National park cuts could hit state hard
Peter Fimrite
Updated 10:01 pm, Friday, February 22, 2013
Park rangers in the Bay Area and throughout California would be laid off, interpretive programs would be cut and Yosemite's bears might end up with a perpetual trash banquet if the federal government does not find a deficit reduction plan, according to a National Park Service document leaked this week.
The lack of a long-term financial plan would mean a $1.2 trillion across-the-board cut in federal spending and a 5 percent hit to the budgets of the 398 national parks, including Yosemite National Park, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore.
The cuts would be necessary in the event of what is known as the "sequester," which is a legal writ forcing cuts in federal programs in the event President Obama cannot reach an agreement with Congress on a budget plan by Friday.
Reductions in the number of rangers, campground staff and interpretive programs would mean that the shallow roots of Yosemite's towering giant sequoias could be trampled by visitors, roads would remain closed longer because of snow, toilets would be left to overflow and more garbage would be available to rampaging bears. And, while they are rampaging, bear safety programs would be cut, park officials said ...
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/National-park-cuts-could-hit-state-hard-4302094.php
