This special issue of PERC Reports explores the next wave of solutions for our national parks. In May, the harlequin ducks arrive at LeHardy Rapids in Yellowstone National Park. Sleek, steely-blue birds with slashes and patches of white and a chestnut crown and flank, the males follow their mates to the clear mountain streams […]
[…] DeeAnn and Jim Durgan on their ranch in Paradise Valley. The Cost of Living in Paradise Paradise Valley, with its open plains, mountain views, and proximity to Yellowstone National Park, is one of the most stunning places to ranch. But sharing space with the wild comes at a cost. This land isn’t just home […]
[…] digging that hole deeper. International visitors can and should be part of the solution. They represent a meaningful share of park tourism—particularly at marquee destinations such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Glacier. Yet under the current fee structure, they pay the same standard $35 per vehicle entrance fee as U.S. residents—or even less. Visitors arriving […]
[…] park usage and mirrors successful international visitation models, such as those used in Chile, Ecuador, and South Africa. “If you can afford a flight from Beijing to Yellowstone, you can afford to pay to take care of the place you’re coming to see. Charging international visitors a little more to experience national parks, just […]
BOZEMAN, Mont.—A new report released today by PERC—”The Economics of Awe: How Entry Fees Can Sustain Yellowstone National Park,”—reveals that modest increases in entry fees to Yellowstone National Park could generate tens of millions of dollars annually to sustain and protect America’s first national park, without significantly reducing visitation. As Yellowstone continues to experience […]
Table of Contents DOWNLOAD THE REPORT Table of Contents DOWNLOAD THE REPORT Summary Yellowstone is more popular than ever, drawing over four million annual visitors. But the park’s aging infrastructure and strained services haven’t kept up. It now faces a $1.5 billion maintenance backlog, the largest in the National Park Service. To properly steward […]
[…] of grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies stands as one of America’s greatest conservation success stories. Thanks to decades of collaborative efforts, the populations in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems have met—and in many cases exceeded—their recovery goals. Now it’s time for policy to catch up with progress. That’s why PERC, […]
[…] Pronghorn Herd. The ranch includes a grazing permit on the Shoshone National Forest, the epicenter of conflict surrounding grizzly bears and wolves. PERC is joining The Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Ricketts Conservation Foundation, and Beyond Yellowstone Living Lab to support the effort. Virtual Fence 101 Virtual fencing uses GPS-enabled collars and base stations or cell […]
Crowds gather to view the Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park. This article was originally published in the Wall Street Journal. Nothing quite symbolizes the America First vision like our national parks. The U.S. created the first national park in 1872. But today the park system needs an estimated $23 billion for overdue maintenance and […]
[…] Recent decisions by the Fish and Wildlife Service undermine this process, while provoking conflict and frustrating recovery. The service recently rejected petitions to delist grizzly bears around Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks on the grounds that those populations had recovered too much and had begun to naturally connect. Therefore, neither population qualified as a […]