Government Shutdown

Anyone have ideas on how a federal government shut down will affect backcountry skiers? I'm assuming the Hurricane Ridge and Paradise roads won't open. Will this affect anything in the National Forests?

I am on the Rainier Volunteers Yahoo group email and just saw this posted today...
gate closed at Nisqually if things don't get agreed on by tomorrow. Open today though (Thursday the 7th.)

It will be interesting to see.  Last time the Parks shut down it costs $12 million/day in revenues but Mt. Rainier stayed open for Xmas because people had reservations for Christmas  ???  but this time the news said all parks and wildlife refuges will shut down including the National Park Inns that are run by concessionaires.  If this is true, would any ski area on US Forest Service land (Crystal, Baker, White Pass) that wanted to be open be forced to close? I have no idea.  I can't seeing closure of FS backcountry simply because they don't have the gates nor would they have any personnel to tell you to keep out.  I know some Fed employee groups were suing to try to find out the closure plans; if there is a shutdown, feds are supposed to show up on Monday to see if they can work or not (if they are "essential" or not).

The TNT has a brief story on the pending closure of the National Parks:
www.thenewstribune.com/2011/04/07/161617...ould-deal-hefty.html

I was fascinated to read that plowing the road to Paradise is considered an 'essential activity' and will continue even if the drawbridge is raised at Nisqually entrance!  The LE rangers are also considered essential, so don't assume you can sled up the White River road, for example, without risking a citation.   

The TNT has a brief story on the pending closure of the National Parks:
www.thenewstribune.com/2011/04/07/161617...ould-deal-hefty.html

I was fascinated to read that plowing the road to Paradise is considered an 'essential activity' and will continue even if the drawbridge is raised at Nisqually entrance!  The LE rangers are also considered essential, so don't assume you can sled up the White River road, for example, without risking a citation.   

Sledding on the White River road is normally allowed, from www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/winter-recreation.htm :

Snowmobiles are permitted on the 12-mile section of unplowed road from the north park boundary on Highway 410 to the White River Campground. Snowmobiles may not continue on Hwy 410 south of the White River Road turnoff. They are also prohibited from proceeding beyond the closure at the White River Campground road junction towards Sunrise. Snowmobiles must stay on the road corridor; they are not allowed to proceed beyond the campground towards Glacier Basin. Be aware of avalanche danger and the weather forecast.

Sorry for the poor example.  What I meant was that a shutdown will mean that no entry to the Park will be legal, even walking across the boundary. That's the way it was in previous government shutdowns and also during the more recent bogus six-month 'flood' closure.

ya know it was kind of an odd feeling walking out of work today wondering if ill have a paid job on monday or if ill be taking an unexpected unpaid vacation. Just a weird feeling.

Was kind of interesting reading about who exactly would be furloughed in the NPS though. Snow plow drivers are more important than me i guess lol.

What does “closed” mean?
This is a full closure. Visitors will not be able to come into any park entrance by car, on foot, by bike, or any other means. Beginning Saturday morning cars will be turned back at the gate. The only exception to this is for people with winter group camping or hotel reservations. These folks will be allowed to stay in the park for 48 hours.

Will anyone be working?
The park has identified the bare minimum of staffing needed to protect park infrastructure and human safety. The management team has developed a schedule of who will be working during the closure, and if you are on that schedule your supervisor has already notified you. The schedule includes 3 protection rangers per day, comm. center staffing, road crew, utilities systems operators, green house staff, some human resources people, contracting officer, and an information officer. The list of “excepted” employees includes about 35 people overall.

could you tell us where the "protection rangers" (I assume this is similar to a pothole ranger?) will be stationed each day?

;D

could you tell us where the "protection rangers" (I assume this is similar to a pothole ranger?) will be stationed each day?

;D

Right behind you.

It's disgusting to see the people's Parks become a political football in this scrum between our two teams of incompetent politicians.  The annual budget for all the National Parks is less than the rounding error for the total federal budget.  The costs to small business will be far greater than the government's 'savings', according to this article:
nationalparkstraveler.org/2011/04/signs-...nal-park-circles7942

I wonder if the exception for "people with group camping reservations" is NPS-speak for the guiding concessions such as RMI?  It sure sounds like the same double standard applied during the 2006-07 VC construction closure.  It would also not surprise me if some furloughed Rainier employees once again manage to get some skiing in at Paradise while the taxpayers are excluded.

Still, the inconvenience to recreationists is nothing compared to our troops being shot at and not even paid!

Oh well, the drama appears to be over for the time being.

So, how is it that the default policy of the Park system, in the absence of 'operating' revenue, is to deny access to the peoples land?