Craters of the Moon Administrative History

Chapter 10:
CONCESSIONS

CRATERS OF THE MOON NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION

Park service policy for a concession at Craters of the Moon was based on the failure of Crater Inn, limited physical space, the short-term visitor, and the availability of services in Arco and other towns. Therefore, the only services on site necessary were vending machine refreshments and snacks. In short, the "pop machine" satisfied the wants of the windshield tourists, and the Craters of the Moon Natural History Association, which managed the pop machine, filled the role of a concession.

Formed in May 1959, the purpose of the cooperating association extended beyond serving cold drinks. While it provided the basic visitor services in the absence of a concession, the natural history association's main purpose was to help the Park Service preserve and interpret the monument. Growing from a small organization into a sound business, independent of the regional cooperating association, the monument association has been able to make money for Craters through the sales of publications--books, maps, guides, and handouts--for which it supplies nearly all funds to produce. With the profits from these sales, the cooperating association has filled chronic NPS funding gaps for research, land acquisition and special programs, rehabilitation projects, and training in the monument. Many of the research projects supported resource management and interpretive programs. All told, the association enabled the monument to respond to changing needs as they arose, often independent and with out the restrictions of federal funding. [27]