Giving Compass' Take:

• Richard Louv, writing for Children & Nature Network, argues that there should be other ways to fund national park maintenance besides raising the entrance fee.

• How can donors help support the public parks and alleviate the pressure of funding by the public?

• Read about how to secure new funding for parks and green spaces.

The National Parks are called that for a reason. They’re not the Parks for the One Percent. Not just the Parks for People with Cool Gear. Some people say there are too many people visiting the nation’s parks. They argue that increasing entry fees specifically during peak visitation times will help keep the parks open and maintained — especially, they say, because the current administration is unlikely to adequately fund them.

It’s true that attendance at some National Parks has skyrocketed, and that some visitors have damaged them. The New York Times reports that Zion National Park’s “delicate desert ecosystem has been battered by tourists, some of whom wash diapers in the Virgin River, scratch their names into boulders and fly drone cameras through once quiet skies.” One suggestion is rather than charging higher fees, parks should take reservations and cap attendance when that’s needed. That’s more equitable than raising fees.

If we really want to protect our parks, fees should go down, support should go up, park law enforcement should be better funded, and more programs should be created to teach visitors, especially the young, about nature—how to treat the parks, and nature, with respect and care, and to take that knowledge home to their communities.

Read the full article about protecting parks by Richard Louv at Children & Nature Network.