April 6, 2014 — Approximately 1 percent of the total federal budget is spent on natural resources. In fact, spending on natural resources now is nearly half of what it was in the late 1970s. Politicians talk tough about sound economic policy and job creation while simultaneously reducing funding for conservation efforts and denying anglers access to public land—or in other words, they attempt to balance the budget by digging for loose change in the national couch.
Living outside the nation’s capital as I do, I get a steady dose of political news whether I want to hear it or not. While most Americans go about their daily lives just trying to pay their bills and raise their kids, even they can’t help but notice how badly the operation of the federal government has deteriorated. Last year politicians from both parties believed it would be better to shut down the government entirely—and blame the other side for doing so—than to compromise with each other.
News organizations, which thrive on this discord, hyped the stalemate, even posting countdown clocks to encourage viewer anxiety as we drew closer to “doomsday.” In the end, and despite the incessant hand-wringing, most Americans were almost totally unaffected by the government shutdown.
One group of citizens, however, took the government shutdown directly in the neck: American sportsmen, their families, and those whose business cater to them. Hunters and anglers, campers, paddlers, and hikers who had planned outings and vacations were essentially held hostage by politicians who used them as pawns. Because congress couldn’t reach an agreement, political gamesmanship ensured that federal parkland, normally open and available to sportsmen and vacationing families, sat off limits and idle. As is so often the case, the parks remained barred to their owners—the American people—for purely political reasons and to inflict the most pain possible.
Along Montana’s Bighorn River, armed National Park Service personnel patrolled the “public” boat launches, shooing away professional guides who tried to take clients fishing. In case armed personnel proved an insufficient deterrent, NPS employees erected barricades to prevent guides from using the launches. At Mount Rushmore, traffic cones lined highway pulloffs to prevent motorists from stopping to take photographs of the iconic monument.
The federal government even attempted bar access to the ocean: Both Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks were closed. A message sent to commercial permit holders read:
Effective at 6 PM on October 1, 2013, both Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks will be closed. While our law enforcement rangers will remain on duty, all other administrative activities and visitor services will be discontinued until the shutdown has been lifted.If you have a trip planned for October 1st, you must conclude your business within the park by 6 PM. After today, you may not offer any services within the park’s boundaries until further notice.We regret the burden that this will place on your livelihood.
This one closure effectively shut down fishing for more than 1,100 square miles.
Read the full opinion piece at Midcurrent