Trump Administration Plans to Privatize National Park Campgrounds

Washington, D.C. -- Today, reporters uncovered a memo from the Trump administration’s Subcommittee on Recreation Enhancement Through Reorganization recommending that national park campgrounds, currently operated by the National Park Service, be privatized. The memo also indicates that a privatization process could lead to significant changes to existing campgrounds and services, including “market pricing of offered options,” offerings like food trucks and equipment rental, and proposes to limit senior discounts for camping.

In response, Joel Pannell, Associate Director of Sierra Club Outdoors for All, released the following statement:

“When Ryan Zinke proposed to raise fees for entering national parks, the national outcry from park visitors and low-income families was impossible to ignore, and the plan was shelved. Now the Trump administration is trying to pass a fee hike under the radar, and pave the way for full privatization of our national parks. 

“Turning our national parks into profit centers for a select few vendors would rob our public lands of just what makes them special. Hiking fees and limiting discounts for seniors will shut out working families and elders on fixed incomes. We will not allow the embattled Trump administration to turn our national parks into playgrounds for the wealthy and privileged, or permit companies that financially support the Trump campaign to profit from privatization of our public lands. Park lovers and outdoor advocates across the nation will rise up in resistance.”

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