Scotts Bluff monument shows age

LINCOLN — After more than 90 years, Scotts Bluff National Monument is showing its age.

The western Nebraska monument needs increased funding and staffing to protect its resources, according to a report by the National Parks Conservation Association.

Deferred maintenance costs alone currently top $1.6 million, said Lynn McClure, Midwest regional director for the conservation group.

The report also calls for expanding the national monument's boundaries to include nearby historic features and to protect and restore prairie habitat.

Scotts Bluff National Monument was created in 1919 to preserve the history of the early settlers on the Oregon Trail, who used the bluff as a landmark in their migration west in the mid-19th century. The park's visitor center was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and needs major repairs.

“The visitor center is very crowded, and we really don't have enough room to adequately tell the story of the Oregon Trail,'' said Kevin Howard, Scotts Bluff County tourism director.

The visitor center includes administrative offices, exhibits and the Oregon Trail Museum.

The museum contains a collection of American Indian artifacts and the largest collection of photographs and artwork by William Henry Jackson, a renowned artist of the westward migration.

However, the museum lacks the climate-controlled storage necessary to preserve artifacts and artwork. It also lacks space to display more than about 2 percent of its collection. About 25 percent of the museum's collection has not been cataloged.

“The buildings are definitely getting old,” said Howard. “Our concern is more about the visitors and their experience while they're at the monument. We want them to have a good experience and not feel rushed to go through the museum because there's not enough room.”

The park attracted more than 111,000 visitors in 2008 and had an operating budget of $813,925 that year, according to the conservation group. Since 2001, the operating budget has grown by only $10,000 annually.

The National Park Service would like to add 1,240 acres to the park's existing 3,003 acres.

“We need to add about half or two-thirds the number of square feet we have now,” said Ken Mabery, superintendent of the park.

Adding more land would protect wildlife and provide an important buffer against non-native species, the park service says. The park includes a native mixed-grass prairie habitat and 27 prairie restoration sites that help battle the effects of drought and infestations of non-native, invasive plant species.

An expanded park also would protect the natural habitat from urban development.

“We in western Nebraska have always been very proud of the monument,” said Howard. “That's a selling point for a house out here, if you have a view of the monument.”

But houses in some instances have been built to the edge of the park's existing land.

“You love something to death and you want the best view of it,” said Nancy Haney, who works at the Farm and Ranch Museum in Gering.

People living nearby formed Friends of the Bluff, a group that works to clear trails and protect accessibility to the monument.

McClure said $111,000 in federal stimulus money was provided to the park, but that does not begin to cover the $1.6 million backlog of needed repairs.

Mabery is looking for other ways to increase funding. He hopes creating partnerships with local businesses and schools will build awareness of the importance of conservation and dra more local funding for repairs.

Mabery said he also is working with U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., to move up visitor center improvements on the priority list of the National Park Service.

“Nebraskans should be very proud of their national parks,” Mabery said. “It would be helpful if they could take that pride one step further and invest more into their parks.”

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