Maine’s state slogan isn’t “the way life should be” without reason – with its endless woods of pine trees, majestic mountains like Katahdin and Cadillac, and the cool breeze of the Atlantic Ocean – Maine has much to offer to not only its residents, but also to its many visitors.
These visitors not only enjoy our state’s natural beauty, but also make a significant impact on our state and local economies. In 2016 alone, they helped encompass the more than 3.3 million people who visited Acadia National Park. And according to the National Park Service, these park visitors spent $275 million that year supporting local businesses in Bar Harbor and beyond. From lodging to dining to retail, as well as transportation and recreation, more than 4,500 jobs were sustained – supporting the local businesses and people that are the heart of Maine.
And it isn’t just our great state of Maine that experiences both the beauty and the economic benefits of the national parks. Last year, a record-breaking 331 million people visited these parks. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recently announced that, in 2016, national parks generated $34.9 billion for the U.S. economy while supporting 318,000 jobs.
In order to continue to support local economies, we must ensure we are preserving and strengthening our national parks and their natural beauty and history for future generations to enjoy. Yet our national parks are in danger — and currently face a $11.3 billion maintenance backlog. These maintenance costs include repairing roads, updating visitor centers, and other important needs that help make parks accessible. Even in Maine, our beloved Acadia is not exempt from these maintenance needs. More than $71 million is needed to help maintain and preserve the park, half of which to repair roads, including its highly acclaimed, beautiful carriage roads.
Acadia, Katahdin and all our national parks face these challenges in large part because Congress has not made them a funding priority. The entire National Park Service budget makes up just 1/14th of one percent of the federal budget, and still the agency’s budget continues to decline.
In March, Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced bipartisan legislation to dedicate funding to the deferred maintenance backlog of our national parks. Known as the National Park Service Legacy Act, this would allocate $500 million annually to the Park Service from existing revenues the government receives for oil and natural gas royalties, and would happen every year until 2047. A bipartisan group of House members have already introduced matching legislation.
The National Park Service Legacy Act will provide relief to our parks and provide the repairs that if left unfunded will jeopardize visitors’ experiences, leading to fewer visitors and subsequent consequence to the surrounding communities whose economies depend on these parks. But by investing in our national parks, we invest in the economic output that they provide.
We will begin to tackle the backlog and make our parks more resilient so they continue to welcome visitors – who will not only explore our nation’s most important natural and historic places – will support our local economies for generations to come.
Maine senators Angus King and Susan Collins are cosponsors of this legislation, showing their support for all of our national parks – including Acadia and Katahdin Woods and Waters. If passed, this funding will protect Maine’s national parks preserving them for future generations to enjoy and will continue to sustain and strengthen Maine’s economy.
Congress created the National Park Service a century ago to protect America’s treasured natural, historical and cultural sites, and to ensure that Americans can enjoy these treasures for years to come. In order to help preserve Maine’s beautiful landscapes and help our local economy, we must urge Congress and the administration to enact this legislation and ensure the national parks have the resources they need.
Casey Pola of Topsham is the associate director, Corporate Partnerships & Cause Marketing for the National Parks Conservation Association.
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