What makes America "America the beautiful"? Our guess is that, for many people, that phrase conjures up mental images of the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Zion or some other natural wonder that has been preserved and set aside for the enjoyment of all.

The nation's national parks are legacies handed from one generation to another. But their upkeep has not been a priority of the federal government for a long time.

A Deseret Morning News story published Thursday reported that the U.S. General Accounting Office has concluded the nation's parks are slowly being starved of much-needed funds. Despite the Bush administration's claims that it has increased funding, those increases have not kept up with inflation. In a real sense, the amount of money provided for the daily operation of parks has declined since 2001.

This shouldn't shock anyone. Two years ago this newspaper published its own investigation showing that, at the time, three of every four national parks and monuments had undergone recent budget cuts. Those included the most popular and prominent ones; the ones whose images fill the photo albums of many tourists worldwide.

Without enough money, restrooms don't get cleaned as often. Long lines develop at popular attractions. Rangers can't patrol as often as is necessary. Infrastructure can begin to crumble.

Generally speaking, employees of the National Parks Service are the type who feel a vocation for their work. They didn't choose their career based on the lure of a fat paycheck. Their sense of fulfillment comes from something grander than that. But even altruism has its limits. Parks employees have visited this newspaper's editorial board at times to tell of substandard living conditions and other problems.

Perhaps this doesn't rank high on many priority lists. But the need could be classified as a cousin to homeland security. Al-Qaida isn't likely to attack Bryce Canyon (although some parks, such as the Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall, might be targets), but these are vital parts of the national heritage and identity. The nation can't afford to let them deteriorate from neglect any more than it could afford to let people handle the original Declaration of Independence with greasy fingers.

A few years ago, the government decided to let parks keep much of the money they collect from entrance fees. It may be time to raise some of those fees. In any event, this is a problem worthy of immediate attention.