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park closures… insanity… time for civil disobediance?


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Home Forums Campfire Trip Planning park closures… insanity… time for civil disobediance?

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  • #1308526
    Billy Ray
    Spectator

    @rosyfinch

    Locale: the mountains

    Don't go in there

    The area around the Grand Canyon is a ghost town. It's no different inside, and park rangers are working to keep it that way, according to The Republic newspaper in Arizona.

    Park officials have written about two dozen citations for people trying to sneak into the park. Some have been caught at the canyon's South Rim, others on trials or attempting hikes, the newspaper reported.

    Don't recreate

    According to the Eagle-Tribune newspaper of North Andover, Massachusetts, tourist Pat Vaillancourt said National Park Service Guards held her tour group under armed guard in a Yellowstone National Park hotel and brusquely told tourists who had filed off their bus to take pictures of bison that they weren't to "recreate."

    The tour guide argued to rangers that the tourists — some of them from overseas — weren't "recreating," just taking pictures.

    "She responded and said, 'Sir, you are recreating,' and her tone became very aggressive," the newspaper quoted Vaillancourt as saying.

    A message to the park's media relations office, which is only intermittently staffed because of the furlough, was not immediately returned Wednesday.

    Ted Cruz: Democrats' new bogeyman

    And stay out!

    A Nevada couple said they were kicked out of their home in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, CNN affiliate KTNV reports.

    Retirees Joyce and Ralph Spencer own a cabin on federal land, and were told last week they had 24 hours to clear out and stay out until the government reopens.

    Park officials gave KTNV a statement saying overnight stays are not allowed in the park until funding is restored, but said owners can visit their properties to retrieve belongings.

    #2032343
    Stephen Barber
    BPL Member

    @grampa

    Locale: SoCal

    So the congressmen still get their pay checks, so does the President, along with Camp David, and Ms. Obama has her projects funded, but the National Parks, severely underfunded to begin with, are closed tight with armed (paid?) rangers keeping tourists, hikers and others from even taking photos?

    So ridiculous!

    Stop congress' pay checks, along with the President's, make them pay for all their perks, and see how fast this gets solved!

    BTW, this should probably be in chaff.

    #2032345
    Billy Ray
    Spectator

    @rosyfinch

    Locale: the mountains

    Chaff? Maybe… but it seems critical information for trip planning…

    Bill

    #2032349
    Justin Baker
    BPL Member

    @justin_baker

    Locale: Santa Rosa, CA

    What about national forests? Are they open or shut down?

    #2032360
    Jerry Adams
    BPL Member

    @retiredjerry

    Locale: Oregon and Washington

    National forests are mainly open

    I was just in Shasta Trinity and it was unaffected

    Any ranger station or visitor center will be closed, but no rangers to enforce rules so you don't need any permits : )

    #2032362
    Adam Rothermich
    BPL Member

    @aroth87

    Locale: Missouri Ozarks

    National Forests are open for recreation as far as I'm aware.

    Adam

    #2032368
    Justin Baker
    BPL Member

    @justin_baker

    Locale: Santa Rosa, CA

    That's good to hear. I'm going to the trinity alps later this month.
    I'm more worried about side roads leading to trail heads being closed.
    Probably won't be a problem.

    #2032372
    Jerry Adams
    BPL Member

    @retiredjerry

    Locale: Oregon and Washington

    I just drove to Swift Creek trailhead, no problem.

    Got permit at Coffee Creek Ranger Station. There were people out back. I'm just guessing they would have been doing something but were "shut down" so they were just fooling around.

    That's a nice area, too bad it's so far away from Portland.

    #2032651
    Backpack Jack
    BPL Member

    @jumpbackjack

    Locale: Armpit of California

    I have a trip planned for tomorrow into the National Forest, Probably won't get a permit, unless there is a self issue station, but this brings up a question.

    If there's no one manning the stations/forest, so to speak, do I need a permit, how about a fishing license, or fire permit?, assuming we could have a fire in the Sierra.

