How will America?s state parks survive 2020?

While it’s too soon to say how this year’s state parks visitation numbers will compare to the 759 million visits in recent years, early word suggests that pandemic-fueled visitation could break previous records.The 2020 wildfires damaged structures including this trail bridge at Big Basin Redwoods State Park in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains.These natural areas are appealing for a number of reasons, says Grady Spann, president of the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD). “And very often, state parks are either free to visit or much more affordable [than national parks] with their entry fees, amenities, and camping facilities.”But while abundant visitor traffic is great for the state parks’ profile, surges can test the limits of staff and resources. These parks are funded by a trifecta of state taxpayer dollars, revenue generated from park entry fees charged to out-of-state visitors, and a “transient accommodations tax” for tourists, which functions like a resort fee.But with pandemic travel restrictions in place, Hawaii tourism has taken a nosedive since late winter. Park entry fees charged to out-of-state visitors and a tourist tax help fund the Aloha State’s parks.The challenges that Carpenter describes point to a looming catastrophe for state parks: additional funding cuts on top of revenue lost to reduced tourism. And to control crowds, their state parks had to limit parking all summer to 50 percent, reducing revenue by almost a million dollars on a $12 million budget.”For Americans like Jill Higgins, the looming threat of austerity is making it tough to get through a pandemic with no end in sight.