As the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service approaches in 2016, visitors increasingly find crumbling roads and historic buildings, outdated displays and poorly maintained campgrounds and trails.
With Congress and President-elect Barack Obama considering infrastructure plans to jump-start the nation's economy, there is an opportunity to change this sad state of affairs.
The nation faced a similar situation after World War II. Then, as now, the parks were suffering from neglect and cutbacks.
So in 1956, parks director Conrad Wirth launched a 10-year project called Mission 66 to prepare the parks for their 50th anniversary – to, as he put it, "overcome the inroads of neglect and to restore to the American people a National Park System adequate for their needs."
We need a similar multi-year project to restore the parks today for the 100th anniversary. Small efforts have begun this year – with $25 million from Congress and matching funds from the private sector – but it will take far more to make a difference. The backlog in repair, restoration and rehabilitation projects is $8.5 billion.
The National Park Service has identified $2.5 billion in ready-to-go projects that can be completed within two years – a big down payment on the backlog and a source of needed jobs.
California has many of those projects: $10.1 million for the Valley Loop Road at Yosemite National Park; $8.5 million to replace water tanks and provide fire suppression at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks; $11.2 million for the main road through Death Valley National Park. The list goes on: Redwood National Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
These projects have been on work lists for years. Now is the time to broaden and deepen the infant National Park Centennial Initiative – putting Americans to work to improve the nation's 391 parks.
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