** National park visitation booms
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Monday, August 23, 2021
Crowding in Yellowstone National Park, 2021 | N ([link removed]) ational Park Service, Jacob Frank ([link removed])

Visitation is booming ([link removed]) in national parks across the country—and while it's a good thing to have more people than ever enjoying the crown jewels of our public lands, overcrowding can damage both parks and visitor experiences ([link removed]) .

Visits to national parks this year are already approaching the totals of 2019 ([link removed]) (the most recent high, before a decrease last year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic). As Americans eager to get outdoors travel around the country and visits continue to skyrocket, many are concerned that park staff may not be able to keep up. “There are several thousand less permanent employees in the National Park Service today than they were 10 years ago," said Paul Anderson ([link removed]) , president of the Association of National Park Rangers.

While visits are increasing throughout most of the park system, about half of all visits are occurring at only the top 23 most-visited parks ([link removed]) . Significant congestion conditions are concentrated in the most popular 12 to 15 destination parks ([link removed]) , raising the question of whether we are loving these treasured landscapes to death. Some of these most popular parks have been forced to implement reservation systems ([link removed]) . Such systems can help decrease congestion, but come at the cost of limiting access ([link removed]) to everyone and potentially disappointing unsuspecting visitors.

While one solution to the issue of overcrowding is encouraging visitors to distribute across a wider range of national park service sites, another may be to look at opportunities for establishing new national parks and public lands destinations near high-concentration areas and population centers. Countless majestic landscapes are out there, and numerous stories remain to be told, if only we can raise them up in the eyes of the public.
Quick hits


** Nearly half of Colorado’s wells produce little or no oil. Who’ll pay to plug them?
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** USFS closes nine national forests as wildfires spread across northern California; and the worst may still be ahead
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Bay City News ([link removed]) [National forest closures] | E&E News ([link removed]) [Worst may be ahead]


** Opinion: The Great American Outdoors Act is making a difference, but it requires the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps
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Roll Call ([link removed])


** Biden backs end to wolf protections but hunting worries grow
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Fissures from groundwater pumping close Arizona roads
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Arizona Daily Star ([link removed])


** Even after fires are out, costs from smoke and erosion keep mounting—but land mangers are working on erosion control
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CNBC ([link removed]) | Colorado Public Radio ([link removed])


** As the energy market changes, a Wyoming agency tries to find the best way forward
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Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed])


** The effort to save Upper Klamath Lake’s endangered fish before they disappear
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High Country News ([link removed])
Quote of the day
That’s how I feel about the oil companies. They take what they want and leave us to deal with the rest.”

—Jon Stephens, Colorado landowner, Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Picture this


** @I ([link removed]) nterior ([link removed])
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I’m just a boy, standing in front of the world, asking you to love him...and to not feed me. We have a lot of new members to #TeamPublicLands ([link removed]) this summer and we’re so glad you're out there enjoying nature. Just remember, even if the critters look cute, never give them food.

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