2007 Proud sponsorship agreement between Coca Cola and the National Park Service. The agreement allows Coke to use any of the National Park Service's logos, as well as the National Park Foundation. Non-profit organizations are digging into agreements such as this, and calling for increased transparency from the NPS and NPF concerning agreements with corporate sponsorships such as this. A question is proposed by organizations like PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) of if not through sponsors, how should we pay for our parks?

The outdoor recreation industry is a $646 Billion one, directly offers 6.1 million jobs, with $145bn in camping gear alone such as tents and hammocks. This report of the Outdoor Recreation Economy breaks down sectors of the outdoor market. Appalachian Trail Hikers can spend a range of almost nothing to thousands of dollars on clothes, boots and shoes, backpacks, and everything they need for their hike. All the while they are being targeted by corporations and influenced by marketing. While they are on the trail, hikers can become human billboards, sporting logos of companies almost unaware.

Globalization, social media, increased outdoor spending, and rising popularity all thrown together is the recipe for issues the Appalachian Trail faces today. Complaints of soiling the purity of the trail with heavy foot traffic of thru-hikers and the logos, sport, and competitiveness that comes with it. Even the average hiker can become a sponsored thru-hiker just by wearing a branded t-shirt, take some pictures, and conduct interviews to receive some spending cash.

The National Park Service, as well as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, receives minimal funding from the US government. Recently the NPS was given further budget cuts, being told they should increase their self-generating revenue, forcing them to increase admission costs. Another way the NPS and ATC have been getting money is through sponsors, donors, and corporate partnerships. The National Park Service had a 2016 federal budget of just under $3 billion USD. This is not nearly enough to repair deteriorating infrastructure and inadequate status of parks and trails. The National Park Foundation tries to create around a yearly $1 billion endowment fund, though this is usually accomplished through unhealthy intrusions of corporations.