When you pay to enter Yosemite, Zion, or Crater Lake, that money is supposed to go back into America's national parks. But the Trump administration has spent at least $67 million in park entrance fees on ornamental fountains and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. — cosmetic projects the president wants completed by July 4th.

Meanwhile, the national parks that collected those fees are falling apart. Shenandoah's scenic roads have crumbling walls. Crater Lake has potholed roads, mold-closed housing, and aging emergency vehicles. Zion's sewer system failed years ago and has been replaced with port-a-potties. The National Park Service carries an estimated $23 billion in deferred maintenance nationwide.

Over 90 percent of the Park Service's recent fee spending went to D.C.-based projects — compared to just 5 percent or less under previous administrations. One $17.4 million no-bid contract to fix two fountains near the White House wasn't even publicly disclosed.

America's national parks belong to everyone. The fees visitors pay should fix crumbling roads and failing water systems — not decorate Washington for a presidential vanity deadline.

Tell the Trump administration: put park fees back where they belong.

Photo: Eric Garcia/The Independent