Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky is being hit twice by the federal budget sequestration -- first by having to cut 5 percent from its budget, and again by lost revenues from cave tours that have been canceled due to lack of staff.
Park Superintendent Sarah Craighead said Tuesday that the park stands to lose about $300,000 in tour fees as she can't afford to hire seven seasonal interpretive rangers who normally lead the Grand Avenue and Snowball Room tours.
"So we will suspend those tours, and that will affect about 28,000 visitors, and will eliminate about 600 tours," she said during a phone call. “It’s a pretty big impact to us, because it’s actually kind of a double whammy because it also means that we don’t collect about $300,000 in fees. ... That’s where most of our funding is in the summer.”
The superintendent said other problems could come to light, so to speak, underground as the position of an electrician also will go vacant in a cost-cutting move.
“One of the things that we’re facing wtih sequestration is one of the positions that we have to lapse is an electrician position," said Superintendent Craighead. "On the surface we have 150 buildings that we have to keep with good electrical service, but underground we have 36 miles of distribution system, and several transformers and hundreds of lights. And all that you have to hike to to get to in most cases, some cases it’s a couple miles to get to where you need to go."
Also idled this coming season by sequestration is the Houchins Ferry, one of two ferries that cross the Green River in the park, she said.
"We usually open that (ferry) in March and run it through late fall, and we will not be opening that at all this year," said Superintendent Craighead. "For those users of it, they’ll have an extra drive (of about 30 minutes) to the nearest bridge. So it’s an impact on the local commuinty there."
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Rick Smith - I read the wiki on that bubble thing that seems to have become fetishized by some. It would seem to apply equally to those who only get their reading from Fox News, Free Republic, Red State, etc., as to those who only get their reading from MSNBC, Jon Stewart, HuffPo, etc. And all I've seen of it over the past few days is the label being used as a stick to poke others in a quasi geekcool buzz word way.
Semantically, it is null.
Rick (s),
Yet again, you ridicule the source rather than address the issue. After all it is the best way to hide.
As one who hasn't used the phrase "bubble wrap" I ask, does it really make sense to cancel a tour that raises $500 if it cost less than $500 to conduct?
Fine.
Help me out here. In order to grant your premise that it "costs less than $500 to conduct", please tell me the overhead figures for the park for that same time. Show your work and list all details no matter how small.
Let me know when you have specifics. No shoulds, shouldn't's, or wild ass guesses. How many light bulbs and how much wire and how many electricians to screw them in, and all under the budget constraints you budget-chainsaw people are forcing in on us for our own good.
And please do chose credible sources.
Kurt, I applaud you and your site far more than most can realize (at the moment). You are a treasure! There's an element of transparency here that is not possible in most of the media. The treasure that many hold for these wild places described on the pages of the Traveler really do hold standing over the crap political discourse that the country is wallowed in. Humbling is the ultimate standing in my frame of reference and it's the king in my book. Thank you!!! With that, Rock On! With that, I don't think anyone can speak in the same paragraph the names of Obama and Teddy Roosevelt in the same paragraph with any common ground. One lived for the experience of these wild places while the other probably yearns for the days of smoking pot in his Hawaiian Chum(?) gang. When one purposefully heads into the most remote places of North and South America and the other secludes himself in the poshest elements of Hawaii, Florida and the ultimate reaches of AF1 around the globe, could there be any more drastic comparisons? This guy is not someone that has any connection (but empty words) to those that value what most on the Traveler value, I believe. Those are my thoughts (after two good micro-brews), respectfully!
President Obama signed legislation elevating Pinnacles National Monument to Pinnacles National Park. The monument was established by Theodore Roosevelt.
That was easy. Dayton Duncan does it, too:
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/15/opinion/la-oe-duncan-national-pa...
Rick Smith, hopefully I won't confuse you with the other Rick:). Budget issues (reality) confronting NPS are different from the Rick B. Bubble (You coined and defined the term, friend (If that doesn't offend). My guess is that NPS is being used as a political tool like so much of what this bunch does. Perhaps one of the most beloved agencies in the Federal Bureocracy it's used for political purposes to punish the citizens into compliance. Not a very nice bunch we have elected. Rick B., I can only pen you as a poster boy by what I've seen posted on the Traveler. Like to know the rest of the story but this site probably would not be the place.
Rick, you clearly have no understanding of economics or finance. The question here is not "overhead", it is incremental cost. The overhead is there whether the tours are conducted or not. The question is, what is the INCREMENTAL cost. Do they collect more in revenue than the tour cost to conduct. If you can document the tour legitimately cost more than $500 to conduct, I will concede the point. I find it hard to believe that is the case.
justinh, can you tell me when the last time (or the first) that this Pres. slept under the stars, rafted a river, climbed a peak, contracted Giardia or was completely humbled by ANYTHING?