One of the lures of visiting a National Park is the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature in a safe environment, however, some advocates are concerned about a growing list of overdue repairs and lack of funding for improvements.
“When we go to parks, we drive on the roads, we hike the trails, we go to the visitor centers — those things have taken a beating over the years, as you can imagine,” said Paul Coussan of the National Park Foundation, the official congressional charity and nonprofit fundraising partner for the National Park Service. “Last year, 323 million people visited our national parks, so there’s a definite need for additional investment into these places.”
This month marks the 110th year of the Park Service, which periodically undergoes changes in priorities, resulting in deferred maintenance.
“Over the years, things have piled up, and some of the things that needed to get fixed are put on the back burner,” Coussan said. “Roads that need to be repaired, bridges that needed to be updated and modernized get put on the back burner.”
Those still-to-be-done repairs have reached a staggering total: “Now it’s about a $23 billion backlog,” Coussan said.
Coussan is hopeful that the bipartisan “Great American Outdoors Act 250,” will restore funding from 2020 Legacy Restoration Fund, that expired in 2025. Under the bill, Congress would provide funding of $1.9 billion, for five years.
The 2020 funding provided some major improvements in the National Capital Region.
“There’s been the $100 million investment in the Tidal Basin, that was literally sinking into the Potomac — now it’s been raised several feet,” Coussan said. “An investment like that, if not for the Legacy Restoration Fund, would have dragged on for years.”
“The Tidal Basin is in much better shape — cherry trees have been replanted there,” he said. “It’s going to look great, especially next year for the Cherry Blossom Festival.”
In a deeply politically-polarized environment, Coussan believes the funding will be restored.
“Congress has seen the need to do this and to continue this legacy of success,” Coussan said. “This is one of those great examples of bipartisanship between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill.”
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