Keep Commercials Out of National Parks

Today is the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service. Looking back, it’s clearly one of the greatest actions the US Government has ever enacted. It stands right alongside the Food and Drug Act, Social Security, and the Voting Rights act, in my opinion. In May, the National Park Service decided to start selling commercialization to corporations. Budweiser has even signed a deal with the National Park Service.

Before I get into the problems with that, let’s drop some positivity.

Basically, the National Park Service is awesome.

For just 80 bucks per year (sometimes less), any person can gain entry to all 59 National Parks as often as they’d like. With an annual budget of 3 billion dollars a year, the National Park Service builds visitor infrastructure, provides information to guests, conserves wildlife habitats, maintains hiking trails, and countless other things in these beautiful natural wonders in our great country.

This summer, when I first arrived to Colorado, Lisa and I had a good chunk of spare time before our obligations began, so we went on a road trip throughout the Western US and we were able to hit 11 national parks in 3 weeks. We each spent about $3.50 per park. The best deal ever. I could have easily spent a whole week in a solid handful of those parks and still not explored them entirely. Words can hardly describe how beautiful, special and majestic they are.

Our country has many amazing things….incredibly diverse people, advanced technology, and a starbucks on every corner….but I believe the greatest part of our country is our natural wonders. Our National and State Parks, not to mention our National Forests and Wilderness Areas.

A simple stroll through the old-growth forests of Sequoia or Redwood National Parks can provide a new found appreciation for nature’s delicate harmony which is unmatched by seeing mere pictures of the places. Humans young and old can enter these places and feel an earthly connection that cannot be found elsewhere. A deeper sense of unity to the circle of life.

Those kinds of wondrous feelings are what inspire children and adults alike to take the extra steps to care for the only home and planet we will perhaps ever know.

But…imagine you’re looking at a beautiful valley filled with bountiful wildflowers and majestically flowing waterfalls when all of the sudden you look to your left and you see, “This view brought to you by Coca-Cola”.

No thank you.

This view was NOT brought to you by Coca-Cola. This view was brought to you by Earth. Billions of years of evolution, fluid erosion, and a delicate balance of all that is.

Inserting these corporate logos and commercialization into the National Parks undermines what the parks are all about — showcasing the natural non-human wonders of our country.

Now, I’m sure the National Park Service has a reason to take money from these entities. They probably aren’t getting what they need from the federal government. Fair enough. It’s their responsibility to provide the best service possible, and if that’s seeking private funding, I see why that would be reliable option.

But where could this lead?

Will the National Park Service slowly begin to take on more corporate funding until eventually, they are sold to corporations and entirely privately owned (as a number of congressmen, dubbed the Anti-Parks Caucus are attempting to do?) And then…our entrance fees will partly go towards lining the pockets of the landowners instead of going directly back into the park.

We can’t let this happen. The National Parks are an all-important piece of this country, giving it character that no human ever created. We must protect it for all future generations to come. Keep the national parks publicly funded, on the ideals the National Park Service was founded upon.

Thank you Teddy.