How many Americans will see crumbling parks this summer?

In 2000, candidate Bush, in campaign stops in the West, invoked the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt and charged that because of the Clinton administration's neglect, the national parks were "in worse shape than ever before."

Bush promised to spend $5 billion over five years to restore what he described as the nation's crumbling park system. But three years after his vow, the administration has spent only $2.3 billion, according to an analysis by the National Parks Conservation Association.

In the meantime, the maintenance backlog in the parks seems to be growing. A January report by the General Accounting Office estimated the value of deferred maintenance at between $4 billion and $6.8 billion.

When the nation's terrorism alert increases from yellow to orange, the Park Service dispatches 200 security rangers from parks in the West to monuments and memorials in the East, including the Washington Monument. The rangers stay in nearby hotels for the duration of the heightened alert.

David Barna, the chief spokesman for the Park Service, said this costs about $2 million a month and the agency has no alternative but to take some of that money from the repair and maintenance budget.

The budget for repairs in western parks, which already have huge maintenance backlogs, was cut this spring by 28 percent.

To understand how budget cuts and job anxiety are playing out on the ground, consider Mount Rainier National Park, where 1.3 million people a year visit a 14,410-foot volcano southeast of Seattle.

Administrators of the park have been instructed this spring to absorb a 40 percent cut in their repair budget. The order halted plans to fix a rotting footbridge and a dilapidated backcountry ranger cabin. The bridge and cabin are part of a $90 million maintenance backlog in the park.

Dave Uberuaga, superintendent at Mount Rainier, said the $273,000 that would have been spent this year to fix the bridge and cabin will instead pay for an 18-month privatization study by consultants. They will examine whether the government could save money by replacing 60 percent of the 112 federal employees in the park with contract workers.