Approaching its 2016 centennial, the National Park Service faces many challenges. As a first step toward finding creative policy solutions, PERC hosted a national parks workshop where Yellowstone superintendent Dan Wenk suggested visitors should cover more of the park’s costs.
[…] many are praising the fund’s achievements, consider another upcoming anniversary: the National Park Service’s centennial in 2016. The National Park Service — responsible for managing “crown jewels” such as Yellowstone and Yosemite — is on track to celebrate its 100th year facing an $11.5 billion backlog in deferred maintenance projects. These include deteriorating facilities, leaky wastewater systems, and […]
Terry Anderson joins Russ Roberts for an EconTalk podcast about free-market environmentalism, the dynamics of the Yellowstone ecosystem, and how property rights can protect natural resources.
[…] southern England, a move consistent with scientific predictions that current wine producing areas will decline by 25 to 73% by 2050. This prediction prompted the headline, “Wine from Wyoming? How Yellowstone and Yukon will steal Napa’s crown.” John Dickerson, founder of Summit Water Development Group, is purchasing and brokering water rights in the American West and Australia in response […]
[…] protect wildlife habitat. Others have purchased base properties and acquired the federal grazing permits attached to them, spending their own money raised from member donations. Outside of Yellowstone, environmentalists have bargained with ranchers to retire federal grazing permits, compensated ranchers for losses due to wildlife, and negotiated contracts that allow bison to migrate through […]
[…] uncompensated, incidental disservices “externalities,” and look toward political solutions to fix the problems. Consider the seemingly endless conflict over winter management of bison when they migrate from Yellowstone National Park. Bison, whose numbers have increased dramatically in the past 15 years, leave the park’s deep snow in search of forage, but bison can carry […]
[…] the Sochi Olympics. Free-market environmentalism offers a better approach. Since 2002 the National Wildlife Federation has secured more than half a million acres of federal grazing land outside Yellowstone National Park to provide habitat for bison, grizzly bears and wolves. The group negotiates voluntary buyouts with ranchers and pays for the federal grazing permits with […]
[…] document in a nearby Wilderness Study Area, for example, reduced mountain bike trail access from more than 100 miles to 20. Motorbikes also lost considerable trail access. Yellowstone National Park now restricts snowmobile use almost exclusively to guided tours. Other trails in our area have eliminated horses. In addition, the federal lands designated as multiple use […]
[…] able to save species. Think about the difference you could make! Related Content: : Laura Huggins’ book Environmental Entrepreneurship : Hank Fischer on saving the wolves in Yellowstone Park : Michael Lenox and Jeffrey York break down the economic incentives and personal motivations for environmental entrepreneurship : Hank Fischer’s book Wolf Wars : Preserving […]
[…] campgrounds are already managed by private companies, and campers generally aren’t able to tell a difference. A different structure for our treasured public lands could have kept Yellowstone open during the shutdown. Due to the recent government shutdown, federal agents forced privately owned and managed parks to be shut down. However, these private parks […]