Zion needs more staff, report says

Visitors to Zion National Park are shortchanged because the park can't field enough rangers, says a new report.

Natural resources in the southern Utah park are in good condition. But the park is understaffed, archaeological and historic sites need more attention, and power plant proposals threaten the region's pristine air quality.

These are among the conclusions of "State of the Parks: Zion National Park," dated July 2005 and prepared by the National Parks and Conservation Association.

The NPCA, which claims a membership of 300,000 nationwide, was founded in 1919 with a charge to protect the country's national park system. In 2000, it began issuing reports that assess conditions in various parks.

"I think the central problem at Zion is that we have one of our most popular, most visited national parks, and they are under-budgeted every year," said Bill Hedden, Moab, executive director of the advocacy group Grand Canyon Trust, to whom the NPCA referred the Deseret Morning News. While he was not one of the report's authors, he was given an advance copy and agrees with it, he said.

Zion's yearly operating budget is about $3.5 million less than it needs, the report says, citing the park's 2001 business plan. The yearly appropriation from Congress is about $6 million; to make up the shortfall the amount should be $9.5 million, according to the report.

NPCA says funding problems prevent Zion from giving visitors enough attention, carrying out restoration work on the Virgin River, preserving historic structures and conducting archaeological surveys.

What about raising visitor fees? "They've got pretty hefty visitor fees already," Hedden said. The park's basic entrance price is $20 per automobile, good for seven days.

Figures posted on Zion's Internet site show that it hosted 2,672,995 recreational visits in fiscal year 2004.

So many tourists go there and so few rangers are available, Hedden said, that "visitors to the park are shortchanged."

According to the NPCA, Zion's interpretive staff includes eight full-time employes, 10 seasonal employees and one volunteer from the Student Conservation Association. Two permanent positions are vacant, it says.