Lobbying group claims Zinke leaning toward privatizing Park camps

A Whitefish-based lobbying group is claiming that Sec. of Interior Ryan Zinke wants to privatize campgrounds in national parks.

The Western Values Project points to a recent story in Energy and Environment News which quotes Zinke saying he would like to privatize campgrounds.

“As the secretary, I don’t want to be in the business of running campgrounds,” Zinke told members of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. “My folks will never be as good as you are.”

Zinke was speaking at the association luncheon.

President Trump’s 2018 budget looks to cut the Park Service operating budget by 8 percent. Privatizing more services could close the gap.

“We are going to have more public-private partnerships soon,” Zinke is quoted as saying during the luncheon. “I think that’s where the industry should be going.”

Glacier National Park’s campgrounds are run by the Park, with many having volunteer hosts. Would the Park be a candidate for privatization?

“That’s premature,” Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift said. “No decisions have been made about any sites. He was speaking broadly about our nation’s public lands system.”

Having said that, Swift noted the Department already has several public-private partnerships for services.

All of Glacier hotels are already run by private concessionaires.

Glacier has about 32 seasonal staffers to maintain its campgrounds and 21 volunteer hosts, according to spokeswoman Lauren Alley. The Park also has 1.5 full-time equivalent that work in administering campgrounds, but they do other park duties as well, she noted. Ten of the seasonal staff are paid from campground fees.

Privatizing campground operations has already happened on several Flathead National Forest campgrounds.

Holland Lake, Swan Lake, Emery Bay, Murray Bay, Devil Creek, Lid Creek, Lost Johnny Camp and Lost Johnny Point, Doris Point Camp and Boat, Riverside, Big Creek, and Tally Lake campgrounds are all run by a concessionaire.

The Western Values Project has been critical of Zinke, claiming he should be asking for more Park Service funding overall.

“These kinds of efforts have led to higher (campground) prices overall,” said director Chris Saeger.

He said the solution to budget problems “isn’t to start privatizing services.”

Saeger also noted that the only portion of the DOI budget that wasn’t cut were programs for the energy sector.