Budget cutbacks affecting backpackers

[Terran Terran]

A new Trump administration directive for distributing Department of Transportation money prioritizes communities with high birth and marriage rates, and that has transit advocate

DOT

 

[Mart]

Switching now to grammar scold, there have been a couple of attempts above at the best and proper American English second person plural, it is correctly spelled “y’all” ;-)

As a Texan, I appreciate this. Then there is the possessive of y’all. Y’ALL’S! Two apostrophes. EXCELLENT! (i. e. What are y’all’s hiking plans this summer?)

[Terran Terran]

Fake media. When I hear emphasis on the “y”, it’s usually city folk trying to sound country. IMHO, it’s actually “yall’. Single syllable.

[Arthur]

Extra Pleural: all yall

[Terran Terran]

It’s bad’: How drought, lack of snowpack and federal cuts could spell wildfire disaster in NM

[Terran Terran]

[Bill Budney]

Judge says National Park Service must reinstate all fired employees

So there is hope.

[Dan]

 

Judge says National Park Service must reinstate all fired employees

So there is hope.

Yeah, they can’t just do mass firings and claim they were all for cause, it doesn’t pass the smell test. However, ultimately the government has the right to lay off employees if they use the proper procedure, so I suspect this is only a temporary reprieve. And obviously if you are one of those federal employees, you might go back to work and collect your paycheck, but you would be spending every spare moment looking for a new job.

[Terran Terran]

My grandson wants to study paleontology. I told him he could work with the Forest Service, but that’s not really good advice. This is all going to discourage the next generation. It’s not just today, it’s tomorrow. I’ve never seen one narcissistic**** create so much potential damage. It’s hard not to get political.

[Adrian Griffin]

What’s the newest grief?

That of an hour’s age doth hiss the speaker. Each minute teems a new one.

Trump has now rescinded the declarations of the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla National Monuments stating that they “lock up vast amounts of land from economic development and energy production.”

[jscott]

soon it may be time to take to the streets. We’re all waiting to see what the courts do.

[AK Granola]

I don’t think I ever was aware that the president could change anything at all with an executive order, or even a tweet. Apparently no limits to power at all. He can simply defy the court orders and keep going.

[Terran Terran]

Chuckwalla and Sáttítla National Monuments

Of be pretty sure that there nothing out there.. There’s a few small mines nearby. They did a geological survey of that area many years ago. I think there’s some silver in the mountains to the north, but not enough to bother with. My dad did soil surveys around there. i think he said there was enough water to grow radishes and little else. Maybe jojoba? Solar fields, but why? They’d have to connect to the grid. Because Biden did it?

[Adrian Griffin]

Malice

[Terran Terran]

I don’t think I ever was aware that the president could change anything at all with an executive order, or even a tweet.

Congress is complacent. Any answers I’ve received through my local rep center around the president right to do basically whatever he wants. I remind him that the president is there for us. We’re not here for them. Either or Congress is bowing down and neglecting their duties or they are using the president as the fall guy. Empty chair town halls are becoming a thing. The idea is to present questions to our representatives demanding answers. I find personally that with enough diligence, I do get answers, but their all pretty generic. Mostly word salads. Economic boycotts seem to hold the most powerful. However many of the ‘ oligarchs’ have enough money to weather the storm. Not to get discouraged, do what you can and encourage others to do the same. I’ve canceled my Amazon account.  Give more support to the cottage industries. Inquire about their policies, even the big chains. Thank those who prioritize inclusiveness and support our public services. Don’t let personal prejudices get in the way of doing the right thing. Stay strong and stay diligent.

[Terran Terran]

I think we know how far this will go. Worth a shot.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/03/legislation-introduced-restore-national-park-service-staffing

[Mart]

I remind him that the president is there for us.

Correct. And the American people overwhelmingly voted for a change of direction last November. Thankfully, that’s happening. While there will be some pain (change is hard though desperately needed) we–and our kids and grandkids–will ultimately benefit.

[Dan]

While there will be some pain (change is hard though desperately needed) we–and our kids and grandkids–will ultimately benefit.

Please stick to the topic, this isn’t a discussion about generic political beliefs. If you believe the changes are currently benefitting backpackers, please give a specific example like the others in the thread, so we can judge if your comments have merit.

[Mart]

While there will be some (short-term, perhaps) pain for those of us the recreate outdoors. The only way for funding cuts to be fair is to NOT show partiality. Ryan’s suggestions in this mornings BPL email push is the correct one. We can make our feelings known through our representatives. Hikers and backpackers–all of us, really–will benefit in the long run.

[Terran Terran]

Overwhelmingly? That’s not true.

The president works for all the people

A simple majority paid for by a billionaire.

Our kids and grandkids will suffer.

[Monte Masterson]

Cartel guerilla pot growing operations are about the most environmentally destructive thing that happens to our National Forests, and it goes on a lot. Now that our borders are no longer wide open maybe some of that can be reined in.

I know, less funding also means less law enforcement on public lands. The NFS cops I saw in Arizona always wore Glocks on both hips. Might need plenty of rounds if caught out in the wilderness alone.

[Paul Wagner]

Let’s see.  Short term, fewer staff on hand to protect our wilderness areas and less maintenance in our national parks and national forests–that’s already happening.  Long term, fewer national monuments, smaller protected areas, more areas closed, and degrading facilities across the board. that’s also already happening. Anything else?

[Dan]

While there will be some (short-term, perhaps) pain for those of us the recreate outdoors. The only way for funding cuts to be fair is to NOT show partiality. Ryan’s suggestions in this mornings BPL email push is the correct one. We can make our feelings known through our representatives. Hikers and backpackers–all of us, really–will benefit in the long run.

This second post still includes no specific examples of how the budget cuts are beneficial for backpackers, still waiting to hear something plausible.

Regarding funding cuts being fair only if they are impartial, that sounds like you are recommending across-the-board “random” budget cuts, instead of strategic cuts that target waste or unnecessary spending, and I honestly can’t see how anyone could defend that approach with a straight face.

[Terran Terran]

There’s fertilizer bottles, drip hoses, and even a log cabin held together with tie wire left behind in Little Morongo Canyon above Morongo Valley. My “guide’ was a local ex-grower. It wasn’t left by Mexican nationals. It was left by Americans. Not that there hasn’t been a few. Deportation isn’t the answer and won’t solve the issue. Rangers patrolling the area are a far better alternative. Blocking the border at a huge cost is an inefficient way of prevention.

 

[AK Granola]

“While there will be some pain (change is hard though desperately needed) we–and our kids and grandkids–will ultimately benefit.”

That’s what the Bolsheviks told the people. They believed and cooperated. The following famine only killed 5 million.

[Author]

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