At alarming rates, Americans continue to flock to many national parks across the country. The increase in visitors has led to increased traffic jams, trash, and vandalism that threaten to disrupt the environment that is what draws people outdoors.The USA Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met Wednesday, July 28 to address the overcrowding issue. It hoped to find solutions for the problem of overtourism in national parks.According to The Spectrum, Chairman Angus King (IME) stated that it was great to see Americans taking advantage of these parks. "But, we have to recognize that the overcrowding of parks can lead to the loss of wildlife and natural resources that these units were designed to protect. Our parks can be loved to death by us.According to the National Parks Service, 32 million people visited national park in July. Even though this is less than the 33 million park visitors in 2020, it's still a significant number that the parks can handle.Kristen Brengel, Senior Vice President at the National Parks Conservation Association, stated that the growth in visitor numbers is one of the greatest challenges NPS faces. She spoke to the subcommittee via Bloomberg.To combat overcrowding in Zion National Park, Zion National Park uses shuttle buses 4kodiak/Getty ImagesMany parks have implemented timed entry to reduce the volume of vehicles entering their parks. Other parks are looking at shuttle bus services or expanding existing ones to help cut down on car traffic. Even this has its downsides. According to the Press Herald, Zions shuttle service waiting times rose to four hours in summer.President Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure bill currently in negotiation includes a $3.5 Billion allotment to national parks. This would help improve parks infrastructure, create employment, and fund conservation efforts across the country.
