The best nature money can buy.
Love the great outdoors? Better get out your wallet.
The National Park Service has proposed a fee increase to $70 per car to enter 17 "highly visited national parks" during peak seasons.
That's right: Yellowstone, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and 14 other parks would could cost $70 to enter, up from around $25 to $30. Sorry families looking to enjoy nature! The U.S. government will need that money to come from somewhere to pay for Donald Trump's tax cuts for the wealthy.
But there is something you can do: the proposal is open to public comment, and you can share your thoughts here. (It only lasts 30 days, ending Nov. 23, so get on it.) And, as always, you can contact your senator or congressperson.
The fee increase would be a horribly regressive way to pay for "improvements to the aging infrastructure of national parks." For lots of families, national parks are the only way to experience the great outdoors and take a budget-friendly vacation at the same time.
Obviously, a lot of people are extremely upset.
Overall, it's not been a great couple of days for Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who is ultimately responsible for the national park proposal, as well as the uproar over a $300 million contract given to a two-person company from his hometown to restore power to Puerto Rico.