National Parks are precious.

President Trump Orders National Parks to Raise Fees on International Visitors

It was a bold choice to wear a straw boater hat for a serious backpacking trip, but it works.  This is 1991, in Andalusia, Spain.  Gorge, in the Wally Cleaver shirt, was a fun work friend, and Isabel, with the pink backpack, was my best friend and savior.  The other four were friends of theirs.

My Spaniards and I were backpacking in the Sierra Nevada National Park.  That seems like an unlikely name for a national park in Spain, but it means “snow covered mountains”.

Spaniards are a warm and lovely people.  It’s not that they don’t care about the environment, they just don’t think about it.  At the nature parks I visited during my year in Spain, it was the same.  For the first mile or two on a trail, there would be quite a bit of trash.  After eating lunch in a scenic wilderness, the conscientious Spaniard would tuck his trash under a rock.

As part of my standard backpacking kit, I had a few large garbage bags.  In a heavy rain, a bag can be used to cover the backpack or make an expedient vest.

When we were hiking out of the park, we entered the trash zone a couple of miles from the trailhead.  At first, it was sporadic trash.  I picked it up as we hiked.  I have never been a strapping lad, but was in sufficiently good condition that it wasn’t a burden.

My Spanish friends asked what I was doing, but more like, why was I doing it?  I told them that the Sierra Nevada National Park was so nice, that I should work for it a little.  Due to the complex financial arrangements of a temporary foreign service assignment, I didn’t know if I paid any income tax in Spain.  I owed something to Spain for the privilege of using their splendid park.

In my modern philosophy, I was paying the ‘iron price’, which is working for it, rather than the ‘gold price’ which is paying with currency.

My Spaniards had never thought about the trash or doing anything about it.  They did not become diligent stewards of their environment, but did become more careful with their own trash and would pick up the odd wrap if it was convenient.

The article linked above, explains that President Trump has issued an executive order for national parks to raise their fees for international travelers.

That is right and just, but may seem petty to some people.

In 2010, I was a summer camp instructor in Thousand Oaks, California.  I took a five hour drive up to Yosemite.  That’s a long drive for a day trip, but our major national parks are truly splendid. 

On a short hike in Yosemite Valley, I fell in with a German family.  They were astounded that there were a couple of deer standing right there.  I was astounded that they were astounded because at that moment, several deer were probably eating the arborvitae in my back yard.

America is different than anywhere else.  We should not be ashamed to charge for it.  Europe has splendid mountain ranges.  The Pyrenees and Alps compare favorably to anything we’ve got.  They don’t have anything like the Grand Canyon, Lassen Volcanic or Yellowstone.

Our major national parks are popular with foreign travelers.  We should get a discount because the national parks belong to us.  Any smart organization would treat members better than non-members.

In 1998, two friends and I visited the Vatican.  I stood in one of those rays of sunlight and asked God to bless me with the gift of faith.

Nothing happened, but at least I tried.

At the Vatican gift shop, I asked if Catholics got a discount.  Nope.  They also lacked any tours of secret passages or catacombs available only to confirmed Catholics.  Seriously, what is the point of being a Catholic if membership doesn’t confer any benefit at the mother ship? 

The Mormons have the right idea.  Only vetted members can enter their temples.   It makes sense.  The people who put in the time, effort and money in, should get some benefit.

Many companies offer employee discounts to show appreciation and foster loyalty.  My father worked for American Airlines, so the family could fly stand-by for the cost of the excise tax.  In 1979, Ohio State was playing USC in the Rose Bowl.  My brother and I paid something like $9 for a round trip flight to Los Angeles.

I really didn’t care so much about the game, but the rest of the scenery was lovely.  Girls used to be so cute.  This group is queued up to take their position in the Rose Bowl parade.

As I said, it may seem petty to charge foreigners more, but there are already discounted prices.  Why not have one for being an American citizen?

• • Annual Pass:     $80.00
  • Senior Annual Pass  62+ years old:    $20.00
  • Military Annual Pass Current US military and dependents:   Free
  • Access Pass with permanent disability:   Free
  • 4th Grader Pass:     Free
  • Volunteer Pass Federal volunteers:  Free

The Senior and Disability passes are only available to American citizens and permanent residents.  Whatever method is used to verify that status, could be used for an “Annual Resident Pass”.  It’s only adding one category and it’s a nice gesture.

For some reason, 4th graders get in free.  It’s not clear how that is verified.

Our national parks are a popular attraction.  Foreigners aren’t likely to object to paying a little more than Americans.  According to the article, it is left to each park to determine how much more a foreigner would pay.  It will be interesting to see how much each park values the American people.