rk fees to rise by $5 in June” in the April 25 edition of The Leader, I’m heartened by progress Congress is making toward addressing the $11 billion maintenance backlog at national parks across the country, including the $152 million needed to fix broken infrastructure at Olympic National Park. 

Legislators are considering legislation that would provide dedicated, reliable funding to draw down the maintenance backlog over time. 

Rep. Derek Kilmer, a cosponsor of one such bill, deserves our thanks and support as he continues to be a proponent of this important issue. 

It’s National Park Week, so it’s a good time to take stock of all that national parks mean to our communities – historically, culturally and economically. 

Olympic National Park’s 3.4 million annual visitors add about $385 million to our local economy and support more than 3,500 jobs. We need to keep the parks affordable for everyone and well-maintained, and the moderate entrance fees and legislative action around the deferred maintenance issue indicate we’re on the right track. 

Now we just need to keep up the momentum.