Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Raising the entrance cost at other times of the year has been a major concern so the National Parks in the U.S sharply dropped the number of days that allows the visitors to get in free.
The move was criticized by the opponents to raise entrance costs at other times of the year.
The National Park Service announced that there will have no-cost days next year namely Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 15), the first day of National Park Week (April 21), National Public Lands Day (Sept. 22) and Veterans Day (Nov. 11).
In 2016 they waived the fees for 16 days and 10 days in 2017.
Weekly entrance fees of $25 or $30 per vehicle at 118 of the 417 national parks were charged by the Park Service.
The Park Service proposes to raise the cost to $70 at 17 busy parks in the West that will include including Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Zion.
An additional $70 million will be generated to support the backlogged maintenance and infrastructure projects.
However, the opponents mentioned that the higher costs might turn away the visitors without raising much money.
The Park Service did not specify why they were cutting the free days.
National Park Service Deputy Director Michael T. Reynolds said the days considered as free for the national parks will mark the opportunities for the public to take part in service projects, enjoy better programs and spend time with families.
However, a group opposed to raising fees criticized the change.
Jesse Prentice-Dunn with the Denver-based Center for Western Priorities in a release said that America’s parks must remain affordable for working families as not everyone can book a helicopter or charter a boat when they want to visit our national parks.
Tags: Grand Canyon, Jesse Prentice-Dunn, Michael T. Reynolds, NATIONAL PARKS, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion
