National Park Service has it all wrong!!??

I hear you on the contractors take on the money they rack in.. My MIL worked in Glacier at Lake McDonald lodge gift shop some 3 yrs ago during the busy season. She was telling us they might do 2 to 5K a day sales on stuff in store.. average as close to 3.5K a day..

This was not the centennial season but 2is yrs prior but they did have stuff celebrating the event.

Not sure what % they get vs the NPS but I am guessing it low for NPS.. It might need to be something closer to 60-40. Would be interesting to find out if that is public info you find online. l will ask MIL to she is aware of what that amount might be.

are any of the contractors public companies that might give info on profits and cost.??

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just talked to MIL and she was saying they, the gift shop contractor, got 100% of the money.. no split with Lodge or NPS.. not sure is that is true now but WOW,, WTF for sure..

fulltimedaniel wrote:
If we as a group are really interested in how the National Parks are paid and their long term financial health then the issue to be upset about is the Parks CONTRACT AGREEMENTS with the companies who have stores and other operations inside our parks.

Those contracts help insure that the Parks get very little of most of the money you actually spend in the parks at the gas stations, restaurants, Lodges etc. Our parks are being virtually cheated in a series of very bad contracts while the public is subjected to prices that are robbery at best.

The Parks languish in poor maintenance, broken infrastructure and low salaries While it's contractors are making huge profits from overcharging the visitors, paying low salaries and contractually scr**ing the parks with laughable percentages or rents.

Write to the National Parks Director and demand that the Parks drive a harder bargain with these contractors. This alone would put MILLIONS and MILLIONS of dollars almost immediately into the Parks system.

Lastly in my view the Parks should put a cap on the price of all park services by contractors ie groceries, gas etc. so that what they charge is no more than 10 per cent over the national average of the cost of that item.

This is the real issue to me NOT what the annual passes cost. The real money is in the contracts not the fees.