Sad state of national parks and forests - II

[Yosemite_Sam1]

I've less than 2 years ago reported here the sad state of our national parks and national forests after family camping in Yosemite, Redwood, Raiinier, Lassen Volcanic, Lake Tahoe... which I posit with a link of reduced budgets for our national parks.

Then with my ongoing coastal California sojourn, I can't help but compare this states' (state, country and city) immaculate toilet facilities and well maintained surroundings of their campgrounds -- even for a county that just recently declared bankruptcy and granting that these campgrounds must be getting a slice of the state's $74 billion surplus.

Politics aside as this will benefit us RVers, I just hope that the administration, since he said he will model FDR who build our public/national park system, restore and even increase to cover previous chronic shortfalls on the budget for these recreational resources in the infrastructure plans. As a Keynesian, I think this will also redound to a return to a booming economy as what happened under FDR.

[wintersun]

Grant Teton park officials recently reported that they had 1 million visitors in July 2021. Overall the past summmer and this summer there has been a near doubling in the number of visitors to the nation's national parks. There has not been a doubling of their budgets and they are having to spend literally billions of dollars to fight fires from the prolonged drought caused by man made global warming.

What is needed is a WPA as with FDR. A great many of the campgrounds and roads and bridges were built in the 1930's as part of program to put men to work and the net result was greatly improved infrastructure for everyone to enjoy. The Republicans have wanted to privatize our parks and turn them over to corporations to operate for profit.

I seriously doubt that with the Republican obstructionists and neoliberal "democrats" that Biden will have a prayer of doing the same. But for Bernie Sanders we have not even a glimmer of hope.

California is different in that the people of the state, for the most part, value the public lands and state parks and beaches and have funded them over the years. California is one of only 3 states in the nation where there is free public access to 100% of the coastline (the other two are Oregon and Texas).

[Tvov]

I'm still surprised when I go to a state campground and find paved spots and water and electric hookups.

Until recently, Connecticut state park campgrounds were mostly just patches of grass. I got used to that, using my camper as a self contained camper. Now CT is "improving" state campgrounds, adding electric and paved spots, and cabins. Sure, it is nice, but all that "infrastructure" that is being added requires more maintenance and personnel to take care of. And I honestly miss the "olde timey" limited facility campgrounds, where the people camping there seemed to make an effort to clean up after themselves.

Also in CT, some of the state parks have "Friends of (whichever park)", volunteer groups who help the park employees take care of the park and also push for renovation and adding facilities. Hammonassette State Park in CT has a very active Friends of Hammonassette who are always working on the park and are in the local news with what they are doing. I can see myself helping them when I retire.

We've been to a New Jersey County park a couple times that is beautiful. As far as I know it has one full time employee, a guy that has been there for over 10 years and he keeps the place well run and maintained, along with a volunteer group. The full time guy seems to really love the place and his job, and it shows.

I don't think there is a one solution that fits all.

Seems like the best places are run and maintained by people who love what they are doing, paid or volunteer, more taxes or less.

[charlestonsouth]

birdfreak --- You asked a question (maybe it was rhetorical), but the answer is a very, very good financial advisor and, of course, you always pay your fair share of taxes.

[charlestonsouth]

monkey44 -- 2X Like.

[toedtoes]

monkey44 wrote:
We'd have plenty of money for campground maintenance if we actually had campgrounds. What we have and some want, is luxury home away from home.

Sorry if I offend some folks with luxury RVs - but campers do not need paving, electric, water, and dump at every site. We all are self-contained for a reason.

Personally, we enjoy the wilderness the national parks and state parks that are defined to preserve. Camping is not a home away from home. It is enjoying the nature areas and wildlife that are fast disappearing in this country.

We've been watching these disappear slowly for over sixty years of camping - we don't need money to upgrade, we need money for maintenance of what we have, not what we think we 'need'...
Rant over. 🙂

Like!

[Bird_Freak]

cptqueeg wrote:

wanderingaimlessly wrote:

RambleOnNW wrote:

cptqueeg wrote:

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:

IDman wrote:
When Donald Trump was President, he donated his annual salary to the Nat'l Park Service. Not a lot of money to the NPS total budget, but nice gesture showing he was aware of their problems.

Indeed a nice gesture. And he added some more of his own from his personal wealth to round it off to $100,00 since it's just $78,000.

I'm not one to tell anyone what to do with their own money, but I would have preferred his administration did not cut $2 billion out of the national parks budget while giving big business $1 trillon in tax cuts that promised economic boom that did not happen.

And a bit of irony, it's when the NPS is asking for funds just to address these maintenance backlogs.

3 card monte......wish people would learn.

$750.00, that's seven hundred and fifty dollars, in federal taxes for a YEAR.

Yes and presidential salary is $400,000 not $78,000. Plus $50,000 for expenses.

And while it may not be nearly enough, look at what the other party has actually given from their own pockets, from Obama, to SlowJoe to Harris, NONE give as much as Trump did. You may not like him, but from a personal standpoint, he has done/donated more than any others for the last 30 years.

Wow......


"The Bidens paid about $3.7 million and $1.5 in taxes for 2017 and 2018, respectively — about a third of their adjusted gross income. They gave roughly $1 million and $275,000 to charity in 2017 and 2018, respectively."



Compared w $750.00??????

SMH

As you stated Biden paid over $5 million in taxes can you explain how a HONEST politician ( LOL ) makes enough money to have to pay that in tax's.

