We are going to take a quick recess. Mr. Reynolds you bet. We will take a quick recess and be back. Mr. Reynolds see you soon. Thank you mr. Chairman. It is worth noting for the public that the reason we had to go to recess is because actually the majority would not succeed in passing an appropriations bill so they brought us to the floor to try to wipe out two endangered species including bass and the lesser prairie chicken. It is unfortunate that is the state of our nation but here we are in the last day of voting before recess. Mr. Reynolds, we do so appreciate you being here today. I would like to ask a few questions about Climate Change, about the current challenges that the Parks Services are facing generally and tribal comanagement and how you are using the Inflation Reduction Act ones. Big picture, could you talk to us about what do you see as the Biggest Challenges right now that the park service is facing and how can we in congress address that . Mr. Reynolds i mentioned housing which is that a broader category of one of the number one priority is, the thriving workforce. I think any suggestions that you hear from constituents or employees that come to you, we would be all ears. We are trying to empower, diversify, and provide housing as we discussed before the break and try to deal with workloads that comes back from our surveys. The other thing we are focused on is climate, and the impacts also being able to maintain good Visitor Experiences as environments are changing. This is going to be factoring into the g aoa investment and is a question, if you will send Design Review and except ability and things like that. I would say it this way. The love and use of parks im trying to come up with a term that is not overcrowding but we have a strange dilemma in that many parks are exceeding as i am sure you are aware, recordbreaking cetacean. Visitation. Zion National Park is an example. There are 426 units in the National Parks system and some are underutilized. We are focused on how to steer the American People to the full american story represented in the system. Dealing with how to have a quality Visitor Experience and take care of the resources and heavily visited places and get folks to understand their parks is another one. I know its in new mexico, we struggle with that challenge. There is a double edged sword in that having that a federal recognition and protection of these beautiful and important places brings greater attention and protection but also brings as you stated, over love of some of the spaces and we are struggling with that in some of our areas. In terms of the challenges, Climate Change challenges that they posed for the parks, this summer, the southwest was covered in a heat dome. An historic fires in canada have brought smoke which descended down across all of the u. S. And, of course, the historic drought and climate and water challenges that represent the representative lee talked about across the west. As the Parks Service is about modeling and looking at finances in your mandates, what do you see is the biggest challenge and opportunity to really address these challenges Going Forward . What will you need to manage our parks in a time of a changed climate . Mr. Reynolds thank you for that. It varies depending on the environment youre talking about but if i could think of some high priority areas, we will need to make sure that we are held accountable to design as we invest in things that will be resilience. We were talking to representative lee about her districts issues sorry it has issues of the lakes but will be put in a new boat ramp, we think ahead with landing and science teams about what will and work with partners and communities about what does a resilient dock system look like to maintain access when it goes up and down . Some of our science folks are telling us it is not necessarily a linear regression with Climate Change. You might have one year that is heavy snow in the another with heavy drought. That is something we are looking at. On the resource side of things, we have a lot of conversations with our science teams about whether and how we deal with species that might be falling out of their range. And how to deal with investing in the right landscape treatments or fire. Those come to mind as huge challenges right now. Thank you. We mentioned it a moment ago but the Inflation Reduction Act was a largest investment in Climate Change accompanying the bipartisan infrastructure law and the significant down payment that we have made on our National Parks alongside, of course, the lw cf funding that we made permanent a few years ago which is crucial to the future and Climate Resilience of these special places. We appreciate your stewardship and i yield back. I want to warn the gentlelady to be careful what she asked for. They always come back and bite you. Be careful. The gentleman from montana is recognized for five minutes. Thank you mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, thank you and representative stansberry for holding this hearing. Country has faced overcrowding in Visitor Experience issues due to the lack of staff and inadequate management since the pandemic 2020. As recreational visits begin to climb back up to precovid numbers, these issues are becoming more glaring. The current structures in the parks cannot handle this renewed influx of people and we need proper management techniques applied by the parks to make sure that no ones Visitor Experience is hampered by overcrowding. There is