The possibility of national park camping areas being fully privatised at some stage in the future sends a shiver down the spine of most grey nomads.
Indeed, with van parks commonly increasing their services and increasing their prices, budget camping options can already appear severely limited. While it’s true that not all national parks offer genuinely ‘cheap’ stays, they certainly do offer some relief from the relentless van park fees paid by travellers who prefer to stay in managed camping environments.
There can be little doubt that if private camping ground operators were to take over in some of our beautiful national parks, the fees would not be going downwards.
Looking overseas at future trends that might be coming our way, it is gratifying to note that our American counterparts were up in arms at proposal to privatise camping at some of their national parks.
Indeed, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has just been forced to scrap its plans to privatise portions of Honeymoon Island State Park to turn them into high-impact campsites.
“After seeing the public’s reaction, it is clear that this is not the right time to expand camping at Honeymoon Island State Park,” said Governor Rick Scott. “These natural treasures belong to all the tax-paying citizens of this state and it would be unfair to proceed with a plan that so many Floridians are so adamantly opposed to.”
Hooray for commonsense.
The Florida Times reports that every single one of the state’s lawmakers were opposed to the plan and wrote to the Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vineyard to says so.
“Due to the popularity of some sites during holidays or peak camping season, campers have found it difficult to book a camping spot without making reservations months in advance,” said Mr Vineyard. “Regretfully, the Department’s desire to meet the demand and provide this amenity to more Floridians was overshadowed by the timing of the process.”
He went on to say that his department recognised that “adding amenities in state parks should be a citizen-supported effort and should not appear rushed” and that privatization efforts at other state parks will undergo further evaluation.
Good call, Herschel.
