The culminating witness at the Thursday hearing was Roger Kennedy, Director of the National Park Service. The exploding popularity in the outdoors and our National Parks in particular has led to heavy visitation and less then ideal services, while growing funding needs threaten the very resource. The only successful path out I see is different from the one the Park Service and Congress has taken in the past. Last week, during the first hearing on innovating, representatives of the environmental community, tourism association and former Park Chief Jim Ridenour offered suggestions and information on how to strengthen the outlook for national parks. At Thursday's hearing Thomas outlined with current Park Service Chief Kennedy a strategy for addressing the major areas of concern.
More money is only part of the overall strategy.
Most important is to make preservation and protection of the resource the top priority for approaching generations without threatening access and ability to enjoy what is all of ours. The series of hearings, according to Thomas, have brought together some of the most informed thinkers on park and visitor issues in a forum encouraging contribution of ideas that will result in an improved National Park System for the next century.