From Deseret News archives:
National parks in budget turmoil
Money going to proect 'icon' parks from terror
Interior Secretary Gale Norton repeatedly boasts this election year that "we have more money today per acre, per employee and per visitor in the National Park system than at any time in the history of the parks."
Actually, the administration cut the base budgets at three of every four parks nationally this year including at 10 of the 13 National Park Service units in Utah, according to a Morning News analysis of published operating budgets for individual parks.
Where did the money go? Much apparently helped protect "national icon" parks against terrorist threats including the Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall, Mount Rushmore, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and memorials in Washington, D.C. So terrorism may be creating cuts at many parks to protect a few from terrorists.
When all of the increases and decreases are tallied, park-level operation budgets had a small increase overall making Norton's claims technically correct. It also allowed a flourish in the Republican national platform, which said that under President Bush, "parks are better managed, better funded and better protected."
Bush team disagrees
The Bush administration disagrees with Deseret Morning News findings that three of every four parks had budget cuts this year. It says its published, base park budgets do not include additional national project money spent on them. So it says most parks had increases.
It also says overall Park Service budgets increased 20 percent during Bush's term (although Morning News analysis shows that park-level budgets increased only about 7 percent from 2001-04, slightly better than inflation rates of 6 percent in that time).
Almost all park areas in Utah report service or other cuts this year a sign that cuts are real and not imaginary. None could list any government-funded service enhancements beyond filling some old job vacancies or programs to seek more help from volunteers.
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