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National Parks Try to Attract Younger Generation

Air Date: 05/26/2012

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National Parks Try to Attract Younger Generation

LESTER HOLT, anchor:

Thousands of people will spend this holiday weekend taking in the history and beauty of America's national parks, but now the parks find themselves competing for the business of younger Americans. The average age of visitors is climbing, along with worries over the future of these national treasures. More now from NBC's Gabe Gutierrez.

Unidentified Woman #1: Hi there, welcome to Rocky Mountain National Park.

GABE GUTIERREZ, reporting:

In the mountains of Colorado...

Woman #1: Enjoy the day.

GUTIERREZ: ...park rangers are seeing more than green this spring. They're also noticing a little more gray. The average visitor to national parks is getting older. Cyclist John O'Malley has enjoyed the trails for almost half a century.

JOHN O'MALLEY: You do get close to nature.

GUTIERREZ: Apparently, that love of nature isn't what it used to be. Back in 1996, at Death Valley National Park, almost a third of visitors were in their 20s, but in the last few years, that number has dropped to just 11% at Yosemite and 6% at Yellowstone. Here at Rocky Mountain National Park, the average age of visitors as risen to 46. What is the biggest challenge for the parks?

LARRY FREDERICK (Rocky Mountain National Park): Well, right now we see a lot of youth not coming to the parks. I think there are a lot of distractions right now for young people.

GUTIERREZ: Overall attendance at national parks has dropped only slightly in the last two years, but with fewer young visitors, some conservationists worry about what could happen in the decades to come.

TOM KIERNAN (National Parks Conservation Association): If we do not do a better job of inviting young people to the National Parks and providing the funding to be able to do that, the parks will become less relevant.

GUTIERREZ: So the park service is mounting a campaign to attract children.

Unidentified Boy #1: It's really cool.

GUTIERREZ: Like this school group just outside of Washington, DC.

JON JARVIS (National Park Service): They get excited. They discover things. For them to know that not only they can come back, but they own this place, this is their park.

GUTIERREZ: Back on Colorado...

Unidentified Man: Three, two, one.

GUTIERREZ: ...the Shaffer family's also fighting the trend.

Unidentified Woman #2: It's sad to see that the next generation will almost maybe perhaps forget this.

GUTIERREZ: Driving their kids and grandkids all the way from Ohio.

Woman #2: It rejuvenates you to see all the wonder.

GUTIERREZ: The goal: to leave their computers behind.

Unidentified Boy #2: You can't capture it on a picture. You have to be there to see it.

GUTIERREZ: And nurture their love of nature for a lifetime. Gabe Gutierrez, NBC News, at Rocky Mountain National Park.