Budget crunch forces US parks to alter view on tourist services

[YankeyMCC]

I thought this would be of interst to people who frequent this group.

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SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, Calif. -- Visitors to US national parks may be in for some unpleasant surprises this summer: unkempt restrooms, shorter hours at visitor centers, and fewer rangers.
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In fact, many visitors may not see a National Park Service ranger; the agency's threadbare budget has forced officials to recruit volunteers to fill jobs formerly performed by federal employees and to reduce or eliminate visitor services.

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At Acadia National Park in Maine, all seven restrooms along trailheads and roads have been closed. At the Grand Canyon, the park's highly popular education programs have been cut by one-third. At Glacier National Park in Montana, officials shut off drinkable water at three campgrounds. And, while scores of parks have cut hours at visitor centers or delayed their opening dates, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado closed one of its six centers for good.

The federal Government Accountability Office recently reported that although the Park Service's budget has risen slightly in the past few years, its spending power has declined when adjusted for inflation.

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http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/06/21/budget_crunch_forces_us_parks_to_alter_view_on_tourist_services/