National Park openings delayed by sequestration

[psmart]

In the news today, Acadia National Park will not be opening the park loop road and visitors center until May 19th - one month later than usual - in response to sequestration and a resulting $390,000 budget cut. (5% of the annual budget for the fiscal year ending in September.)

Other parks are expected to be affected as well. No news yet on the impact on the National Forests.

Nothing has been posted on the park web site as yet. Just these news reports:
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/235743/2/Acadia-cuts-services-because-of-budget-cuts
http://www.foxbangor.com/news/local...acadia-national-park-roads-closed-longer.html

And more on Google:
https://www.google.com/#q=acadia+national+park+sequestration

I'm not trying to start a discussion about sequestration in general - just the facts that may effect people's outdoor plans.

(Sorry for the partial duplicate post, but I thought this deserved a new thread.)

 

[Breeze]

If one is halfway conversant with the state and town ( and back road) road system of MDI, and packs along either a Delorme Atlas or a Topo map, very little will be truly unaccessible. No , you won't be able to drive to the summit of Cadillac, and you won't be able to stop at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center, to pee, or shop at ANP Gift Shops until May 19th, but truly, there will be plenty to do in the spring if that is when you plan to go. Blackwoods will be open, you'll be able to drive the Precipice/Beehive/ Sand Beach to Otter Cliffs portion of the Loop, and all trailheads off state and town roads will still be available.

So, for me, this is pretty much a non- issue.

You will find restaurants to serve you food and beverages, places to lay your head, grocery stores, convenience stores, gas for your vehicle and plenty of mud, wet rocks, maybe a few black flies and for sure hungry seagulls.

There is a really good reason that most seasonal business in that area DON"T open until mid-May or Memorial Day, and even if they DO open then, many start with weekend -only, limited staffing and hours. Heck, WE usually open our family cottage in Hancock first week-end of May, and much of the fleet of the Island Explorer Bus system are still mothballed then at Colwell's Garage.

That 220,000 visitor number for April/May is suspect to me, and I'm someone who has spent a good deal of my life in that area.

The year-round businesses in Ellsworth and on MDI should be angry as heck that this is being portrayed in the media as some big whoop-de-doo, and no one should be afraid of going there regardless of this doom and gloom announcement. You'll always find a local ready to help you.

Jordan's Snack Bar opened today in Ellsworth, that in itself is a local sign that Spring has arrived. LLBean in Ellsworth is doubling its retail space before this summer, several long-term convenience stores( including Parkadia at the Island end of the Trenton bridge) are reopening with new ownership. There is good news up there.

Breeze

 

[psmart]

In fact, it extends the bikes-only season for the park loop road! You also get another month of peace on the summit of Cadillac. So I'm not personally complaining, but it will have a big impact on the majority of visitors who stick to the park loop road and want to drive to the main attractions. Many of those folks will stay away until the official opening, and that will have a big impact on the local tourist economy.

 

[spider solo]

These closings are just the tip of the iceberg, though we can't talk politics, we will be some of the 1st to noticed the closings of our parks, boat launches, public places, in the name of finances. It is not a good sign of things to come, the more you shut off a country's citizenship from it's resources, the more vulnerable those places become.
That's about as generic a statement I can make without drifting into politics.. It is just an observation stated as carefully as possible...

 

[Stan]

I'll believe it is a crisis when we stop sending $200 million jets to Egypt.

My plans this year include a couple weeks in Maine and I don't believe either the North Maine Woods or Baxter Park will be impacted.

Later in the summer I was planning to visit some national parks out west and I'm wondering what access we'll have and what facilities will be open. I'll miss the visitor centers and the educational and recreational resources they provide but, frankly, would not put that above food, clothing and shelter for others and can begrudgingly get by without them ... $200 million jets, yes, but not susbsistence. So a plan B is even more important this trip ... though a significant part of the trip is in California and they're as broke as Unlce Sam ... any suggestions as to alternatives to Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon?

 

[DougPaul]

These closings are just the tip of the iceberg, though we can't talk politics, we will be some of the 1st to noticed the closings of our parks, boat launches, public places, in the name of finances.

Another big effect is that maintenance is deferred and the facilities begin to fall apart. And trails that get damaged and don't get repaired.

There is already a large maintenance backlog in many parks...

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Something to keep in mind - the effects of sequestration were meant to be so painful that no one in their right mind would allow the process to actually begin. And, it's not a new concept - NH's own Sen. Rudman helped craft it in a piece of legislation known as the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act in 1985. It's been re-worked over the years, but it was designed to be a type of WMD.

So - don't try to make sense out of why some program/department/service was cut - it's not supposed to be a rational, sensible approach to governing. And, it was designed to be bi-partisan, so that both parties could share in the consequences.

 

[RoySwkr]

It was announced that a popular dead-end road in GSMNP which is the customary access to some 6k peaks will not open this summer

I don't think these cuts are that painful yet, but expect them to get deeper next year

 

[RollingRock]

My take on the sequester...it will affect National Parks/Forests/Monuments...there is no getting around it.

 

[Raven]

It is not a good sign of things to come, the more you shut off a country's citizenship from it's resources, the more vulnerable those places become.

Well said. +1

 

[Trail Bandit]

I think that in many National Parks, when funds are cut, they do anything they can to make things worse for the public that wants to use the parks. They block off parking lots and close visitor centers. The gates are closed so perhaps the season is shortened when there is public access. You will find that the number of employees is seldom cut. I will admit that in Acadia, there may be seasonal employees that may have a shorter season and thus a smaller paycheck.
In the Virgin Islands National Park, which I know a bit about, the plan is to close the Visitor's Center a few days a week and make other changes that will cause obvious delays or discomfort to tourists. You will note that the new superintendent plans to make no cuts to the staff. The staff will get paid no matter what. These people are to get paid but do less than they already do. Remember, these are GOVERNMENT employees with guaranteed pensions, medical and dental coverage, and pretty much guaranteed for life jobs.
The St. John Source wrote about the new superintendent:

"He said he doesn't expect any of the park’s 50 plus employees will be furloughed as a result of the sequester. However, the Visitors Center may have to close for one or two days a week."

The rest is at:
http://stjohnsource.com/content/news/local-news/2013/03/07/new-park-superintendent-job-st-john

The Visitor's Center at VINP is a one room book shop with an information desk which is manned by one person. More often than not, this desk is manned by a volunteer.
Virgin Islands National Park has a long history of not maintaining what they were given. If you took away 50% of their budget, not much would change in the maintenance department.

 

[Bob]

so-
a 2% cut in spending increases means a 15% cut in public access times. Makes perfect sense to me!

I'm going to do my part and instead of visiting Acadia this summer I'll go to Nova Scotia.