Lake National Parks in the past few months...and, both parks have experienced a significant drop off in European visitors.

Of course, all of this is due to the "uniter-not a divider" of a "pResident" we got! Gee, thanks George! You're such an embarrassment and disgrace to our country!

:-(