The National Park Service and our 391 national parks and other units across the country are constantly facing issues of concern to all Americans.

Many of the concerns are rooted in money. While the parks are funded mostly by federal dollars, there is growing dependence on private funds to keep the parks in the best condition possible.

In this section of the Web site, we present articles about the most pressing concerns, problems, and on-going issues facing the national park system today. These news articles were prepared by our reporters in spring 2008 and spring 2007.

We discuss funding plans, budget concerns, admissions fees and other revenue streams, accessibilty for the disabled, attendance and visitation patterns, overuse of some parks, promotion and underuse of other units, the relationships of parks and their nearby gateway cities, and global warming impact on cold climate parks.

Furthermore, we focus on park maintenance, care and cleaning of natural park sites, safety and security, crime, quality staffing problems, volunteerism, the most threatened parks and why they are in danger, and water issues within the parks of the west.

We give detailed attention to wildfires, wildlife management, plant and non-native species management, aerial tours and their impact on the parks, regulation of hunting in and around parks, park promotion, and the process of creating new parks.

We hope you will take some time to look into these important matters that impact Our National Parks. We feel they are important to their future.

National Parks Issues 2008

The issues and problems of our spring 2008 parks project :

National Parks Issues 2007

The issues and problems of our spring 2007 parks project :