Hundreds of Forest Service campgrounds may be closing, according to a story in the Denver Post Sunday (and also a Forest Service report we blogged about some months ago).
Budget shortfalls have forced the Forest Service to reduce the number of camping sites and the service is in the process of evaluating which will close. Forest Service spokesmen in Colorado said almost a third of their facilities could close, even as the number of people who camp is steadily increasing.
We're working on discovering what would close in the Pike National Forest. I can think of a few, such as Y Campground on Gold Camp Road, that have been neglected for years.
My concern is that closing campgrounds may actually cost more. On Gold Camp Road, lots of people camp in unimproved areas, scattering trash, driving off-road, and generally making a mess of things. Having improved campgrounds, and people to monitor them, seems to make campers behave better, which saves on clean-up. It's that whole ounce of prevention thing.
1 comment:
A $346 million dollar maintenance backlog. Bush blows $300 BILLION (+) on his personal war in Iraq.
So very sad.
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