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Sequestration Will Have Deep Impact On National Parks
A few weeks ago we shared leaked documents that gave us a glimpse of how the looming budget sequestration could impact America's national parks. Those documents indicated that the National Park Service would implement a hiring freeze, push back the hiring of seasonal help and possibly cut hours and services in order to deal with the potential lack of funds. At the time, we speculated that those choices could have an impact on the overall experience for park visitors this year but as more details emerge it seems that reduced staff is just the tip of the iceberg.According to a new report from the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees (CNPSR), the same source that shared the original leaked documents, the direct impact of sequestration on some of the country's top national parks is becoming much clearer – not to mention grimmer. Some of the specific cuts include a delayed opening of some of the roads into Yellowstone this spring, which would affect more than 78,000 visitors and reduce revenues by $150,000. Similarly, the Grand Canyon would see delayed openings of its East and West Rim Drives, turning away an additional 250,000 visitors as well.
Delayed openings are just the start of the issues that travelers could be facing this year, however, as other parks will be closing down certain areas altogether. For instance, Grand Teton National Park will shutter two visitor centers and a preserve, impacting a combined 300,000 visitors, while Cape Cod National Seashore will close a visitor center as well, turning away 260,000 travelers. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will have to operate without five campgrounds that typically house 54,000 visitors on an annual basis and Mt. Rainier will close its Ohanapecosh Visitor Center, which serves 85,000 people each year.
The CNPSR report has even more information on the impact of sequestration, which automatically goes into effect on March 1 provided the President and Congress aren't able to come to a budget compromise first. The document is a sobering read for fans of the national parks to say the least. I recommend that anyone planning a visit to one of the parks this year checks in ahead of time to find out exactly what services are being cut due to a lack of funds.
[Photo Credit: National Park Service]
Filed under: Climbing, Hiking, North America, United States, Camping, News
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
Don C Feb 21st 2013 6:33PM
OMG maybe people can't go to the park on the tax payer's dime. Where are our priorities?? Besides that, with the price of gas skyrocketing people won't be able to buy the gas to get there anyhow.
llindqu295 Feb 21st 2013 6:29PM
The entire American population has gone thru this downsizing.
Why should Government Workers be any different?
Obama could offer to cut the things that need to be cut.
Clifford Feb 21st 2013 6:28PM
There is a simple solution, why allow our government to be the employer? Or in the entertainment business. Bid it out to independent operaters. Allow small business to take over the operations>>>>>>>>>>>
LLindqu295 Apr 12th 2013 9:52AM
Our govenmet and its officials should have to live under the same laws as
ALL AMERICANS!
tess Feb 21st 2013 7:23PM
Regardless of who blames who it all boiles down to this. The american people are the ones getting screwed. We can complain all we want and it is going to fall on the deaf ears of our government who couldn't give a flying flip about its people. Everyone will complain now but when election time comes again you will all forget and re-elect the same people. So who is stupid, them or us. I personally would like to know what happened to all the money we paid to the park service to enter these parks. 85,000 250,000 people I don't know about you but to me that equates to a chunk of change. Not to mention the taxes that came with it.
llindqu295 Feb 21st 2013 7:06PM
Obama has wanted to downsize our defence dept FOREVER!
This cutback is his and he is LOVING IT!
Craig Feb 21st 2013 9:00PM
Yet we, the US government, can pay over $100 million a year taking care of retired research chimps and horses from the west that are overpopulating the land they are running free on. Special interests got these programs funded and THEY should be the ones paying the costs. Time to stop every nickle and dime fund that should be supported by private donations. Two projects that cost a tenth of a billion PER YEAR and the government funds hundreds of them with annual cost increases every year. Time to shut down the special interest projects.
tweb142 Feb 21st 2013 9:21PM
WHO CARES!
Independent Feb 21st 2013 9:34PM
This article is more B.S. from Team Obama. Sequestration will cut $85 Billion from the budget...that is exactly how much money our government spends every 4.5 days....that's right...4.5 days worth of spending cuts. Not even a dent in the deficit. There is absolutely no need to raise taxes on anyone. CUT THE SPENDING.
dave stopgov Feb 21st 2013 10:38PM
Let met this straight, we're "cutting" the budget by $85 billion out of over $3 trillion (plus), and we are closing SS, Medicare, Defense (850,000 employees), Parks, Meat Inspection, Police, Fire, Teachers, and the kitchen sink. Wow that is amazing! When we did TARP and other Bailouts, it cost us hundreds of thousands per employee, and yet now with all the cuts, it will amount to $10K per employee and department? No wonder we're so screwed up. I don't think $85 billion is sufficient.
PAT KENMIR Feb 22nd 2013 12:07AM
I don't think $85 billion is sufficient. That was the last comment I read by DAVE STOPGOV. I thought that statement was the most appropreate of all of your comments I had so far read. Our America is now so far in Debt that 85 Billion Dollars is just a drop in the bucket at this critical point. Our government needs to really get busy and get serious and begin to make deeper cuts to bring spending under drastic control NOW! Cut Defense spending, 5% per year for the next 5 years. Thats right, that is 25%. That means we bring ALL of our troops home by 2015. We close 1/2 our overseas bases! We don't need 900 overseas bases. we do not need to be the worlds police, because that is what we are and we are the ones paying to be the world police! The world will not pay for it, so we pay for it. STOP ALL FORIEGN AID! They hate us anyways. This means ISREAL TOO! They probably have more money than us anyways. Back to Defense spending. If the Government follows my advice, they would cut the Debt in half in 5 years and be Debt free in 10.
Walters474 Feb 21st 2013 11:28PM
The entrance fees,as they are, are not enough? Maybe the NPS should be self suffiecient. The parks may be less crowded, less human impact, and more enjoyable.
jim Feb 22nd 2013 9:56AM
They call it a downside, sounds more like an upside.
greer Feb 22nd 2013 9:58AM
Seq is badly needed, we have become way too large a Govt run country, far from what made us such a great country the last 75 years. All these liberal/socialist ideas and programs we now have emulate Europe, but look at that region, broke and left to die slowly. Seq will reset the books and allows to start over picking and choosing what we really need to have..if we have issues or difficulties in same areas, oh well, if we really need it then thats where the money can go back to. Expanding food stamps, medicaid, financial aid to illegal aliens are just some of the areas we should change
fletcher Feb 22nd 2013 11:20AM
Planning a big trip out west. Has a time been put on shorter park hours? we will be visiting a lot of np s. from May 5 thru 28. As for politics, we are all to blame for not being more involved in government. So go out and enjoy the great outdoors today.
DBWCB2U Feb 22nd 2013 12:06PM
There is no down side to cutting spending except what Obama will cut. In a $3,600,000,000,000.00 budget cutting $44,000,000,00.00 is NOT alot. After the cuts are done they will still spend $3,556,000,000,000.00. Obama was, is and always will be the biggest liar and the worst President we have ever suffered under.