We have much more to do and your continued support is needed now more than ever.
For Public Lands, the Shutdown is About more than National Parks
Clearly, outdoor recreation—including hunting and fishing—is big business. The Outdoor Industry Association estimates that outdoor recreation supports 6.1 million jobs nationally and produces $646 billion in spending each year. However, restricted recreational access to our public lands is only one aspect of the impact of the government furlough.
The federal government is the largest landowner in the country and with that goes the responsibilities of land management and stewardship of our natural resources, extending well beyond just supporting the American public’s desire for outdoor recreation. Nearly 640 million acres of land are managed by four agencies, the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and US Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition to outdoor recreation, these lands are managed for fisheries and wildlife, clean water, timber and mineral development, wilderness, education and research, and protecting historical and cultural resources.
Stretched Thin
During the shutdown, resources to respond to wildfire management will be limited to wildfire suppression but planning for and executing prescribed fires and reducing fire threats to local communities are on hold. The fall season is often a key window of opportunity for prescribed fires and burning slash piles to reduce wildfire danger.
Repairs and maintenance of trails, campgrounds, restrooms, fencing, roads and bridges, water systems, and visitor centers are not being done and may have to be delayed until early next summer when the weather conditions permit, adding to the backlog. The agencies’ ability to utilize volunteers and partnerships is put on hold with the loss of many volunteer hours and the loss of a fall season of work.
Public Service on Public Lands? Think Again.
Providing information to the public such as maps to hunters and campers, answering questions from recreating families and tourists, researching property records, providing public documents and reports, and processing Freedom of Information Act requests has stopped during the furlough.
After ten days not everyone has noticed the fact that the nation’s largest landlord has had to stop managing our public lands, but as time goes by more and more will and there is a price to pay for neglect. That price will be paid not only by local communities losing fall tourism revenue and families unable to hunt on wildlife refuges or take long-planned family vacations in National Parks, but by all Americans who care about their land, wildlife, water and air.
Tell your member of Congress that they need to pass a funding bill so that vital wildlife conservation, environmental protection and many other vital services can continue.