Entrepreneurs bring in revenue for U.S. parks

The venture was borne out of a trip to Yosemite, home of Half Dome, that was canceled because the park was closed in 1995

November 8, 1999
Web posted at: 12:22 p.m. EST (1722 GMT)

Two creative freelance professionals turned entrepreneurs have come up with a way to boost funding for America's national parks. Joe Galliani and Mike Baggetta started The Parks Company National Parks Catalog two years ago, pledging to donate 5 percent of every sale from their unique catalog to America's national parks. In the past 28 months, they've donated more than $20,000 for national park programs and improvements.

"It was obvious to us that the national parks needed outside funding help if they were going to survive and thrive into the next century. We thought they could use other help as well," said Galliani. "We decided to apply our talents, contacts and resources to do for the national parks what we'd been doing for our corporate entertainment and licensing clients. We viewed the national parks as a classic under promoted, under marketed, under appreciated treasure just waiting for America to reawaken to, love, adopt and bring into their everyday lives."

The idea for the catalog first surfaced in 1995.

"In late 1995 our national parks, along with the rest of the federal government, were closed for more than three weeks, while the politicians in Washington played a game of "chicken" with the budget. Mike and I had to cancel a winter trip to Yosemite because of the closure. It made us mad and it caused to us do some homework on what was going on with national parks funding. What was going on was an ever-growing budget gap of repair, maintenance, preservation and manpower needs that had been put off because of lack of money. The list of work waiting to be done went back decades in some cases," said Galliani.

For two years the pair spent countless hours learning the tricks of the catalog trade.

"The catalog business is a very unique animal. We chose not to rent mailing lists and decided to only send the catalog to those who wanted it. That was also better environmentally," said Galliani. "We designed an ad campaign and put ads in magazines like Sunset, Sierra, Outside, Backpacker, Smithsonian and the New York Times."

Twenty-five people received the first National Parks Catalog, published in July of 1997. The mailing list has grown to 60,000 and Galliani expects that to double in the next two months.

High-quality clothing and hats with national park logos are featured in the National Parks Catalog.

Whether thumbing through the catalog or viewing more than 500 products online, customers can order hats and clothing labeled with national park logos, National Parks Monopoly game, Pendleton national park blankets, art, jewelry, guidebooks, hand-painted hiking medallions and stuffed animals.

The most popular items so far are the reproduced Works Progress Administration National Park posters from the 1930s. While the Great Depression impoverished America and war raged in Europe, the federal government put thousands of artists to work through the Federal Arts Project. The posters were not seen as works of art in their day and so only Grand Canyon National Park saved the original poster. The Parks Company located some originals and has reproduced them the same old-fashioned way the first posters were created - as handmade silk-screen prints.

And while Galliani and Baggetta don't mind searching for unique catalog items to reproduce for the ultimate benefit of the national parks, he feels the National Park Service needs to take a better stand for increased funding. "It's time the people responsible for running, protecting and promoting our national parks had some accountability," said Galliani.

"Even though we have a passion for what we're doing, the truth is there shouldn't be a need for The Parks Company to provide outside funding for the parks. If our national parks were taken care of the way they're supposed to be, the way the overwhelming majority of Americans feel that they should be, our crown jewels wouldn't be crumbling," said Galliani.

The partners also realize the Parks Company does not have the ability to donate the $9 billion the park service estimates it currently needs for mandatory improvements, repair and maintenance. That's why they've started a new campaign called One for the Parks.

One for the Parks is a grassroots campaign to require that one percent of the federal budget surplus be used to pay off the $9 billion park budget gap.

"Ever since the talk about how to use the budget surplus began this summer we were waiting for the voice of today's John Muir to ring out on behalf of taking care of the national parks. When we didn't hear that voice we knew we had a responsibility to speak out ourselves," said Galliani. "If the parks had to suffer when our economy was down and our budgets were in deficit, it's only fair and logical that they be made right when we're back in the black and the economy is booming."

"A trillion dollar surplus is projected over the next decade. Just one percent of that surplus would pay for the entire national park budget backlog and put the parks on level ground to begin the next century," he said.

The Parks Company recently published its third edition National Parks catalog, which is available online or by calling (888)727-5726.

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