What effect is Sequestration having on the parks?

SDcampowneroperator wrote:

naturist wrote:
One of my favorite NP CGs is closed. It's only 25 miles from home, and with my senior pass it cost me $8 a day to camp there. But not this summer.

And there you have it. $8 does not cover the cost

On another forum I frequent they were complaining that the senior pass cost is going to increase from $10 to $20 for the rest of their lives and how this was hitting those that have already paid their way. I still think a parks pass for $20 for the rest of you life is a bargain.

I am disabled and have the disabled pass, but still buy the regular pass and pay full fees because I can still afford it. I don't mind paying because we enjoy the national park system and use it whenever we have the opportunity. I like my $20 or $30 dollar camping site much better than the $40 KOA. Of course this is just my preference.

JJHaulers: "The State and National Parks could not possibly be self sustaining charging the nominal fees that they charge."

Our national parks are funded from tax money to protect the wilderness and wildlife habitat and watershed. So, the parks never were designed to 'self-sustain' in that sense.

The rangers (some, not all) are multi-purpose and supervise as well as research and create sustainable resources. It was never the intent for these protective services to pay for themselves through camping fees, only to protect the lands.

The camping and RV facilities came later, and should become self-sustaining for the campgrounds part only. The campground never should and never could pay for all the park operations. It would be impractical to ask campers to pay for the campgrounds AND all the wilderness and watershed operations of the parks.

If the campground fees ONLY paid for the park employees that actually operate the park camping services and support the volunteers, the parks would never have to worry about closing or maintenance.

But, as budgets change and get diverted (remember the lottery in MA and CA, and the support that now is included as budget) the park revenue gets lost in the budget decisions that now suddenly begin to pay for the research and protection components too. That's where the complication enters - we should never lump the park services under one umbrella, because the don't fit and never will.

The problems occur when our budget starts believing the camping should pay for the entire wilderness operation, instead of the RV and camping component as its own entity.

naturist wrote:
One of my favorite NP CGs is closed. It's only 25 miles from home, and with my senior pass it cost me $8 a day to camp there. But not this summer.

Would you mind sharing which one is closed?

When the parks reduce staffing levels or reduce the amout of hours or pay of employees, there may not be any noticeable effects right away, but those cuts are very real to the park service employees. We still get to enjoy the beauty of our national parks. The State and National Parks could not possibly be self sustaining charging the nominal fees that they charge. The parks don't exist in order to generate revenue or turn a profit, they are there for our enjoyment. It literally takes an act of congress to fund staffing for the parks. IMHO the effects of sequestration on our National Parks may not be visibly apparent immediately, but will become increasingly apparent over the long term. Keep in mind there are elements of this sequester that may last up to ten years.

We have been to Zion np, Arches NP, and Canyonlands np no visible changes at any of these locations.

Yellowstone planned to open late, due to snow pack and the "reduction" in funding, but the Chambers of Commerce in Cody and Jackson raised enough money to pay the costs for WYDot to plow the snow off the roads. The road from Cody opened last week, and I believe the road is now opened from Jackson. Only the Beartooth Pass route isn't open, and it normally doesn't open until after Memorial Day.

I think the Park is curtailing a few things but nothing that most visitors would notice.

RGar974417 wrote:

answerswillvary wrote:
Political and religious posts, pictures, links, signatures etc. are not allowed in these forums and may be removed without notice or discussion.

yeah,these things affect our ability to camp yet we can't comment on them?

As you read through the posts you'll see the majority address the op's question without veering onto other topics. Frustratingly, there are always a few who use the opportunity to push their agendas and opinions. Those frequently seem to be one sided. Guess they just can't help themselves.

naturist wrote:
One of my favorite NP CGs is closed. It's only 25 miles from home, and with my senior pass it cost me $8 a day to camp there. But not this summer.

And there you have it. $8 does not cover the cost

RGar974417 wrote:

answerswillvary wrote:
Political and religious posts, pictures, links, signatures etc. are not allowed in these forums and may be removed without notice or discussion.

yeah,these things affect our ability to camp yet we can't comment on them?

Yes you can, you just have to comment on them in a way that's not political.