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America’s national parks are demanding our attention. This time, though, the Rocky Mountains and deep canyons aren’t asking for breathless admiration. The U.S. National Park Service wants money and lots of it.  
The Park Service is asking for multi-million-dollar funds from the federal government. But some agencies think private companies can significantly help the fundraising process.

Various media question how private companies, through governmental endowments, could add economic value to the national parks. Other media ask how private money can pervert national parks with commercialism.

We’re looking at several perspectives on the issue from Comedy Central, NPR, Commercial Alert, Free-Eco.org The Daily Sentinel and CNN.

Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert discusses U.S. national parks with filmmaker Ken Burns. Colbert asks him about the potential risk of private investors funding national parks.

“I have an issue with you here, sir. National parks are essentially socialistic. Why shouldn’t the first person who gets to Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, buy it and do what he wants? ‘Well if we didn’t have parks, then the Grand Canyon would be lined with mansions of the rich and we’d never see that view.’ I would because I would have one of those mansions!”

Other sources share this belief. NPR’s Elizabeth Shogren talks with a public employee who says combining federal agency with commercialization is a risky move.

"Ruch says there’s a real risk the parks will be misused in corporate branding campaigns."

“Their names and logos will be on things like park benches and walls of visitor centers, the names of rooms. The parks are not supposed to be commercialized, and this is a back doorway to commercialized.”

Now when it comes to the private sector, a non-profit organization, Commercial Alert expresses concern over possible corruption.

“Government solicitation of big money from corporations in exchange for public relations assistance is corrupt and outrageous. This is a dreadful precedent for the integrity of our federal government. It is a recipe for the corruption of federal agencies. What if other agencies were to start soliciting corporate sponsorships too…what would that do to the public trust?”

Yet some media think a relationship with outside sponsors is exactly what the Park Service needs. Free-Eco.Org has the perspective that using private money could be more efficient than taxpayer dollars.

“Endowment boards successfully manage independent schools, hospitals, and museums. Board members have fiduciary responsibility for their organization’s mission.  An endowment board with regional and national members could ensure sensitive stewardship and freedom from shortsighted Congressional politics.”
—John A. Baden

Colorado newspaper The Daily Sentinel shows a different perspective and highlights one advantage of using private endowments. It says major monuments are great outlets for economic expansion.  

“...Places such as the [Colorado National] Monument are economic drivers of immense proportions. Were there no Colorado National Monument, we hesitate to guess what would have become of the tourist economy.”

And in addition to the private versus public money debate, CNN looks at how this year’s economic stimulus aids national parks.  A reporter asks two sources how funding national parks counts as stimulus.  

“But when it comes to this money, you have to ask how is money for national parks stimulus?  It’s stimulus because we are putting people to work. We’ll be putting people to work for the next two years. But it’s also stimulus because we are creating a better place and increasing the visitor experience.  Some Republican lawmakers aren’t buying it. Well clearly we need to improve our national parks, but nobody should confuse that with economic stimulus. Frankly, that’s just false advertising’.”

So what do you think? Who should be responsible for funding America’s national parks? Would seeking private money exploit the national parks through commercialism? Or would private endowments add economic value to the parks?