The federal budget includes a $1.5 million boost to Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s $17.2 million annual budget.
The
Smokies’ funding is part of Bush’s Centennial Initiative, which calls
for an additional $100 million annually for the next ten years to help
prepare America’s national parks for the National Park Service’s 100th
Anniversary in 2016.
Part of that $1.5 million “base increase”
will allow the Smokies to completely fund the cost of pay raises and
other cost increases such as fuel and utilities.
It also funds expansion of the park’s volunteer program by increasing the staff to recruit, train and supervise more volunteers.
It
will also allow the park to hire 55 seasonal employees who perform
routine maintenance, visitor information and visitor protection duties.