    This is just another slap in the face to the presidents and all the people before us, that went to all the trouble to secure these Nationl Parks for us to use and enjoy, what a shame.

    #2032653
    Jerry Adams
    BPL Member

    @retiredjerry

    Locale: Oregon and Washington

    fishing and fire are state regulated

    normally, at about this time of year, they quit requiring self issue permits in national forest anyway

    the only problem would be if they locked a gate

    national parks require permits year-round, although when I go to the Olympics, you're supposed to mail it in after you get back, but the evil Jerry on my left shoulder asks why would you do that after the trip? no way they would ever prosecute you

    #2032660
    Hiking Malto
    BPL Member

    @gg-man

    Will find a closed section of the AT this weekend to trail run in a show of civil disobedience. I am amazed at the level of stupidity of this whole thing. You go to the wilderness to escape stupidity. Stupidity strikes back.

    #2034181
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    I found many national forest roads closed or barricaded. Just a ploy to piss off the public to force compromises in Congress. Just like the states always threaten to cut back on teachers, police, and fire fighters in a budget crunch; instead of the real waste in government spending.

    Of course everyone should have their own secret places to stealthily recreate. Just don't post your trip reports or the NSA and drones may go after you ;)

    #2034202
    Jeffs Eleven
    BPL Member

    @woodenwizard

    Locale: NePo

    I'm not recreating, I'm just sleeping and eating whilst being suspended between two trees.

    #2034531
    Marc Kokosky
    BPL Member

    @mak52580

    Locale: Washington, DC Area

    Maybe people think national forests are open because no one is there to actively enforce but they are technically closed.

    http://www.fs.fed.us/

    "all federally owned recreation areas are closed."

    Right off the national forest service website.

    #2034550
    Geoffrey Lehmann
    BPL Member

    @yipper

    Locale: deep south

    "all federally owned recreation areas are closed."

    As a (currently furloughed) Forest Service employee, I can assure you that refers only to "fee areas" and not to national forest property in general. As to what constitutes a "fee area", see:
    http://www.fs.fed.us/passespermits/about-rec-fees.shtml

    geoff

    #2034551
    Ken Thompson
    BPL Member

    @here

    Locale: Right there

    Hoping that point of confusion will mean a quiet trip this weekend.

    #2034584
    Marc Kokosky
    BPL Member

    @mak52580

    Locale: Washington, DC Area

    Sweet. They should probably be a little more clear about it on their site. As it's stated, it is certainly vague and insinuates that all recreation areas are closed. Maybe they did it to try to deter people from going so that there's less risk that things could happen which would require substantial resources that the NFS is unable to adequately provide.

    If that's the case, I am looking forward to getting out to Dolly Sods in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully at which point it will be moot since Congress will have decided to do it's job and pass a budget.

    Does this also apply to National Parks where you can just pull up to a trailhead and walk in, or put your fee in a box?

    #2034649
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    My favorite "secret" free dispersed camping sites had yellow tape across the road with the "due to the shutdown this area is closed…" Sign posted.

    Maybe the USFS employeses didn't get the email from Obama ?

    So we drove our new camper to a county park.

    #2034661
    Geoffrey Lehmann
    BPL Member

    @yipper

    Locale: deep south

    “Maybe the USFS employeses (sic) didn't get the email from Obama?”

    We didn’t get one, and I doubt they or any others did, either. Maybe the folks at that forest have problems with some of the campers in their area…

    geoff

    #2034724
    HkNewman
    BPL Member

    @hknewman

    Locale: The West is (still) the Best

    My nearby NF's are open but their developed campgrounds/interpretative centers are not. I found the exact names of the closed USFS facilities by Googling for the local newspaper since it's the start of hunting season. Figure they exist on squirrel enchiladas, so the rural papers would have that sort of news (though NPR ran a story of a drunk fighting a deer once nationally in the same area)…

    #2034752
    Van DeWald
    Spectator

    @vwaldoguy

    Locale: Midwest

    Hopefully, by tomorrow, everything will be open again when the House and Senate pass the deal, and the prez signs it.

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