National Park Foundation raises private funds to enhance parks

National Park Foundation Vice President of Government Relations Paul Coussan talks about its support for the National Park Service, which this week celebrates its 110th year. Coussan says the foundation is the dedicated nonprofit partner for the parks. Established by Congress the foundation raises private donations to support trail building, ranger housing, and other needs. It also promotes the parks through stories that highlight their natural and historic sites. He says Utah's groups provide similar support to its own parks, including Zion Forever, Friends of Zion and Canyonlands while working in concert with the park service. He says a recent major investment in the parks is the Legacy Restoration Fund. The bipartisan effort has funded $6 million in projects, including a facelift at Zion's south campground and water and electrical infrastructure at Canyonlands. The foundation recently awarded $10 million in innovation grants for projects including parking locator services and drones to aid rescue missions. Coussan also notes the parks are wildly popular and provide economic benefits to their nearby communities. In recent years, visitors spent $2 billion visiting Utah's five national parks.