The number of people visiting Oregon’s state parks has skyrocketed during the past decade, hitting a record 51 million visits in 2016.
But the number of park rangers hasn’t changed much during the same period, officials said, leading to challenges in keeping parks clean and facilities up to date.
To remedy that, parks officials want to hire an additional 42 rangers and put an extra $1 million into the budget for maintaining and improving parks during the coming two years.
Money would come from the park’s main funding sources — the Oregon Lottery and fees from visitors and RV registration. Parks do not receive funding from the taxpayer general fund.
Read more at the Statesman Journal.