The world looks to America's
national parks
The national park idea is much copied throughout the world. In addition, the idea of a system of parks managed by a professional corps of rangers is another truly unique American invention.
Park rangers are recognized around the world for their ability to help visitors with everything from information and directions to assistance in emergencies; the ability to make visits enjoyable by providing brochures, to keeping the parks clean and safe; and their ability to preserve and protect the long-term integrity of park resources.
Skills, techniques and ideas born out of this national approach have been much copied throughout this country and around the world. Major change in the last decades
Advances in technology, changes in management programs and visitation, and increased
pressures on every park resource (natural, cultural and physical)
have changed national parks and how they are managed. Since 1980,
over 62 units have been added to the System and others were expanded. During the same period, visitation jumped from 300 million to 430 million, while field staff remained fairly constant and, in many cases, declined.
Visitors can tour many parks and never see a park ranger. Summer rangers are all but gone from most parks.
Visitors do see people in uniform ~ a proliferation of different uniforms from volunteers to concession and cooperating association employees, to others.
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What is ANPR's concern?
The most effective way to accomplish the NPS mission is face-to-face contact with visitors and the resource. Instead, we react to the most urgent situations from offices. Today's educated, Internet-savvy visitor demands to be met by professional personnel. The NPS cannot hold volunteers, contractors and other personnel to the level of training and general knowledge required.
The Park Service's staffing situation is akin to a body in shock. As shock progresses, function of extremities shuts down, finally even core functions (the brain and the heart) start to be affected. For decades, park extremities have been shutting down: fewer patrols, almost no presence in the backcountry, trails not maintained, campgrounds closed, resource threats overlooked, information sources not updated.
Today, little more than core functions are
being met. Because there is such a demand for compliance,
consultation, contracting and annual planning, most staff time goes
to keeping these systems going.
The Park Service is
rapidly becoming an agency of process rather than an agency of
Service.
www.anpr.org
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