Back when President Bush was candidate Bush, he made a point of promising to eliminate the maintenance backlog that existed within the National Park Service. Now that promise has moved into “managing” the backlog.

Our national parks have shifted perilously close to the crisis stage. To bring our parks back to a normal operating level is an enormous undertaking that will require the hard work and effort of a dedicated park staff and the financial resources to back them up. Unfortunately, the needed funds are not being supplied. The National Park Service does not have a routine, systematic process for determining its maintenance backlog, according to the General Accounting Office. They need to establish a standard procedure to prioritize the needed work and operate as one entity, rather than a fragmented assembly of individual parks.

One result of the lack of funding is that backcountry animal poaching, destruction of plants and damage to archaeological sites is occurring because of reduced patrols. In Acadia National Park, we are seeing the roads, campgrounds, water and electric systems deteriorate faster than they can be maintained.

I believe in keeping our country strong, but I also believe in keeping it beautiful. We could start by struggling along with only 10,000 nuclear bombs and by eliminating the huge tax rebates to the rich. We need to have beautiful parks, education for children, health care and jobs for all who can work.

Albert Larson

Orono