Zion & Bryce still open; money running out

By Brice Wallace 

While state and partner money to keep basic services operating at Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks could last for a few weeks, if not months, state officials believe another funding authorization will be needed soon.

In response to a partial federal government shutdown that began Dec. 22, the state recently opted to forgo building a traveler welcome center in St. George in order to put $80,000 toward funding visitor services and custodial services at Zion and Bryce Canyon. Those funds have been augmented by various partner organizations.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

But Vicki Varela, managing director of tourism, film and global branding at the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), told the GOED board last week that about $62,000 of that amount had been spent so far.

“We’re really stretching the dollars with these strong partnerships,” Varela said, cautioning that an authorization for additional funding could be needed in two to three weeks.

Beyond that, she said, she is unsure what course to take if, as President Trump has said, the shutdown lasts for “months or even years.”

“We need additional guidance, direction, from the governor and Legislature about what we do if President Trump’s vision plays out, and I don’t know the answer to that,” Varela said. “I can tell you, the governor and legislative leadership … have all expressed a commitment to stand by the national parks in whatever ways we can.”

Working with various partners, the visitor centers have remained open at Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks. All other federal welcome centers are closed. All state parks and facilities are open. Varela said Capitol Reef and Canyonlands national parks typically have “extremely low winter visitation.” Arches National Park’s superintendent closed that park following a snow storm; it also has low winter visitation.

“If we’re looking at this same situation late February and early March, then you start getting into high visitation at Arches, and we need to plan,” Varela said. “The challenge is if this does go on as we start to get into our spring visitation, we do need direction, a set of guiding principles and a tool kit — beyond what we currently have — to try to keep those parks pristine and keep the visitor experience positive.”

At stake for communities near the parks is a potentially huge economic hit. Last May, the Interior Department said direct tourist spending at Utah’s national parks, national monuments and historic sites totaled $1.1 billion in 2017, when combined visitation reached 15.2 million people. That placed Utah fifth among the states in total economic impact. Visitor spending and labor income combined to equal $1.7 billion in direct economic output.

Zions led the way with $341 million in tourism spending, prompted by a record 4.5 million visitors. Bryce Canyon totaled $256 million.

Varela said Gov. Gary Herbert authorized her team to negotiate park-by-park to ensure customers were well-served and natural resources were protected during the shutdown. The customized arrangements have included those with the Zion Forever Project, Washington County and city of St. George to fund the Zion visitor center, and the Bryce Canyon Natural History Association to fund the Bryce Canyon center.

“We had tremendous feedback from the visitors — people who just wrote us glowing emails and thanked us profusely for what we did to keep this open,” said Val Hale, GOED’s executive director.

Varela added a few other silver linings stemming from the situation. “The longer the shutdown has gone on, the more that Utah has differentiated from national parks all over the country, where you hear horrible stories about trash and sewage and so forth,” she said.

The $62,000 spent through the middle of last week, she said, was “the best investment I’ve ever been able to make because I’m so inspired by the way Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park are continuing to deliver amazing services to customers, with very little money to work with.”

GOED board members broke out in applause for the work done by Varela and her staff, which included handling website-based inquiries on Christmas Day. They also have been posting updated information at visitutah.com/shutdown.

“Way to go!” board member Ted Wilson told her.

“It’s been amazing and inspiring to me, the way people have worked together,” Varela said. “It really is all these things we say about how we can get things done in Utah.”

Looking longer-term, Hale said he hopes to meet with state legislators to consider approaches for future federal government shutdowns. Jerry Oldroyd, the GOED board chairman, asked if a “a federal government shutdown rainy day fund” is the answer.

“That might be exactly what it could be called, I don’t know,” Hale said.{/mprestriction}