[monkey44]

We'd have plenty of money for campground maintenance if we actually had campgrounds. What we have and some want, is luxury home away from home.

Sorry if I offend some folks with luxury RVs - but campers do not need paving, electric, water, and dump at every site. We all are self-contained for a reason.

Personally, we enjoy the wilderness the national parks and state parks that are defined to preserve. Camping is not a home away from home. It is enjoying the nature areas and wildlife that are fast disappearing in this country.

We've been watching these disappear slowly for over sixty years of camping - we don't need money to upgrade, we need money for maintenance of what we have, not what we think we 'need'...
Rant over. 🙂

[Yosemite_Sam1]

wanderingaimlessly wrote:

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:

wanderingaimlessly wrote:

Double check yourself
https://spectator.org/joe-biden-tax-returns-charity-donations-2019/

You should have gotten the advice yourself,

Quote: "The American Spectator is a conservative magazine... article published...Dinesh D'Souza, Laura Ingraham..."

That's sure is credible.:)

And please, can we get back to the topic of the state of national parks, or the related budget for it?

Surely you've visited one lately -- if you are still into camping.:B

How often are they sued for printing lies?

'how often for the NY Times and their ilk?

And the National Seashore areas I recently visited were open and operating normally. But that was weekday visits just before Memorial Day. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day I avoid the crowds.

Nobody bother to sue them because they are a joke, like SNL, only funnier and more intelligent. Not like someone who wants the DOJ to make them stop.:h

Anyways, a single camping does not a camper make -- nor add a bit to the conversation if it's the actual intent aside from political bashing.

Anyway, back to the topic. These observations made earlier in the thread are based on several camping trip to the campsites of most popular National Parks and nearly had an accident on one with the road severely eroded.

[toedtoes]

The biggest problem with deferred maintenance is that the longer it is put off, the more expensive it gets. And as they do the existing deferred maintenance, they are not getting regular maintenance done, so that then becomes additional deferred maintenance.

[cptqueeg]

"What Is Deferred Maintenance?

More than $11.9 billion of repairs or maintenance on roads, buildings, utility systems, and other structures and facilities across the National Park System has been postponed for more than a year due to budget constraints. Collectively they are known as “deferred maintenance.” Addressing deferred maintenance is a critical focus area of our core mission to preserve parks and provide a world-class visitor experience.

In addition to funding appropriated to the National Park Service for construction and deferred maintenance projects, the Great American Outdoors Act, passed on August 4, 2020, established a National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund that will help address deferred maintenance needs in the National Park System. With adequate funding and proper investment, deferred maintenance can be reduced to a manageable level.

Status
National Park Service (NPS) deferred maintenance increased by $313 million (about 2.7 percent) in fiscal year 2018 (from October 2017 to September 2018.) Deferred maintenance increased because needs exceeded our capacity to address the work.

As of September 30, 2018, deferred maintenance totaled $11.92 billion. It can be broken down into two categories:

Paved roads and structures: $6.15 billion
Includes bridges, tunnels, paved parking areas, and paved roadways
All other facilities: $5.77 billion
Includes buildings, housing, campgrounds, trails, waste water systems, water systems, unpaved roads, unpaved parking areas, utility systems, dams, constructed waterways, marinas, aviation systems, railroads, ships, monuments, fortifications, towers, interpretive media, and amphitheaters"

[Mayor30]

I don't know about California, but we have camped in many federal campgrounds including Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers and national parks and haven't noticed what you have. Most of the campgrounds seemed to be well run. Could they use more money,sure. But the ones we have camped at in the east,south and southwest we're all in good shape.

[cptqueeg]

Must,,,,,,resist........the ........rancid......... bait!!!!!! LOL

[wanderingaimles]

cptqueeg wrote:

wanderingaimlessly wrote:
To stay "Non Political" About this, simply consider the most vocal Gimme groups, from Race, to Sexual Orientation, gender issues, to even the Eco nuts, they ALL demand money for their pet issue. It's all about MY issue, not the good of the nation as a whole, and the National Parks are a part of that Nation as a whole.
Even something as straightforward as infrastructure is now turned into daycare programs and abortion questions.
The people making all the noise don't care about you, or what you want.

That is LOL ridiculous. It's really the people w the power that don't care about you.

Considering the ones currently in power, yes I agree.

[wanderingaimles]

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:

wanderingaimlessly wrote:

Double check yourself
https://spectator.org/joe-biden-tax-returns-charity-donations-2019/

You should have gotten the advice yourself,

Quote: "The American Spectator is a conservative magazine... article published...Dinesh D'Souza, Laura Ingraham..."

That's sure is credible.:)

And please, can we get back to the topic of the state of national parks, or the related budget for it?

Surely you've visited one lately -- if you are still into camping.:B

How often are they sued for printing lies?

'how often for the NY Times and their ilk?

And the National Seashore areas I recently visited were open and operating normally. But that was weekday visits just before Memorial Day. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day I avoid the crowds.

[Yosemite_Sam1]

wanderingaimlessly wrote:

Double check yourself
https://spectator.org/joe-biden-tax-returns-charity-donations-2019/

You should have gotten the advice yourself,

Quote: "The American Spectator is a conservative magazine... article published...Dinesh D'Souza, Laura Ingraham..."

That's sure is credible.:)

And please, can we get back to the topic of the state of national parks, or the related budget for it?

Surely you've visited one lately -- if you are still into camping.:B