The Yellowstone
Net Newspaper Monday December 1, 1997 Vol. 1 No. 23 |
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Publisher Editor-in-Chief Staff Writers |
Editor's Note: Last week, Knight-Ridder News Service ran a story on the abuse of the National Park System by members of Congress. Some of the statistics in the following story are taken from that article. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. (YNET) -- Quick: which unit of the National Park Service in recent years has been awarded more money for new buildings and trails than have Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier and all other national park units in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho combined? Grand Canyon? Nope. Yosemite? Wrong Again. Great Smoky Mountains Park? No. Try the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. That's right, a recreation area in Pennsylvania which was only in recent times added to the Park System, a place which few visit and of which most Americans are unaware even exists, was awarded $8.3 million for new buildings and trail maintenance, more than the Park Service allocated for all of its units in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. If you think that is outrageous, Mississippi's Natchez Trace Parkway, an old Indian trail, was awarded some $16.3 million for construction projects. These allocations have been doled out even while the ancient plumbing system in Yellowstone's Old Faithful Village is leaking so badly that it is danger of contaminating the water which shoots out of Old Faithful's spout. Two years ago, Norris Campground was shut down for the summer season because no money was available to maintain it. The $5 million needed for a new plumbing system, as well as the funds needed to keep Norris open two years ago, seems to have gotten lost somewhere in Pennsylvania or Mississippi. Has the National Park Service secretly determined that a new, little-known recreation area in Pennsylvania and an old Indian trail in Mississippi are vastly more important than Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier National Parks combined? In short, no. The National Park Service is not responsible for this seemingly nonsensical distribution of its monies. In fact, according to Roger Kennedy, the director of the National Park Service, most of the money in the NPS budget goes to projects which the NPS does not request. Rather, the majority of the NPS' project money is spent on "pork" projects which some congressional members force upon the NPS, even against the wishes of the NPS. In essence, the most powerful congressional delegates, both Democrats and Republicans, are hijacking public monies for their own personal gain. Congressional Republicans from Pennsylvania and Mississippi, for example, have forced the National Park Service to put Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area recreation area and Mississippi's Indian trail on a much higher priority status than Yellowstone National Park. One is led to wonder how Yellowstone, long considered to be America's top national treasure, has come to be a political doormat. |
Or, perhaps another question should be asked: "How can Congress be so out of touch with the people?" Funding notwithstanding, Yellowstone is, in the people's eyes, America's greatest national treasure. Some three million visit Yellowstone each year; "Yellowstone" is more of a household name than that of any other national park; the news media nationwide cover Yellowstone more than any other park; even a search on the internet reveals that interest in Yellowstone is far greater than that of the other national parks. And yet, the Crown Jewel of America's national parks, even now celebrating its 125th anniversary, is having its image tarnished because of petty politics in our nation's capitol. The American people still view Yellowstone as a national treasure. The National Park Service has struggled for years to secure much needed funding for backlogged, basic maintenance in Yellowstone. A few powerful politicians in Washington, however, seem bent upon letting Yellowstone fall into disrepair and ruins, all for the purpose of furthering their own political gain. One glimmer of hope in the midst of these political shenanigans is the new monies which Yellowstone is receiving from the higher entrance fees. Eighty percent of the increase in fees stays in Yellowstone. The money goes towards much-needed maintenance and programs. Indeed, it only makes sense that the money that people spend to get into Yellowstone stays in Yellowstone, rather than winding up in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area or a Mississippi Indian trail against the wishes of the National Park Service.
Yellowstone Net Named as a Starting Point "Hot Site" by BRUCE T. GOURLEY BILLINGS, Mont. (YNET) -- Of the many hundreds of internet awards currently in existence, one of the most elite awards is the Starting Point "Hot Site" award. Although thousands of internet sites at any one time are competing for the "Hot Site" award, only a tiny percentage of sites actually win this coveted award.Last week, Yellowstone Net was named as a Starting Point "Hot Site." The "Hot Site" designation is awarded to the best of the best web sites as determined by the larger internet community. Yellowstone Net is pleased to be a recipient of the Starting Point "Hot Site" award. To visit the Yellowstone Net awards page, go to http://www.yellowstone.net/awards.htm
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