The Department of Interior will contribute $53 million to the National Park Service this year with funds going to 42 parks including Grand Teton and Yellowstone. The goal of the incoming money will be to address high priority maintenance projects. For Yellowstone, that means improving trails, retaining walls, and overlooks for the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. For Grand Teton, that will mean improving the visitor area around the popular Jenny Lake.

This money aims to chip away at the National Park Service’s nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog. Scott Christensen, Director of Conservation at the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, said this contribution is a start. 

“It’ll make a difference on these discrete projects that are teed up at many of the parks to be funded by this investment, but it’s really a drop in the bucket compared to the need across the national park system,” Christensen said.

He added that these additional funds for the National Park Service are a smart investment.