Severe Forest Circus Budget Cutbacks!

[bedrock bubba]

This could have a detrimental effect on all recreational folks!

WASHINGTON The roads to the national forests could get bumpier. Literally.

Trails could get messier. Maintenance on bridges, dams and recreation sites could become tougher.

That’s the potential fate of national forest projects, thanks to President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal 2018, which begins Oct. 1.

While the overall federal budget has plenty of cuts in agency after agency, the forest service plan has more drama, because the White House is seeking about $100 million in funding for capital improvement and maintenance, down from $363 million this year.

That’s a 73 percent cut, and could have a huge impact on recreation, according to Rebecca Turner, senior director of programs and policy for American Forests, a nonprofit conservation organization.

Turner said roads are used to access the trails leading to “majestic overlooks,” as well as lakes and rivers inside the forests. She said the budget cuts would also lead to camp sites and facilities not being maintained.

Turner said if the forest service is unable to maintain safe roads, boat launches and campgrounds, they’re likely to simply close.


Continued:

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-...156632139.html

 

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[goldog]

Less money for gates and signs.

 

[Assembler]

Hello
Does this also me there is a cut back on "all recreational folks" as well?

 

[Underburden]

Less money for obliterating existing trails.

 

[russau]

They reap what they sowed! NOW it's time for payback to them!

 

[bedrock bubba]

I can just see forest fires raging out of control, and the roads impassable be cause of no maintanance! I don't like them any more than you do, but they are the gatekeepers to our riches, and this cannot be a good thing!

 

[Mudflap]

Here in CT the fees charged for entry/parking do not go to the state parks. They go to the state treasury general fund! Now they are laying off lifeguards and cutting their hours.........

 

[russau]

I can just see forest fires raging out of control, and the roads impassable be cause of no maintanance! I don't like them any more than you do, but they are the gatekeepers to our riches, and this cannot be a good thing!

The fires rage out of control as it is ! The forest circus blocks the fire trails that lead us to claims and OUR PUBLIC Lands and ALSO the Fire Department access to these way out fires that are currently NOT REACHABLE because of the Forest Circus' blocking the roads! The F.S. has gotten to big for their own britches as well as several other gubermint departments! They keep asking and getting more and more $$$ from us to bolster their GRAB for POWER , when they CANT maintain / protect what they are SUPPOSED to do now! A ggod thing would be to UNLOAD these *^$@* and allow the local Fire men to fight these fires and the ability to bring in more help when needed! I.E. the F.S. will FINE you if you cut / cleat brush close to your home AND the local fire Departments WILL FINE YOU IF you don't clear this from your home! What would you do to protect your family and home? I personnaly hope President trump CLEARS the DECKS of this DEAD weight!

 

[winners58]

Less payouts to environmentalist groups, less land taken out of use to protect the spotted blank______
the forest service should be making a profit we just need,
More Logging, more ranch/grazing, more Mining...

 

[Underburden]

USFS - BLM (Interior) payroll has grown and grown and grown for years. When a project is complete, they don't lay off - they dream up another useless project to keep folks on the payroll. It's called "MAKE WORK". For decades they've lived with the famous government phrase"Use it or loose it", now it's coming back to bite them in arrears. Why must their budgets grow every year. Do they suddenly have more forests to mismanage?

 

[wingmaster]

Well most of the money likely went into their buddies pockets anyway, like when they timber land for lumber you know pocket money is made to take more than they should. I've seen acres and acres clear cut without leaving any trees at all, I believe they are supposed to leave some new growth trees at least but when money is there to be had they don't seem to care. Now if they catch you break a twig they act like you just killed the planet, you can't even stick a shovel in the creek on government land here but if a politicians buddy wanted to build a toxic waste plant there I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem.

 

[russau]

They are supposed to leave new growth OR replant at the proper time for continued growth.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I think the USFS has backfired many more acres than uncontrolled fires have burned.
I just wish they would do this in the fall rather than waiting until the middle of the summer!

They do need a wake up call. If it's a sunday and a holiday, the roads are clogged up with USFS rigs driving around.
I feel there is probably a lot of waste in that organization that is going un-checked.

Beware - if they get budget cuts, they will retaliate by closing all the campgrounds as well as many roads that will be deemed unsafe for travel.
It's happened before when there was a government shutdown due to budget issues.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Why must their budgets grow every year. Do they suddenly have more forests to mismanage?

The cost of employment has increased significantly every year. Costs a lot for those entitlements.

 

[rodoconnor]

That is why it's necessary for good management. The private sector has to learn to do more with less, why can't the Feds ? The days of automatic increases via baseline budgeting are coming to an end. There is only so much money. $20 TRILLION in debt is a lot of dough that has to be paid back.

 

[bedrock bubba]

The fires rage out of control as it is ! The forest circus blocks the fire trails that lead us to claims and OUR PUBLIC Lands and ALSO the Fire Department access to these way out fires that are currently NOT REACHABLE because of the Forest Circus' blocking the roads! The F.S. has gotten to big for their own britches as well as several other gubermint departments! They keep asking and getting more and more $$$ from us to bolster their GRAB for POWER , when they CANT maintain / protect what they are SUPPOSED to do now! A ggod thing would be to UNLOAD these *^$@* and allow the local Fire men to fight these fires and the ability to bring in more help when needed! I.E. the F.S. will FINE you if you cut / cleat brush close to your home AND the local fire Departments WILL FINE YOU IF you don't clear this from your home! What would you do to protect your family and home? I personnaly hope President trump CLEARS the DECKS of this DEAD weight!

Damned if you do, damned if you don't! ITS CRAZY!Here in Nevada County, CA the concern is fires caused by the homeless!It happens too often!I used to do fire clearances, and it was never a problem with government, unless you didn't do the clearance!

 

[wingmaster]

They don't do that here in Indiana, they clear cut everything and just let nature grow it back. You can get a permit to pan in a few places here but can only use your hands and pan to prospect no tools at all, so I won't even go there but I wish gold was laying on the surface of course we all know it's not like that.

They are supposed to leave new growth OR replant at the proper time for continued growth.

 

[wingmaster]

Good management and the government seem to be two different things, the way things are going those two paths won't ever cross.

That is why it's necessary for good management. The private sector has to learn to do more with less, why can't the Feds ? The days of automatic increases via baseline budgeting are coming to an end. There is only so much money. $20 TRILLION in debt is a lot of dough that has to be paid back.

 

[russau]

They don't do that here in Indiana, they clear cut everything and just let nature grow it back. You can get a permit to pan in a few places here but can only use your hands and pan to prospect no tools at all, so I won't even go there but I wish gold was laying on the surface of course we all know it's not like that.

Permits and hands and garden trowels are for the Morgan Monroe State park area. otherwise you can use up to a 5 inch dredge in a stream with the land owners permission for egress , no other permit is needed.

 

[mendoAu]

I read the whole article and found this:
“How do we sustain the $10 billion generated by visitors to our national forests and the 143,000 jobs they create if we don’t have roads to access the forest, or safe and accessible facilities or hiking trails for visitors to use once they are there,” Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. said at a Senate hearing recently on the forest service budget."
Now I'm no genius but with a work force of 143,000 I think I could get every road and campsite pristeen however perhaps it might be hard for most of them to learn how to use a shovel properly. HA!