Tourism industry part of park service?

A recent job posting on the National Park Service's (NPS) Web site is looking for an assistant to the associate director for tourism. The assistant's duties would be to act as a "liaison between the NPS and the tourism industry." The job requires candidates to be able to "expand tourism programs that promote private sector support of the NPS mission."

Qualified applicants should have "knowledge of all aspects of the tourism industry." And, it said, they must be able to "teach the practices, operations and expectations of the tourism industry to NPS management." This is a two-year assignment with a six-figure salary range.

Several national park watchdog groups are fearful that this position is the start of a trend toward mingling federal programs with private interest groups.

"In its quest to 'Disney-fy' the park system, the Park Service risks sacrificing the very qualities that make national parks special and worth visiting," stated Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Executive Director Jeff Ruch, who pointed to the year-long "Partnership Agreement" that the Park Service has had with the Travel Industry Association of America. "By reaching out indiscriminately for every corporate opportunity, the Park Service may suffer unintended side effects of promiscuous partnering." NPS spokesman Dave Barna said the position is designed to attract more visitors to the national parks through the help of the tourism industry.