'Juggling act' at nation's parks is not funny

Backlogs and leaky roofs
But most park managers worry that solving yesterday’s problems without enough money for today’s maintenance only creates new backlogs for tomorrow. Some parks report daily operating budget shortfalls in excess of 50 percent.

“Sooner or later the repair is beyond the capability of our operating budget. The leaking roof you had now becomes a failing roof that has to be replaced,” said Gettysburg National Military Park superintendent John Latscher. He estimates the park’s backlog at $43 million.

At Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, a $1.3 million renovation is approved for a historic lighthouse that had succumbed to fallen gutters and severe water damage after a lack of maintenance doomed its last fix-up.

“I’m really scared the same thing will happen again,” superintendent Bob Krumenaker said. “We don’t have the funding for the exhibits to go inside the lighthouse and I’m not going to have sufficient maintenance staff to keep it up.”

The director of the Park Service, Fran Mainella, dismisses some worries, saying estimates of some daily operating shortfalls resemble a wish list of work that could be done rather than urgent priorities that must be accomplished.

Adds Interior’s Scarlett: “Our park employees love what they do with a passion. They’ve got imagination. They’ve got great visions for the future. But it’s not appropriate to think of that as an operative shortfall.”

'Frustrating juggling act'
With little hope of a massive infusion of public money, the parks are being pressed by Washington to set clear priorities and meet them through creativity and efficiency. That means more volunteer labor, increased fundraising, higher fees and fewer visitor center hours.

Carolyn Kaster / AP A tour bus and cyclist meet at a statue of U.S. Army Brevet Major Gen. Alexander Stewart Webb in Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Penn. Gettysburg may also become home to a slot-machine casino, a prospect that investors say will pump up the area's economy, but that some Civil War historians and preservationists worry will sully the area's heritage.

Apostle Islands already is running fewer boat patrols to compensate for higher fuel costs. Krumenaker said the pressure to find new money led him to briefly consider converting some lighthouses into bed-and-breakfast inns.

He ultimately rejected the idea. “That is not what I went to graduate school for,” the superintendent said.

Reynolds winced as he described the trade-offs he has made at Death Valley. Just 15 rangers now patrol 3.4 million California acres, a four-person crew maintains 1,000 miles of paved and dirt roads, and the park has reduced restroom cleaning schedules.

“It is one frustrating juggling act,” he said.

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