With $12 Billion in backlogged maintenance costs, the NPS is looking for a way to raise money for a national parks system that is sitting on a crumbling infrastructure.
However, one of the fundraising ideas promoted by the NPS director Jonathan Jarvis, is coming under harsh criticism. According to Fortune, The NPS recently modified their requirements for philanthropic donations to include recognition of corporate donors. However, unlike the article published by the Washington Post, which suggests Viagra could sponsor Old Faithful, the policy clearly states that recognition of corporate donors would be designated on temporary signage and materials with an emphasis on discretion.
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So while the entrance sign to Yosemite will not include a moniker saying “Sponsored by Budweiser,” corporate sponsorships could be included on brochures, signs, and marketing materials.
And while some are signing a petition to ban corporate sponsorships in National Parks, the executive director of the Public Lands Alliance, Dan Puskar is standing behind the idea to include corporations in the fundraising effort. In an interview with Fortune, Puskar told one reporter that they want to allow corporations to be recognized in the same way they would be in a museum or university.
That said, having private sponsorship allowed within national park operations has some worried that sooner or later, corporations will gain a bigger and bigger lobby within the NPS. Ultimately, that lobby could create an unbalanced system in an otherwise public arena.
However, with a $12 billion backlog in maintenance costs, something has to be done. And if that something includes corporations donating millions and in return getting their names published as the footnotes of brochures handed out at the visitor center– more power to them.
Find the entire Fortune article here: No, the U.S. National Parks Will Not Be Sponsored by Viagra