more to the numbers of visitors going to the park. It is about the experience, and i think you probably recognize that. However, at the same time, i received many reports even from fellow members of the congressional body of issues they have had trying to book and register for the National Parks visit, especially glacier National Park in my home state. While timed entry is vital to allow my constituents and tourists to enjoy their time at the parks, the process should serve as something other than a roadblock or deterrent for anyone coming looking booking a trip. I asked the National Park service and Deputy Director to come up with a comprehensive plan that can effectively deal with overcrowding problems while at the same time providing an easy streamlined process that people of all ages and walks of life can understand and use. The current overcrowding not only has harmful effects on the Visitor Experience, but also on the wildlife that calls these parts home. We heard reports from yellowstone where the bear sightings in parking lots in other areas and wastewater systems collapsed due to overuse sending sewage into rivers and streams where the fish reside. These issues are a result of overcrowding and we must solve this issue while maintaining open and accessible parks for all who are interested. I know this is no easy task, but with the help of these agencies highly qualified Civil Engineers into practice practical reasonable solution may be found. I look forward to hearing the testimony of the deputy rector today and hope we can find Bipartisan Solutions to these issues plaguing our parks today. Thank you. Ok, mr. Reynolds, are there any Civil Engineers currently working or employed by the department focusing on lowering the congestion across the parks system . Mr. Reynolds we do have a collection of Civil Engineers who tend to work on the sewer Treatment Facilities or drainage and things like that. I dont actually know if there is a Civil Engineer working on the overcrowding side but there are transportation planner engineers that are specialists in the management and contractors that we bring them to do that. We are looking at those. You know the glacier situation very well but we have a lot expertise inhouse and out of house helping us with those planning efforts. So, i worked very closely with superintendent shelley in yellowstone and he is doing an incredible job there. Mr. Reynolds the recovery from the flood . Record time after the floods last year. Going to the park, the wastewater systems are really, really being strained down there. Number two, housing for the staffing is an incredible challenge. The housing issue, they are beginning to address. Housing around the country is a big issue in the cost of it. They are building some Housing Units on the park to make sure that and nice units so they can attract and retain employees that they need. But i am really concerned with the wastewater projects and Potable Water projects and having a Development Background myself, they take a lot of time and it is very expensive. Do you have a Civil Engineer looking specifically at that . Mr. Reynolds yes, absolutely. I want to thank you for the support for the Great Americans outdoor act. It has been a big boost that we needed to take on those treatment plans. The superintendent and his team put forward a lot of top priorities. There are at least three to have to do with the Wastewater Treatment plans. Mammoth, old faithful, those areas. These are things no one wants to deal with but they most they are the most expensive and Resource Preservation things you can do. They are a top rarity in the funding stream and and develop it now. It has also been my experience that if you can start putting even minor amenities in different locations around the park that you are able to draw some of the visitors to these other areas instead of having them all concentrated in the typical areas that they have been accustomed to going to . Mr. Reynolds yeah, thats true. Social media is amplifying at certain places and people show up. We need to add that to let people know there are other gems they can visit. Thank you very much. My time is expired. I yield back. I will recognize myself for five minutes. Last year in june, the secretary directed the department of interior to phase out the procurement sale and distribution of singleuse plastic by 2032. What is the current status of the National Park service and the efforts in developing his plans . Mr. Reynolds thank you, mr. Chair. It is in various stages. We have started it where we can. Our concessionaires, i must throw them a compliment. The private sector is stepping up and discussing things with the Business Services spoke about how to cheat folks about how to change their products to be nonplastic oriented and recyclable and compostable. I dont have an exact percentage but we can follow up and give you that. We are in the early planning and implementation phases. How much money did the nps spend in fy 22 and what is the highest projected spending for fy 23 . Mr. Reynolds overall budget . How much for the Plastics Recycling . Mr. Reynolds i will have developed. I dont have an answer for that. You know the total cost of the transition for the 10 implementation period . Mr. Reynolds i am not aware that we have one but im sure we do somewhere. It is nice to know where we are going. Mr. Reynolds yeah. As use stated, arizona has 22 National Parks with an average of 10 million visitors per year coming to the parks. The Economic