2013 National Parks Close for Government Shutdown

[Dschur]

If the government shuts down will the NP be impacted??? Has anyone heard on NP closures or reductions in things??

[rwstorm]

@Jim_H
Guess that means they were driving in reverse!

[Jim]

Federal employees! Going out of their way to make all of our lives more difficult!

[rwstorm]

@Jim_H
Can't agree with that dude.

[Jim]

It was sarcasm.

[rwstorm]

@Jim_H
With you it's hard to tell, so you need to clarify it. Thanks.

[CannondaleKid]

Federal Employees! (Senators/Representatives anyway) Going out of their way to make all of our lives more difficult!

Let's return the favor when re-election time comes.

[Jim]

Well, this really is a faction in the House that is going out of their way to do this.

Anyway, is there a reason why National Forests are open, BLM lands are open, but Monuments and Parks are closed? In theory, places like the Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Everglades, don't stop being land when the government decides the visitor center, book stores, concessions and cafes, and toll booths are not getting funded. My guess is it all comes down to collection gates, visitor centers, and maybe the other park services, which could simply be suspended if they had to be, with no fee collection. I guess toileting at the Canyon might be an issue with all those foreign tourists.

Yesterday, the Three Rivers CG and TH were wide open, and my hike was completely open with nothing to hint at a federal psychotic episode. Tomorrow, I plan on Dog Canyon to Sunspot, and I expect the same.

[azbackpackr]

You all can scream about hikes you can't access. I lost my job today because of the government shutdown. I work in a place where we make gear for firefighters, and I can tell you that the phone stopped ringing on Oct. 1. I was laid off, so I will file for unemployment. I may be brought back later on, but since I have been trying to find time to move away from here, I will now have more time to do that. Maybe I can escape this cow town once and for all!

[big_load]

@azbackpackr
I'm sorry to hear about your job. I hope you can make your escape.

[azbackpackr]

@azbackpackr
I'm sorry to hear about your job. I hope you can make your escape.

Thanks, all of you! I have been preparing for this and I think I'll be okay. Watch for me to be in California within a month or so.

Now, here is a very interesting article from National Parks Traveler, published in March 2011 (just before the barely-averted April 8, 2011 government shut-down). It is about how, during the 1995 government shutdown, Governor Fife Symington tried to take over Grand Canyon National Park to re-open it, using the National Guard, state police and state park rangers.
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/20 ... canyon7761

[rwstorm]

J Fife Slimington...what a crook (and a crock)

Liz...hope you get to California and do not have to go back to Eager again!

[SAMBA]

Up to now I thought this Government Shutdown "thang" was just a bunch of affluent Americans with entirely too much leisure time on their hands complaining about being forced to change their vacation schedules. Not so anymore! They just shutdown the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau,
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500395_162- ... -shutdown/. No mas (boutique) cerveza???? Violated! I/we feel violated. It's time we took our protests to the street!

[SpiderLegs]

Up to now I thought this Government Shutdown "thang" was just a bunch of affluent Americans with entirely too much leisure time on their hands complaining about being forced to change their vacation schedules. Not so anymore! They just shutdown the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau,
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500395_162- ... -shutdown/. No mas (boutique) cerveza???? Violated! I/we feel violated. It's time we took our protests to the street!

Used to be in the label business, even in the best of times dealing with the TTB was a pain in the rear. This does not affect beer labels that were already approved, it will affect the seasonal labels. So don't hold your breath waiting for that new Christmas seasonal or winter brew. What will really be affected will be wine labels, because they have to update the labels every bottling season to reflect the vintage.

[chumley]

Money shot (pun intended):

While closing national parks definitely can catch the public's eye, it does not translate into huge savings for the federal government, points out Mr. Cummins.

"I think that a good point to make on this kind of silliness is that although the differences over budget matters are what drive such closures, you could make a point that the expense of keeping the canyon closed was nearly the same as keeping it open," he said. "Rangers had to man every single trailhead, including places like Lee's Ferry, to ensure that visitors did not enter the canyon. This meant 24-hour coverage, thus large overtime costs.

[Jim]

I understand the next act in this political theater consists of a trained bear performing a filibuster. Wait, that was in Act 1.

[SAMBA]

@Jim_H
Shame on you! You dishonor REAL trained bears.

[chumley]

Obama Administration will allow states to fund re-opening of National Parks.


Arizona is one of 4 states that have requested permission to do so, so I would expect that at least limited access to the Grand Canyon will be reestablished in the next couple of days. More news to come.

The Obama administration said Thursday it will allow states to use their own money to reopen some national parks that have been closed because of the government shutdown.

Governors in at least four states have asked for authority to reopen national parks within their borders because of the economic impacts caused by the park closures.
...
Decisions about which parks to reopen and for how long have not been made, Androff said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ ... story.html

edit: here's a more Arizona-centric report from the Daily Sun:
http://azdailysun.com/news/local/feds-a ... 963f4.html

[The_Eagle]

@chumley
Statement from the article that pretty much sums up the situation

“Why now, after more than a week of refusing to allow states to pay to keep national parks open, is the Obama Administration suddenly reversing course?” Hastings asked. “It appears they are truly just making this up as they go along.”

[chumley]

Update from the Governor's office:

A spokesman for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said the Republican governor is committed to finding a way to reopen the Grand Canyon, one of the state's most important economic engines.
"It's not ideal, but if there's something we can do to help reopen it, Gov. Brewer has been committed to trying to find that way," said spokesman Andrew Wilder.
Brewer and state legislative leaders have said they would make state funding available, but "the state cannot pay the federal government's bills indefinitely," Wilder said. Businesses outside the Grand Canyon have pledged $400,000.

[azbackpackr]

Superintendent Dave Uberuaga, superintendent of Grand Canyon, has been notifying the boating community that there is a plan in place to quickly reopen the ramp and get people on the river as soon as he has word that he can do so. We are hoping that this news about the states being able to pay to keep the parks open will affect Grand Canyon.

Jan Brewer needs to know that does include Lee's Ferry ramp!