EXPLORE Act

[Paul Wagner]

This is good news. The new legislation (Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act, for those keeping score at home) generally funds improvements to our outdoor recreation infrastructure, from campgrounds to long-distance trails, as well as upgrading the permitting process and improving access to public lands for a wide range of people.

That’s great news–I hope President Biden will sign it soon.

Meanwhile, if you want more information about the whole thing, there is a nice article on The Trek website about it: https://thetrek.co/the-explore-act-has-passed-in-congress-what-it-means-for-backpackers/

While you’re there, you might also check out the other information—it’s a good website for those interested in through hikes, or just hiking in general.

Nice way to start out the year.

[Dan]

I think there have been previous threads on this topic, and IIRC the motivations of the act are not quite as benign and simple as you make it sound, especially for people who value preservation of actual wilderness. That article is oversimplified and rosy.

I do think it is very good news for businesses that rely on access to federal lands.

[Paul Wagner]

I volunteer quite a few hours each year to work on trails, clean up campsites, and generally try to improve the conditions (and minimize the impacts of visitors) in the wildernesses where I live.  I am hopeful that this funding will help with those efforts.

[Zero Flight]

Here’s the text of the act itself if anybody is interested.  My eyes glazed over pretty quickly but I also went straight to the Private/Public Partnership section.

 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6492/text#toc-HC9560367C2834C9090C41A10BD8E3FAE

[Paul Wagner]

I did hear from a few people that I work with as a volunteer. Their seasonal wilderness rangers are not getting hired this year, and they lost their only intern. That leaves one wilderness ranger for the entire forest.

Meanwhile, all funds have been frozen, so the contracts to clear and burn high fuel areas of the forest are all cancelled. No pire prevention this year.

And the snowpack is lower than usual. We’ve had a lot of precipitation in Northern California, but it’s been warmer and wetter than usual, so the snowpack isn’t as thick as usual. That means an early snowmelt, and a long fire season.

[Terran Terran]

The reality is sinking in. It’s very frightening. Two years before changes can be made. I’ve made the calls and have been very vocal. I’ll call again today though it falls on deaf ears. Try to educate those who don’t know or won’t listen. Stay vigilant. Watch the wild lands. We have been abandoned by our own government. This hasn’t been a place for politics. We all need to take a stance before irreparable damage is done. We will loose the little bit of wilderness that’s left. They want us working or dead. No in between.

Thank you for the facts however disheartening.

[Jeff McWilliams]

Terran Terran – yeah, two years to mid terms and ASSUMING Dems can somehow retake the House and/or the Senate.  How much damage will be done by then?  Further, it takes a 2/3 vote in the Senate to convict an impeached president.  I’m not convinced that will ever happen in within the next 4 years.

[Terran Terran]

The cottage industries stand to loose a lot of business. Colorado’s tourism depends on well maintained forests. Smoke from California fires invades our air while closing trails there. I don’t see anything good happening unless it’s organized amongst our community.

[Bill Budney]

The model Musk/Trump are using is: “Delete it and see what breaks.”

It may be ham-fisted, but it is much quicker than waiting for professional bureaucrats to respond to requests for information. (I’m not defending it — just explaining his POV).

Another way to look at the “see what breaks” part is: “Oil the squeaky wheel”. When things break badly, they more or less expects someone to shout about it, and for that voice to rise above the general din of lawsuits, insults, and media bleating. When that occurs, his system is to consider re-starting whatever broke.

Be the squeaky wheel.

[Terran Terran]

Break our toys until he’s made to stop.

[Terran Terran]

The parks and monuments are starting to limit their days. Closing restrooms and trails. Call your congressman. Not just today, but everyday. Twice. Fill up their voicemail. This is an urgent emergency situation. Be very vocal.

[Dan]

Alaska seems to have been the main focus of the Day 1 executive orders promoting mineral extraction in public lands. Of course, the mass firings will have a big impact on services.

[AK Granola]

Republicans in my state legislature (Alaska) are finally coming out with statements of concern given that 40% of our state budget comes from the feds. Doh. Where were they when they were worshipping at the altar of MAGA? Eat your crow people. We’re screwed now. Especially when the more urban southern part of the state is snow-free right now and drying out fast; it will be a major wildfire year. Gosh I hate being right.

[Terran Terran]

[Terran Terran]

When your only tool is a chainsaw.

 

[Paul Wagner]

Trump administration backtracks on thousands of national parks jobs
DPA Internalnational
Fri, February 21, 2025 at 1:48 AM PST

Following a loud public outcry about job cuts at the National Park Service — and a relentless media campaign from outdoors enthusiasts across the country — it looks like the administration under US President Donald Trump has reconsidered.

A plan to eliminate thousands of seasonal workers at the beloved federal agency appears to have been reversed.

… The memo addressed only temporary seasonal employees. It said nothing about the roughly 1,000 members of the National Park Service’s permanent workforce who were fired Friday

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-administration-backtracks-thousands-national-094828865.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

[AK Granola]

The slash and burn method of budget cutting is popular in corporate these days. Not new, but trendy. A few years ago they hired a new HR person for our statewide administration. She fired her entire team, and then forced them to apply for newly written, but fewer positions. The unit saved some cash in the short term, but in the long term, they struggled to do the jobs because most people just left and didn’t reapply. The new folks didn’t know how to do anything. Payroll especially was problematic. Some people get overpaid and have to pay it back, others don’t get a paycheck. It has been a roller coaster. If they factored in all the time employees are spending on the job trying to straighten stuff out, it would not be a cost savings at all. I tell my staff to look at every single pay stub and do the math and make sure it’s right.  Every single pay period. That’s a lot of staff time spent making sure there are no mistakes.

But higher ups like this kind of strategy because it’s hit and run, not much thought involved, and I guess it sounds exciting? Or it’s just what some dumb expensive consulting firm thought was the thing to do. Maybe packaged in a nice color printout with a groovy design. If I could do consulting I’d start a firm that advises companies and organizations not to hire consultants.

[Terran Terran]

I was working time and material in the 80’s for Lord Hanson. A net worth of 15 billion. Known as a corporate raider at the time, he owned companies like Eureka Vacuum, jacuzzi, and the list goes on. My motto was spend it like you stole it. We wasted so much money, all under his direction. . All stockholder money.  I don’t know how he ran his companies. The workers from Peabody mines (John Prine) came out and picketed his house. It was all at their expense.

[Terran Terran]

[Bill Budney]

An irony of these mass firings is that salaries are just a drop in bucket of government spending. The BIG money wastes are in external contracts.

The most wasteful salaries I see in Washington are in Congress. They should start there. ;)

[Terran Terran]

The next biggest waste is at the top. Daytona flyovers and other stunts. Flaunting money.

[AK Granola]

External contracts… you mean like those with Elon Musk’s companies? Huh. Whoda thunk it.

[Terran Terran]

Putting the fox in charge of the hens.

 

[Matthew / BPL]

Thread closed. It’s been getting reported by menbers. This is not a political forum except where politics relate to environmental and conservation issues. The best place for those posts are in the Environmental Issues forum at https://backpackinglight.com/forums/forum/general-forums/environmental-issues/

This conversation started with an environmental topic and it has become a political discussion. BPL is not the place for those discussions. Thanks for understanding.

 

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