The Shenandoah National Park Trust and the Shenandoah National Park held a conference Wednesday in downtown Charlottesville.
The SNPT is the official non-profit private organization which supports the preservation of the Shenandoah National Park, an effort which in large part involves encouraging private donations and promoting public awareness about the park’s decrease in government funding.
SNPT was established in 2004, but trust spokesperson Mary Alex said the public-private partnerships are a more recent innovation.
SNPT Trustee Chairman David Aldrich said private philanthropy plays an integral role in supporting the park. Private contributions from civilians and local businesses directly sustain the SNPT — and, by extension, Shenandoah National Park itself.
Local philanthropy is the backbone of the SNPT’s funding, with a heavy emphasis placed on the monetary contributions within the community from residents and local institutions.
“About one-third of the funding that the SNPT receives is from local sources,” Alex said, adding that 80 percent comes from inside the commonwealth. “It’s from local foundations and local philanthropists who support this park. ... People who give to us understand that their taxes no longer cover all the issues that go on in public parks.”
SNPT hosted Park Superintendent Jim Northup to address the current state of the park as well as the role of the public-private partnership.
“The trust is helping us to continue the programs in the park,” Northup said. “Our budgets have been flat or declining for a number of years.”
SNPT's contributions to the park account for 2 percent of the park’s total budget and the park has little discretionary funding for professional development and other departments. Aldrich said entrance fees and government funding are not sufficient in sustaining the park's daily operations.
Northrup said these financial difficulties could potentially result in a crumbling park infrastructure, and that maintaining the ecological integrity of the park has become increasingly difficult in the light of insufficient funding.
The park uses money SNPT contributes to directly maintain the park and provide recreational programs to park visitors, such as Eagle Scout projects and programs which integrate the Shenandoah experience with educational programs within the area.
“The trust is ultimately helping us continue these programs,” Northup said.
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