A new Care2 petition is demanding the National Park Service stop its proposal to more than double the entrance fees at 17 national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Yellowstone. It has gathered 7,000 signatures.
View the Care2 Petition here.
“This new proposal will make it even more difficult for all of us to visit and enjoy our public lands — and will especially prohibit lower-income Americans from visiting the public lands that their tax dollars help maintain,” the Care2 petition reads. “For years, Congress has underfunded the National Park Service, creating a $1.3 billion backlog in vital repair and infrastructure projects. But regular taxpayers — and especially working families — shouldn’t have to bear the burden for lawmakers’ inaction.”
The agency proposed ramping up the entrance fee for a private vehicle to $70 during peak season, up from its current rate of $25 to $30.
The cost for a motorcycle entering the park could increase to $50, from the current fee of $15 to $25. The cost for people entering the park on foot or on bike could be $30, up from $10 to $15.
The cost of the annual pass would remain at $80.
“At Care2, we think our public lands are for everyone,” the petition reads, “not just those that can afford to these excessive new fees.”
Photo courtesy Care2