Impact is over 1 billion per year. One of the things that visitors enjoy the park is typically those who are short on time or have physical disabilities act being able to see the parks. This is our air tours. They are a great way to see the parks, especially for those who have mobility issues. Recently ive been hearing from the air tour operators and issue about the service not listening to the advice of the National Parks advisory group. I am concerned about the upcoming discussions related to the air tour Management Plan and shutting down lately in the National Parks. Can i get a commitment from you to work with the committee on this effort . Mr. Reynolds yes. We are working with many parks on air tour management lands. We will continue to work closely with you or whoever can step up to the public process. Can i get a yes or no to seek the counsel of the National Parks oversight Advisory Board particularly as it relates to the Economic Impact in these gateway communities . Mr. Reynolds yes. We will talk to any oversight folks along with the faa who was our prime partner in this. Thank you. The grand canyon currently has 829 million in deferred maintenance and repairs which is becoming a great challenge for the staff who run the park and impacts overall Visitor Experience. It the second most visited part in america. Do you agree it should be a priority for the park service to resolve issues that the grand canyon park has asap . Mr. Reynolds yes. We are working very hard. That is a great news about along with the Sewage Treatment plants, the grand canyon has a water supply and we have a project thanks to the gao a and wreck the money is to get that water system fix. That is one of the things i really wanted to hit was the water supply on the issue. I want to come back to the overflight effect. How receptive would you be to that board in regards to their plans . Mr. Reynolds i am not super familiar with the board and its make up but we would listen and are trying to be as transparent as we can in the planning effort so i cannot see what we would not want to work with them. I think they felt like they have come up with some rather Interesting Solutions and yet have not been heard. I thought it would be very interesting to see how you could work with them. Mr. Reynolds yeah. A lot of these people only go over the airspace. They are from somewhere else or ms. Lees district and have their outfit at the Mccarran Airport and they fly over there and keep their trash all the way until they come back at mccarran. I think it would be a great thing. Well, i am running short of time. You want a quick second round . I could ask more questions. Mr. Reynolds, what type of feedback are you receiving and how are you collecting it in regards to the staggered attendance through grace or through glacier park another parks . Mr. Reynolds we started the pilot programs and i think glacier needs to move next to a more formal planning which would involve public involvement. They have gotten positive comments about the overall experience. They have, as you mentioned in your earlier remarks, frustrations about ordering, but the park has responded to those. A quick example, they have been watching the feedback to the point where they changed on the fly how the tickets were allocated and they also have change the hours so you can come into glacier if you perhaps are on a road trip and did not realize the reservation or dont have online. You can come in before 7 00 or after 3 00, which is pretty decent times especially if youre just trying to go to the sun rose. They are trying very much to work with people on eight. It is not about prevention. It is about making experiences work and try to get people i guess more certainty that they would also spend time in the community. How are you collecting information from visitors . Mr. Reynolds online input. We are taking any comments dropped off at a visitor facility. We have open, periods much like you would see in a planning process. You have anyone taking this data and organizing it and establishing some kind of matrix that says we have problem with the hours, a problem with the amount of time we are allowed to spend their, a problem with the advance notice that is required . Is somebody evaluating that and actually creating the is matrix . Mr. Reynolds short answer, yes, and we will share that with the public. That is the only way we can measure the results and find out with the travelers cost for experience is like. What other methods are used to stagger attendance times or days nomination . I am familiar with glacier but our other park systems using staggering eco mr. Reynolds yes. Theres a whole system of different strategies. The National Park in utah has something similar about timed entry whereas before they were shutting the gate down once the parking lots and roads were completely packed. That has been well received by the Moab Community as well because people know they will go in at a certain time they spend money at restaurants, hang out into other activities in town. We also are trying to, i mentioned earlier the social media and web space. We have a program called planet like a park ranger where we encourage people to know a list of things that they can do that are outside the park in the community as well as other parts are parks in the zone. There are different places to go. My time has expired. The chair of the whole committee is recognized for five minutes. Thank you chairman. Thank you to the Deputy Director reynolds for being