U.S. National Parks Told to Quietly Cut Services

[kskiska]

Millions of Americans will flock to the country's national parks this summer. Dazzled by nature and history, will they notice the missing signs, crumbling roads, or disappearance of park rangers?

Facing what some people warn is a "crippling" budget shortfall, many national park superintendents are being asked to consider cutting their ranger staffs, services, and visitor center hours—and possibly even closing down completely on certain days.

Several advocacy groups now charge that the entire National Park System is menaced by a hidden crisis, and that Park Service officials are trying to cover it up.

"Make no mistake about it. There is a chill over the National Park Service today," said Denny Huffman of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees in Washington, D.C.

more…
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0319_040319_parks.html#main

[mtnester]

1. Shame

These are some of our treasures

Too sad

[proud patriot]

2. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

This pisses me off .. thanks bushie boy !

[Postman]

3. NPS's budget is in the wallet of Halliburton execs.

n/t

[oneighty]

4. Xtian Fundies

be up in arms over this revolting development.

Where they gonna sell Creation books?

180

[Gman]

5. Iraq, Afganistan and Haiti cost ththe US money

so they take the money from where ever they can get away with it. Emphasis on "get away with".

[Bandit]

6. See it just goes to show the government does a lousy job ~Privatize

That is what we will hear from now on. They screw things up so bad that nothing can be done then say look how the government does things. Sell the Parks and let Private industry run it. :shrug: The Media will go yup yup that's right Privatization is the only way.

[Malva Zebrina]

7. this makes me very sad

I have been to so many of them, and camped in a lot of them east of the Mississippi. What a pity that we cannot nurture and feed this treasure. Billions to invade Iraq, and then billions to try to rebuild what we bombed and destroyed, yet we face our national parks closing on the weekends when people are most likely to use them the most for recreation and exercise, instead of sitting in front of the TV watching sports. How shallow a country we are becoming. I am not proud of this overgrown capitalism to the point where the lands that are set aside for the people cannot even be funded properly to keep them alive and working -- the priorities here are skewed.

Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. And when the number of visitors drop, the Repubs will say that the parks

are no longer needed and, thus, build condos.

[Chicago Democrat]

9. Manufactured Crisis - All in the name of the rich man tax cuts.

Kerry 2004

[GoddessOfGuinness]

10. "Will they notice the missing signs, crumbling roads, etc?"

I've been noticing those things ever since the pugs took over Congress.

[aquaman]

11. A total disgrace..

Bush is a " I love Jesus, but hey, let's fuck the environment" type of guy. If there is a God, Bush will surely burn in the darkest depths of Enron for his savagery on our environment.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

12. Imbeciles,. n/t

[dArKeR]

13. Cost-cutting and spin at national parks - MSwhoreNBC

Depending on whom you believe, the nation's parks are either victims of "willful neglect" on the part of the Bush administration, or National Park Service managers are squandering the generous funding bequeathed to the agency by Congress on unauthorized building projects and needless trips abroad.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4595870/