But from what we've heard, the national parks already are operating on a shoestring. So when we read in The Tribune about the Park Service's Core Operations Analysis, we were skeptical.
The analysis is supposed to determine whether the parks can do their job with 80 percent of their annual operating budget, reserving the other 20 percent for high-priority maintenance and emergency spending.
Critics of the plan say it's a stalking horse for the Bush administration to cut taxpayer support of the parks' operating budget. We don't know whether that's true.
What we do know, though, is that the Government Accountability Office has found that "core operations" such as law enforcement, education and visitor services already have been cut back in the parks, including those in Utah. That leads us to wonder whether it is reasonable to expect the hard-pressed ranger corps and other park employees to still get the job done with 20 percent less money.
We also know that the parks have faced a major capital improvements backlog for many years. Congress created a Fee Demonstration Program in 1997 that allowed the parks to raise entrance fees and keep most of that income in the parks where it was generated. That has helped with capital improvements, but it won't pay for ongoing operations.
There might be room to increase entrance fees in some parks. It still costs only $5 to take the scenic drive through Capitol Reef, for example, and the $10 vehicle entry fee to Arches and Canyonlands is still an incredible bargain.
We believe that most Americans would be willing to pay double that to help keep up the parks that they enjoy.
Many seniors, who get a 50 percent entry fee discount with a $10 Golden Passport, probably would be willing to pay more, too.
But there's a limit. You have to pay $25 a car to get into Yellowstone for seven days, and that's probably about where the ceiling should be.
Beyond that, general taxes should pay the bills. The parks are national treasures, and their basic services should be supported by the national treasury.
