Are overran National Parks a glimpse of the future of all our public lands?

[Sytes]

Interesting read.

As Crowds Overwhelm National Parks, Lawmakers Seek Solutions - Flathead Beacon

The unmatched summer strain overwhelming gateway communities like those girding Glacier National Park received prominent attention last week as members of a U.S. Senate subcommittee plied land managers and local stakeholders in an effort to craft long-term solutions. “There are no obvious...

flatheadbeacon.com

 

[Beanland_fan]

The second largest petroglyph panel in the US.
View attachment 187925

We were in Canyonlands this spring as well. Got our 2 teenage boys out of the flatlands and explored a little bit. Arches NP was crowded, closed by 10 am.

 

[NR_Hunter]

I think its a phase because of the tech boom. All these apps to showcase your life so people flock to "cool" places. I see it wearing off and moving onto something else and the parks will be back to normal attendance. I admit I could be way off here but I hope I'm right.

In Yellowstone last month, I saw a girl next to a hot spring in a bikini, twirling a towel around her head as her friend either filmed or photographed her. 10000000 years of geological processes for our parks to be used for teenage girls Instagram.

 

[bpitt]

Is it going to get worse? I believe so. There's a finite amount of public lands, whether it's National Parks/Monuments, Forest Service land, BLM, NWRs, etc. Population will continue to grow, private lands will be developed, and more and more people will be looking to the public lands for recreation, where they used to be able to go to Farmer Bob's back 40 to hangout, but they can't now, because it's a strip mall now, or a subdivision.

 

[Northwoods Labs]

You increase the population, you increase the pressure on public land. It’s that simple. People are leaving big cities and big states as they become more crowded. The US population isn’t growing because of high birth rates. It has nothing to do with race. If you think that adding people to the US will not add people to public land and western states just because you found a photo that doesn’t have brown skinned people in it, you’re not thinking very hard.

Name a western state whose population increased, but whose public land use decreased? Are people moving west mostly people who live in rural areas that are not experiencing population increases? Doubt it. Is the increased tourist pressure on public lands coming from rural areas with decreasing populations? Doubt that too.

I haven't read the whole thread, so maybe this has been stated, but illegal immigration isn't what is leading to overcrowding on public lands. In the northwoods of Wisconsin the development and crowding on public lands are due to wealthy people from the suburbs of major cities (Minneapolis for my area) wanting to buy their lake house/lot. Then, they cut all the trees, ruin the wildlife habitat, and make it look like a city park, but I digress.

Illegal immigrants sneaking across the boarder don't have the money to contribute to crowding on public lands

 

[Irrelevant]

‘It’s not sustainable’: overcrowding is changing the soul of US national parks

Travelers, tour guides and service workers share how years of record-high tourism are reshaping destinations in ways that may change them forever

www.theguardian.com

I’m not sure if implementing reservations is exactly what I want, but something needs to be done. We can’t keep growing the visitor population. It’s just not sustainable.

 

[clross]

We need kid's soccer, football, lacrosse, dance, scouts, baseball, etc... to start back up.

The excuse to not go camping has always been kid's activities. BRING 'EM BACK!

My kid's entire lacrosse season got cancelled. But it's a spring sport - mostly too cold to go camping then until near the end-of season anyway.

 

[elkduds]

CO added a $29 fee to every vehicle registration renewal. For that you get an annual state parks pass, deeply discounted from the fee if you directly buy the pass from CPW. You can check a box on renewal to decline the fee.

CPW anticipates this will result in increased state park visitation of up to 40%.

 

[howl]

Seems to me technology has made people more aware and able to find natural attractions. Technology has not made people better able to survive off the beaten path. Death can be a limit.

On the whole, however, it has long been past time to find way to secure private ground for hunting.