Record Funding Takes On Overtourism In US National Parks

The National Park Foundation recently received a historic and record-breaking $100 million grant, the largest in its 60-year history. Through this generous funding, the US National Parks will tackle overtourism and its effects on the parks.

US National Parks receive generous funding against overtourism

The National Park Foundation received $100 million in funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc., at the perfect time and at a “pivotal moment in safeguarding the future of America’s treasured national parks.” The foundation is the fundraising arm of the National Park Service.

Like many popular destinations in the world, the US National Parks have been experiencing the effects of overtourism, with too many people visiting the iconic parks. According to a press release from the foundation, the $100 million funding will allow the National Park Service to focus on four priority areas in the parks, as follows:

1. Inspire the next generation of park stewards:

This will create opportunities for youth and young adults to foster a deeper understanding of history, appreciation for environmental stewardship and connection with our natural world.

2. Conserve and Preserve Threatened Parks and Wildlife:

This priority area will address critical initiatives to ensure the health and longevity of the fragile ecosystems and diverse species in the national parks.

3. Ensure a World-Class Visitor Experience:

The funding will secure a future where the US National Parks accommodate unprecedented growth and leverage new technology. This, while remaining accessible and awe-inspiring for all visitors.

4. Tell a More Complete Story of America:

Delivering a more comprehensive historical narrative, including experiences of communities whose voices and contributions have not been fully told as part of the American story.

US National Parks and the generous grant

 

Will Shafroth, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation said:

The National Park Foundation is inspired by, and incredibly grateful for, this extraordinary gift from Lilly Endowment.

For over 50 years, private philanthropy has played a vital role in bridging the gap between park needs and available funding. This grant will allow us to supercharge our efforts to ensure our national parks are for everyone, for generations to come.

Addressing challenges in the parks

The $100 million is the largest grant to the parks in history and will go towards the Campaign for National Parks, NPF’s $1 billion fundraising efforts to help address the most urgent needs of the 430 national park sites.

Meanwhile, among the funding priorities, a portion of the grant will be used to ensure a world-class visitor experience, at a time when the parks are seeing unprecedented growth.  Moreover, the grant will also help to preserve fragile ecosystems among the record growth.

Reportedly, the parks saw over 325.5 million visits in 2023. This represented an increase over 2022 of 13 million. Moreover, 20 parks set a record for annual visits in 2023, while 15 passed notable visitation milestones.

Overcrowding in the parks started showing its impact several years ago. For instance, in 2017, Acadia National Park in Maine saw its visitation reaching 3.5 million, amounting to an increase of 60 percent over the prior decade. According to the Department of the Interior, the effect of more visitors on the park’s loop road during peak times resulted in “gridlock, visitor conflicts, crowding, safety issues, resource damage and of particular concern, delays in emergency response.”

Overcrowding in popular parks has led to pilot programs to deal with the problems, including timed-entry systems. Moreover, vehicle reservation systems are being introduced, while an advance permit system was implemented on popular hiking trails, including Zion National Park’s Angels Landing.

So far, the latest news did not give specific details as to what additional measures might be taken in the park system.