Some administrations will go to any length to burnish credentials at the 11th hour. Take the national summit set for July at a private Utah resort for National Park Service leaders.

Questions about the cost, timing and value of the meeting are being raised by superintendents and service officials who will hear from various speakers, some who work for the president, about the great things the Bush administration has done for the system.

Critics call the meeting a useless gathering of politicians who are on their way out the door. They also say the timing is bad and the $1 million cost steals from park budgets already strained by a backlog of unfunded maintenance. President Bush, who came into office vowing to eliminate the backlog, will leave a to-do list longer than the one he inherited.

Bill Wade, retired superintendent of Shenandoah National Park, said the point is to bolster the legacy of the administration in its last year and extol the efforts of the administration "when most of us believe they've done far more harm than good."

It's too late for the Bush administration, but the best legacy is a parks system that is well-staffed, in good repair and a treasure to all Americans.