SFR USFS Budget Cuts

Sorta fishing-related
Northern said:
Locking off public lands to the public is the goal.
Makes it much easier to justify selling it off to the highest bidder.
Always, always follow the money.
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I think Northern has nailed it here. Squeeze the budget of programs that benefit the public so Uncle Elon can get a massive tax break. As said programs become more and more dysfunctional, point and declaim to Joe Sixpack “See- government IS the problem!” Joe concludes that we don’t need no NFS, and eventually we sell the land to Acme Timber And Mining for a fraction of its value.

Genius!
 
krusty said:
Somebody has to play Devil's Advocate!
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Somebody has to use facts, as a few previous posts here were sorely lacking on that front. If the aliens were to read those posts, they'd shake their heads (if they have heads) and fly back through whatever wormhole they came through.
Facts are stubborn things, and in this case there's definitely something silly here for sure, just not what was implied previously.

Phil K said:
I think Northern has nailed it here. Squeeze the budget of programs that benefit the public so Uncle Elon can get a massive tax break. As said programs become more and more dysfunctional, point and declaim to Joe Sixpack “See- government IS the problem!” Joe concludes that we don’t need no NFS, and eventually we sell the land to Acme Timber And Mining for a fraction of its value.

Genius!
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Actually the outlined approach as currently devised is to give those lands to the states, and of course the states can't afford to manage them, so the states then sell off the lands. A distinction without a difference perhaps, but it throws a bone to both the 'local control' fans, and the ' government doesn't work' groups. Important to placate both your voters and your donors here.
Treading carefully here, as not to violate forum guidelines, but a little (very little) Google work will give a good overview of the 'platform' and groups who are behind this approach.

Public lands are worth fighting for...
 
Phil K said:
I think Northern has nailed it here. Squeeze the budget of programs that benefit the public so Uncle Elon can get a massive tax break. As said programs become more and more dysfunctional, point and declaim to Joe Sixpack “See- government IS the problem!” Joe concludes that we don’t need no NFS, and eventually we sell the land to Acme Timber And Mining for a fraction of its value.

Genius!
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We were shown a graphic of our revenue vs expenditures..

The whole story is in that graphic... gotta stop spending money do not have .
 
Phil K said:
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I'd say lying is how "they" make a living... but fortunately i don't have to listen to "them" I can look at history and come to my own conclusions thanks. Polices of high taxes, high spending causes government dependency makes for lazy people, unprofitable labor, low tax revenues and debt. Ohh and corrupt government/ business relations. This also is not an red vs blue issue they both suck at this. How is it that a congressman who makes 200 000 a year salary a multi millionaire after just a few years in congress?
Oh yeah... they are lying to us.
 
Long_Rod_Silvers said:
Silver lining - maybe trailheads will get less crowded if the trails start growing over? I don't know - it's a stretch, but trying to stay positive.
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I Hate blowdowns. Maybe in the coming free-for-all it will be OK to use chainsaws to clear trails in Wilderness areas. I’d be fine with that.

And to our esteemed Mr. Allen: Your both-side-ism is exactly what is about to have the country turned over to a collection of billionaires, psychopaths, and lunatics. Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride. (I’m really trying to be discrete here and not get myself ban-hammered, but I hate seeing this country swirling around the drain.)
 
SurfnFish said:
The Muskrat will likely be hyper focused on the Fed departments that interfere by his autocratic with his companies through 'unneeded regulation. His gerbil partner, however, will be diving head first into everything in an attempt to gain traction in the current Game of Thrones.
As to those Fed departments and their operational models to get things done:
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In my business I actually wear all of those hats!
 
Northern said:
You guys are funny.
Locking off public lands to the public is the goal.
Makes it much easier to justify selling it off to the highest bidder.
Always, always follow the money.
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I've seen roads to nice Curtis Creeks in less visited areas closed due to unsafe actions of "sportsmen", the spent shells and clay shards they leave, and the tree damage they cause, because there aren't enough funds for cleanup, maintenance, and enforcement. So they trench the road, prohibit ATVs, and make people walk in an extra mile or four.
 
Before things get too far off track, here's a brief outline that may prove useful to those interested in public lands and their continued ownership by the US government, and access to them.
If you're interested in doing the minimum, then you could write a letter to your congresscritter expressing your views on public lands.
The link has some tips, and a way to find your local representative too, in case you are uncertain.
Make no mistake, there is a concerted effort afoot to sell off these public lands, and once public land is gone, it's gone forever.

www.tpl.org

Speaking up for public lands: how to write a letter to your representatives

No doubt about it, public lands need your help. Social media makes it easier than ever for you to voice your support—but if you really want to make
www.tpl.org www.tpl.org
 
The Washington Trails Association has public letter writing to congress campaigns too. Their prolific volunteer trail maintenance activities helps give them informed stakeholder cred.
www.wta.org

Advocacy in the Blog

Current issues affecting trails and hikers.
www.wta.org www.wta.org
 
Please keep in mind that its just not the United States Forest Service experiencing very dire budget cuts, for 2025. The BLM, The National Park Service and The United States Fish and Wildlife Agencies are all in the same boat. Your visitation experience to these areas will be severly curtailed/affected.

Bob
 
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We hear all the time about the increase in wildfire control costs, which are unbudgeted, and the politicals are not keen to get saddled with a tax on their record, so budget cuts, or shifts. Also remember that the Reagan administration nearly doubled the miles of forest roads back then, the purpose of which was to extract some timber, do dome mining, etc. I would guess that road maintenance is one of the top budget items for both the BLM and the USFS, and a lot of those very roads are the ones that are getting trenched. The ones that aren't getting trenched are in a sad state down here in the Gifford Pinchot. The ones they paved cost even more to maintain, and were built with questionable engineering on unstable slopes in the first place. Reagan tried to shift the USFS to a model in which timber harvest paid the bills, but that kind of flies in the face of the original multiple use ideal the national forests were created to serve.
The worst thing I see down here is that they don't keep up ditches and culverts. Nothing will destroy a road faster than water. I think they should give up on grading more than twice a year to get ready for snow and smooth out the damage in the spring. The morons who fly down these roads at 40+ mph will washboard out a freshly graded road in two or three days, and I just don't think you can teach em'.
If we are going to have an outdoor playground for all Americans to enjoy, it is going to cost money, and the wildfire cost should be paid for by the folks who start the fires, cause climate change, whatever. (these fires are NOT the result of forest mismanagement... they are a result of extended dry periods with low humidity and abnormal wind plus name your spark)
As long as I have been alive, some of the trail work has been accomplished with volunteer labor. I wonder if today it is harder to find those willing to put some time in. A lot of the wilderness lakes down here are stocked by volunteers who bring the fish in in backpacks, and it's been that way as long as I can remember. Again I wonder if there are still (as many) people willing to do it.
 
Draketake said:
Please keep in mind that its just not the United States Forest Service experiencing very dire budget cuts, for 2025. The BLM, The National Park Service and The United States Fish and Wildlife Agencies are all in the same boat. Your visitation experience to these areas will be severly curtailed/affected.

Bob
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Don't forget about Washington state's 10-12 billion dollar budget deficit over the next 4 years. Plenty of budget and sevice cuts coming from that direction too.
 
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