National Parks Should Be Free, Say Former White House Spokesman Bob Weiner and Analyst Jonathan Battaglia; Column in Arizona Republic today

WASHINGTON, July 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A former U.S. House Government Operations Committee and White House spokesman, Robert Weiner, and Jonathan Battaglia, a Policy Analyst at Robert Weiner Associates, have called for all national parks to have free admission as a solution to dramatically declining attendance.

In a guest op-ed in today's Arizona Republic, Weiner and Battaglia point out that "in 1995, over 68 million people visited the parks. By 2009, the number was down to 63 million — a 9 percent decrease amid a 26 percent increase in U.S. population. Even at the Grand Canyon, the nation's most popular park, attendance has dropped by 200,000 since 1995."

They say, "Americans aren't visiting our national parks because they simply aren't the bargain they once were. Since 2007, 131 park units have raised their prices — at a time when inflation has stayed essentially zero.

"We can make sure all Americans have the opportunity to visit our national parks with one simple step: make them admission-free. While park admission fees are not high, waiving them would be a catalyst and incentive to come."

The Park Service currently offers select free days as an incentive to come, but "they do not make up for the rest--attendance is down 2.5 percent overall from this time last year."

The authors say the federal government can afford to make the parks free: "The Grand Canyon brought in 4.3 million people in 2009. At a price of $12 a person, that's $51 million from admission fees. The federal government can cover that; one Apache helicopter costs $50 million."

They continue by saying that free admission at the parks "is a stimulus for America's rural areas. More visitors mean more money for tour operators, hotels, restaurants, gift shops. Spending by non-local visitors at national parks provided $10.6 billion in 2008."

Weiner and Battaglia conclude: "President Theodore Roosevelt said our national parks 'belong to the people.' Federal taxes pay for our federal lands; we shouldn't have to pay for them twice. The best solution would be to make our parks free for all. Waive entrance fees permanently."

The article is entitled, "Waive Entrance Fees at National Parks."   Link:

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2010/07/13/20100713weiner13.html

Contact: Bob Weiner/Gavriel Swerling 301-283-0821/202-306-1200

SOURCE Robert Weiner Associates

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