Did you ask about a refund policy before making the reservation?
We've had to cancel plans in the past... many times the campground reservations have been non-refundable and we understood that. Other times the campgrounds gave us a "credit" to use in the future - one campground with a no refund policy still gave us a credit when we asked. Other times we got a full refund.
I've been told, and read on many forums, that the no refund policy is usually in place due to people juggling reservations to get the dates and campsites they want. This was (probably still is) rampant with Fort Wilderness (Disney World) reservations, and most people just shrug it off as nothing.
You have your reasons for canceling, but due to other people abusing the system you ran into the no refund policy.
Next time someone is basically bragging about juggling reservations for their own gain, remember this.
