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??

[Jim]

I would call the NF office to ask, but....... anyway, as long as I can park outside the gate, which adds some mileage, and hike to my destination, I'm OK.

[outdoor_lover]

All other employees are furloughed. Toilet facilities at high-use recreation areas may be locked as the employees who clean and maintain them have been furloughed.

Yep, the Economy is in recovery, didn't you get the Memo??? Once again, the people that can ill afford to go without a Paycheck will be doing so, while our Nation's Leaders casually stroll to the Bank...

But hey! It's Hockey Season! Let's go spend a half days wages watching overpaid Athletes who haven't had to worry about money since High School.... Just had to throw that in there...

[chumley]

WWII Vets defy closure ... knock down barricades to visit DC memorial.

Way to go Vets!
http://freebeacon.com/wwii-vets-knock-o ... -memorial/

[Tough_Boots]

@chumley

there's nothing more powerful than the self-prescribed entitlement of a vet... (throw tomatoes now)

[azbackpackr]

I saw that that rafting the canyon will not stop and those who are already backpacking will be able to finish their trips.

Well, that is one way to put it. Since there is no way to get the current rafting groups off the river, of COURSE they will be "allowed" to continue. There is no way to get them off the river! But of course rafting has been stopped--launching has been stopped, and will continue to be stopped. No new launches are allowed, putting private boaters out of tens of thousands of dollars lost, and the commercials are losing money, too. It is a travesty.

The scene today at the Lees Ferry entrance road was ugly with a couple of privates and a commercial being turned back, one of them at 9 a.m., when they had been told there would be "soft closure" from 8-noon, everyone figured that meant if you have a permit and can get rigged before noon, you can go.

[Bradshaws]

On a lighter note, I've found a quote that fits this situation quite well

" There's a reason Congress begins with the word con. Because con is the opposite of pro.... So CONgress must be the opposite of PROgress" ~ Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr. (Watermelon man)

Hope it bring a smile to someone out there

[Uberdroog]

State Parks rejoice! Almost had to cancel camping plans. Guess the Sierra Anchos will wait

[outdoor_lover]

Chumley mentioned Tonto National Forest...I didn't think much of it at the time, but then I got an email...9 months of planning and looking forward to an event, may be Down the Tubes this weekend....Tonto National Forest has gates that they close and lock going to all the accesses on Roosevelt Lake, even the undeveloped sites...Pretty tough to launch Boats from the Cliffs...f******..... May have to drive up there Thursday, just to see if anything's doable....

[big_load]

I hope this is resolved by next month.

FWIW, Mrs. big_load is an NPS volunteer at Millbrook Village in the Delaware Water Gap NRA. Their big annual event is cancelled after months of planning. There was some discussion of trying to do it using only volunteers, but that apparently got nixed.

[chumley]

Pam Coconino reported that they will still be answering phones at some locations so I would consider trying a few phone numbers before taking the time to drive out there.

If the NOAA website is any indication I think that the official web and social media sites will not be updating information.

[outdoor_lover]

@chumley
That's been tried although I'm not sure what Office he tried to call...All he got was Voicemail...I'll try a couple of numbers tomorrow....

[CannondaleKid]

I think it pathetic!! They're acting like spoiled children in a sandbox!! It is absolutely embarrassing!!

Yup, it's no longer time for simple civil disobedience, it's time WE do OUR JOB and vote our non-representatives OUT. There needs to be a national referendum called Recall Them All!

I would not be afraid of citation or arrest. Our border patrol can't use force on trespassers into our country, I would dare them to pull a gun on me for peacefully trespassing in a park.

I daresay I would never dare ANY armed law enforcement officer for any reason... (see 'not time for civil disobedience' above)
Border patrol can't use force? Whether the law states they can or cannot, I wouldn't count on it. Like more than a few I personally know of in law enforcement who have what I call a power complex, I wouldn't tempt them, they just love to exercise their power.

The political fallout of such actions would be astronomical.

Really? I doubt it would amount to much more than a drop of rain in the ocean. Unless you managed to get shot, then maybe a small rain squall. But now if you managed to get killed in front of witnesses and there's video proof, well then there would be fallout, but I still doubt it would be astronomical. More like a reprimand and a 90 day furlough for the officer, whether 'essential' or not.

But again, right now our job is to pressure our legislative representatives to 'get the job done' and short of that, either become part of Recall Them All! or vote them out next election... sorry... re-election, since they've been in too long already... in McCain's case, WAY too long.

[----]

Any idea if and how areas in Sedona will be affected? Just wondering because Liz is going on vacation and now wants to hit Sedona since national parks are out of the question.

[chumley]

Any idea if and how areas in Sedona will be affected? Just wondering because Liz is going on vacation and now wants to hit Sedona since national parks are out of the question.

The visitor center in town is open, but the main one south of town is closed, as are the indian ruins.

Everything else is still open as normal, including the West Fork Trail––where the fees collected cover the cost of operations. So yes, there is still somebody in the booth collecting your money! The West Fork trailhead has been filling up by 10am this week, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

As Jake mentioned earlier in the thread, Sedona is going to be a popular alternative destination to tourists who had previously planned to visit the Grand Canyon. I would expect it to be pretty busy there as long as the shutdown continues.

[skatchkins]

So yes, there is still somebody in the booth collecting your money!

I wonder how much you could make just by "filling in" for one of the empty booths.....

[chumley]

I wonder how much you could make

[-X

Oooh. I have an official NPS hat! $25/car ;)

[chumley]

New York Times today wrote specifically on the impact to Arizona of the closure. Tusayan can't survive. Hotels, restaurants, and tour operators are all stuck. International visitors don't understand the politics (neither do US citizens, arguably)
See: http://www.nytimes.com/news/fiscal-cris ... zona/?_r=0

With a daily impact of $2.7 million, I think it makes sense for the State of Arizona to foot the bill in the interim. It's been done before, and in the past the Feds have reimbursed the money once the shutdown ends.

As of last Sunday however, Gov. Brewer said she would not support State funding for GCNP operations.

[chumley]

But again, right now our job is to pressure our legislative representatives to 'get the job done' and short of that, either become part of Recall Them All! or vote them out next election... sorry... re-election, since they've been in too long already... in McCain's case, WAY too long.

Congress has an approval rating of 10%. Awesome, huh? But the generic "congress" does not transfer to individual members when it comes to voters.

Despite the 10% overall approval, a staggering 91% of House reps are re-elected every 2 years! Senators face a tougher fight, with 80 percent getting re-elected to another 6-year term. In fact, in the past few election cycles, more incumbents have DIED in office than lost bids for reelection.

So when you wonder why nothing changes in DC, now you know.

[azbackpackr]

I've just decided I will be staying off some of these websites until this blows over. It is not in the here and now for me. I have no river permit or plans to travel. I am sick and tired of other people trying to tell me what to do, "Call your congressman," do this, do that. There's nothing that pisses me off more than somebody trying to tell me to send money or call my congressman. Sorry 'bout that. Bye. You won't see me here for a while.

[chumley]

It really is terrible that this site is programmed with the automatic "force me to read the forum thread I am uninterested in" feature. I wish HikeBot would program an option so it wasn't mandatory for me to comment.