The National Park Foundation has received a historic $100 million grant, the largest ever in its 60-year history.

The funding was given by the Lilly Endowment Inc. and comes at what the park foundation calls a ¡°pivotal moment in safeguarding the future of America¡¯s treasured national parks.¡±

The money will be used on four key focus or priority areas in the national parks, according to a press release issued by the foundation, which is the fundraising arm of the National Park Service. They include:

• Inspire the Next Generation of Park Stewards: Creating opportunities for youth and young adults that will foster a deeper understanding of history, appreciation for environmental stewardship, and connection with our natural world.
• Conserve and Preserve Threatened Parks and Wildlife: Addressing critical initiatives that will ensure the health and longevity of the fragile ecosystems and diverse species that call our national parks home.
• Ensure a World-Class Visitor Experience: Securing a future where national parks can accommodate unprecedented growth and leverage new technology, while remaining accessible and awe-inspiring for all visitors.
• Tell a More Complete Story of America: Delivering a more comprehensive historical narrative, including the experiences of communities whose voices and contributions have not been fully told as a part of the American story.

¡°The National Park Foundation is inspired by, and incredibly grateful for, this extraordinary gift from Lilly Endowment,¡± Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, said in a statement.

¡°For over 50 years, private philanthropy has played a vital role in bridging the gap between park needs and available funding. This grant will allow us to supercharge our efforts to ensure our national parks are for everyone, for generations to come,¡± Shafroth added.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Sean Xu)

Addressing Overcrowding Challenges

The $100 million gift is the largest grant benefiting national parks in U.S. history. The money contributes to The Campaign for National Parks, NPF¡¯s $1 billion fundraising campaign that will help address the urgent needs of America¡¯s 430 national park sites.

Notable among the funding priorities for the grant money, a portion will be used to ensure a world-class visitor experience at a time when the parks are experiencing unprecedented growth and it will also help preserve fragile ecosystems amid that record growth.

There were more than 325.5 million visits to national parks in 2023. That figure represented an increase of 13 million over 2022.?In addition, 20 national parks set a record for annual visits in 2023 and 15 others passed notable visitation milestones.

The impacts of the overcrowding began to be witnessed years ago. In 2017, for instance, Maine's Acadia National Park visitation reached 3.5 million, which amounted to an increase of 60 percent from a decade prior. The substantial uptick in people visiting destinations along Acadia's Park Loop Road during peak times resulted in "gridlock, visitor conflicts, crowding, safety issues, resource damage, and of particular concern, delays in emergency response," according to the Department of Interior.

In response to such overcrowding, many popular parks implemented pilot programs to deal with the challenges including timed-entry systems. Vehicle reservation systems have also been rolled out and for some popular hiking trails, such as Zion's Angels Landing, an advance permit system was implemented.

This week's news does not provide specific details on what additional measures might be in store for the park system.

The National Park System encompasses more than 400 sites across the country. In 2024, the national park service had a budget of $3.3 billion.

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