This story in yesterday’s Tennessean is wonderful news for our state’s wonderful national parks. In the instance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a number of positions have gone unfilled by the National Park Service because of lack of funding. A number of the seasonal interpretive positions are filled by park service employees, but are actually funded through the private Great Smoky Mountains Association. They also fund much needed projects along with the Friends of the Smokies. In short, I think this is great news for our National Parks in Tennessee, if it actually makes it to the final budget.
However, I do have two misgivings:
- If the funding would be used to develop the parks, create resorts, golf courses, or ball field complexes, I think that’s bad. There’s more than enough of that around the Great Smoky Mountains.
- From a taxpayer standpoint, I’m always concerned about how my tax dollars are being spent. But I suppose I shouldn’t worry about this too much. After all, I use the park and think I have a obligation to pay to maintain it, especially since the land was taken from my fellow citizens over 70 years ago to create it.
Despite the additional federal funding (if it makes it to the final budget that is), I would still encourage everyone to join their favorite parks’ friends’ organizations and associations.