Here is one last reminder to get your registration in for Operation Desert Fun, a great fundraiser for the Cal-Diego Paralyzed Veterans Association and Cal4Wheel. Truck on down to the Truckhaven 4×4 Training Facility in the Ocotillo Wells SVRA for some all vehicle action. There are trails for all skill levels, a great vendor show, a raffle and lots more to keep you busy. Kids can even ride as long as they are accompanied by an adult.
FINALLY! It seems that some have figured out that this is a question that needs to be addressed! According to The Blaze:
The Obama administration is considering allowing some national parks to be maintained by states during the partial government shutdown, but is still withholding information from Congress and the public about the cost of closing so many open-air monuments and parks.
“It would appear logically that the cost of barriers and security could cost more than simply leaving open,” House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) told TheBlaze. “We’ve asked the National Park Service and unfortunately we haven’t gotten answers.”
The Natural Resources Committee and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a joint investigative hearing Wednesday on why 401 national parks and monuments were closed across the country during the shutdown.
As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I have a great deal of respect and fond memories of my interactions with Park Rangers.
Those feelings, however, are eroding. During the government shutdown, the National Park Service seems to have completely lost it’s little hive mind in various parts of the country:
- Locking veterans out of the World War II Memorial, but allowing an illegal alien rally;
- Using armed guards to detain tourists into their rooms at Yellowstone;
- Refusing to allow the same tourists to stop at public restrooms as they were bussed out of the part;
- Erecting barricades to keep people out of Mount Vernon – a privately owned and privately managed venue;
- Removing handles from drinking fountains to stop people from drinking the valuable (and free) water;
- Using many more resources to keep people OUT of parks than it takes to keep them open in the first place.
According to a widely-published quote from an Park Service Ranger, “We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.”
The State Park and Recreation Commission, in conjunction with the Parks Forward Initiative, is conducting public workshops throughout the state during September and October 2013. The workshops are being conducted to gather new ideas on how to improve efficiency, create financial sustainability, and better leverage partnerships within California State Parks. All of the meetings are webcast live on www.cal-span.org and archived on that site as well.
The California State Parks Foundation continues to push for better policies and legislation that will protect California’s park system. If you haven’t read through their Park Excellence Project, you really should.
From the CSPF website:
California’s state park system is at a crossroads. As a system, California’s state parks have persisted even in the face of challenging and shifting political, social, and environmental priorities. Yet, after more than a century of leading the way in preserving and protecting precious resources, today’s pressures – including proposals for wholesale shutdowns, current and indefinite closures, a $1.2 billion deferred maintenance backlog, and more – are the most challenging the system has ever seen.