Deseret News | Utah parks feel pinch

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Utah parks feel pinch

10 of 13 National Park Service units in state saw cuts

By Lee Davidson

Deseret News

Published: Monday, Sept. 27, 2004 12:54 a.m. MDT

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The Interior Department did not say how many seasonal staffers were cut at Glen Canyon, although that information was sought and promised.

The park's law enforcement staff was cut by seven — from 44 to 37 this year. However, the Interior Department said permanent employees at the park increased there by four, from 136 to 140.

The park superintendent did not return phone calls seeking an interview. The Interior Department initially halted superintendents from directly answering Deseret Morning News questions about park conditions, funneling responses through Washington. Later, officials said superintendents had permission to talk directly to the newspaper, but some did not respond.

Canyonlands

• Base budget: $19,000 decrease

• Budget with project funding: $96,000 increase

Canyonlands National Park's base operations budget was cut by $19,000. But the Interior Department said when additional year-to-year project money was considered, the park had an overall increase of $96,000.

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However, Superintendent Tony Schetzsle said tight budgets forced cuts, including, "Instead of having paid employees . . . we have substituted Student Conservation Association aides or volunteers to assure a presence at the visitors center" and other sites.

He said he has the same number of current permanent and seasonal staff, but the hours of the seasonal employees were cut back to the minimum amounts allowed by their contracts. Also, he said the park turned back three vehicles to save money.

He said no visitor services were added or enhanced.

Of note, the private National Parks Conservation Society recently completed a year-long study of Canyonlands — to coincide with its 40th birthday — that concluded it faces a $2 million annual operations shortfall, a $36 million maintenance backlog, deterioration of three of every five historic structures there, an ongoing invasion by nonnative species, and looming threats from nearby development.

Schetzsle said most of that study's numbers came from park data, "so I can't argue with it."

He said estimates of the operations shortfall came from a 1999 staff estimate of how much it would need to perform all mandated and expected services at quality levels. Even though current funding is $2 million a year less than that, Schetzsle said he is comfortable with it, "and we do everything we can with every dollar we do get in."