Success Story Update: NPS Announces Plan for Modest Entrance Fee Increases
On April 4, 2018, we reported that the U.S. Department of the Interior appeared to be backing away from a plan to drastically increase entrance fees at 17 of the most popular national parks. The proposal was vigorously opposed by gateway communities, park visitors, and park advocacy groups such as the Coalition, as well as by state and federal elected officials on a bi-partisan basis.
On April 12, 2018, the National Park Service (NPS) announced a much more reasonable plan for modest entrance fee increases at all 117 fee-charging parks. The new fee structure is expected to increase system-wide entrance fee revenue by about $60 million annually. All of the revenue will remain within the National Park System with at least 80 percent of the money staying in the park where it is collected.
The NPS press release announcing the new fee plan acknowledged that the “modified fee structure addresses feedback from [the] public on original fee proposal.” The decision demonstrates the power of advocacy – the outcry from many individuals and organizations, such as the Coalition, persuaded the Department of the Interior to drop its awful plan for draconian fee increases at 17 of the most popular national parks. This new, modest proposal is great news for park visitors, gateway communities, and park supporters alike!
For more information, click on link to NPS press release: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/04-12-2018-entrance-fees.htm
Link to NPS website listing fee increases by park: https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/entrance-fee-prices.htm