Guest Editorial: National Parks, Forests make Sequestration cuts
Guest Post by Jonathan Guzzo, Washington Trails Association
As hikers, we like to be sequestered—high in a mountain pass, deep in a grove of cedars, in a flower-studded cirque, snug in our sleeping bags. Sadly, the verb sequester has taken on an altogether different meaning in the past year.
The threat of broad cuts to all federal programs was supposed to force Congress to the negotiating table to come up with a bipartisan mix of strategic cuts, policy changes and potential revenue. That didn’t happen, and the across-the-board cuts are the result.
Tough decisions in Washington’s national parks
Washington’s national parks have had to make some difficult decisions this summer—and as the season progresses, visitors will feel the impacts. Here are some of the cuts reported by the Senate Natural Resources Committee:
• Close facilities or delay openings. At Mount Rainier National Park, the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center will not open this summer and the campground season will be two weeks shorter. Cougar Rock campground will be cut by six weeks (closing Sept. 29).
• Reduce facility maintenance and garbage pick-up. Olympic National Park will not open all flush-toilet facilities this year and will not service restrooms and pick up trash as frequently. The Mora, Ozette, Graves Creek and Elwha Campgrounds will all see reduced maintenance.
• Host fewer educational programs. This has been specifically mentioned in conjunction with North Cascades National Park, but will likely be felt at all national parks.
• Delay or defer park repairs or maintenance projects. The Deer Park Road in the Olympics will not be plowed this summer, delaying access to this area of the park. The road to Hurricane Ridge opened later, and will need to be closed at intervals for routine maintenance due to a lack of personnel.
• Reduce staffing. This is on top of a mandatory hiring freeze across the agency, though seasonal staffing has been allowed to move forward. North Cascades National Park and Mount Rainier’s Carbon River Station will be affected.
• Also worth noting: Mount Rainier National Park’s shuttle system between Ashford and Paradise will not operate in 2013.
National Forests will be hit, too
The effects of the cuts are not limited to national parks. Our region’s national forests also have to reduce budgets by 5 percent, though the specifics have yet to be handed down to the individual forests.
Together, these programs fund the vast majority of Forest Service recreation and trail maintenance efforts—the kind of efforts that clear hiking trails and maintain trailheads.
The effects of sequestration may be delayed on many national forests, since the Federal budget cycle typically sees them spending down user fees carried over from the previous year, but as this fiscal year progresses and moves into the next, we could be facing a significant acceleration of the slow-motion crisis playing out on National Forests.
Jonathan Guzzo is Washington Trails Association’s Advocacy Director. WTA advocates for hikers at the state and federal level, maintains hiking trails throughout the state and provides hiking information at wta.org.
