Buffalo River Closure???

[Gtombridge]

Local news in Springfield is indicating that facilities on the Buffalo National River are closed and authorities will close and secure the river. Since when does the govt have the right to not let me kayak or swim a river? I can understand ceasing support functions at campgrounds and the like, but how can they " secure" the river??? if they hide it behind the guise of not being able to provide safety to the users, I'm sorry I don't need anyone looking after me on the river

[hollohead]

Close and secure? the river. Just beyond belief.

[okieboater]

The object is to make the partial shutdown as painful as possible.

I have some friends on the Grand Canyon. So, been watching what is going on there and their progress via SPOT and Google Earth and message boards. Seems like the Federales are closing the road access to GC access points and not letting private, commercial trips launch. Which could mean thousands of dollars lost to groups who left Flagstaff fully outfitted to float the Canyon this morning.

My buds, launched a week plus ago so are out of reach of the Federales !!

[Roger]

Per Grand Canyon:

"RRFW Riverwire - Lee's Ferry to Close if Government Shuts Down
September 30, 2013

As a United States Government shutdown looms large, plans are now in place to close all National Parks across the country on October 1, 2013. The closures will impact all recreational opportunities at Lee's Ferry, Arizona, including the cancellation of all river trips.

According to Grand Canyon National Park officials, river runners who have already launched downstream into Grand Canyon National Park will be able to complete their river trip. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area officials, who operate Lee's Ferry, note that should the government shutdown go into effect, the closure of Lee's Ferry will start with a soft closure beginning at 8:00 am, with a hard closure from noon on, after which no river trips will be allowed to launch.

Kansas river runner Hilary Esry won the river permit lottery last year for an October 7, 2013 launch date after first becoming interested in running Grand Canyon twenty years ago. "We have friends flying in from as far away as Alaska on non-refundable tickets and have spent over $17,000 so far in NPS fees, food and equipment rental. I have a contract with the Federal Government allowing me to launch, and so far, I have not been contacted from the National Park Service at all about a pending closure of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon" she said. "We expect to be on our own and except for the mandatory orientation at Leeâs Ferry, we do not expect to interface with anyone from the NPS. I canât tell you how nerve wracking this is for our trip."

The Grand Canyon National Park web site states there are sixteen river trips scheduled to launch in the first seven days of October. Thirteen of those trips are public trips while three are concession guided river trips. There are sixty-one river trips scheduled for the month of October, twelve of which are concessions trips and forty-nine are public trips.

Officials at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area also stated roadwork on the Lee's Ferry road will continue, as the funds for that project are non-appropriated funds. River runners who have parked their vehicles at the long term parking lot at Leeâs Ferry will be allowed to retrieve their vehicles but this will require a law enforcement escort.

Fishing at Lee's Ferry, including from the bank and by boat, both public and guided, will not be allowed. The smooth water concessions river trips from the base of Glen Canyon Dam downstream to Lee's Ferry will also cease operation. "


http://boatertalk.com/forum/RaftZone/1052457333" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[arfish]

quote from this article:

http://www.news-leader.com/article/2013 ... nav%7Chead" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

“We called all the people who were going to go on float trips this week and had to cancel,” said an employee at Buffalo Camping and Canoeing at Gilbert, Ark. “Even people who were going out on Friday were told to cancel. There’s a road block at the Gilbert access. The notice we got said nobody’s supposed to be on park land — period — during this shutdown. That includes hunters, hikers, horseback riders, and of course, paddlers.”

[Yarbrough]

So park employees are working putting up road blocks because they aren't going to work? Brilliant! Are they going to work enforcing the park being closed because they aren't working?

Okieboater is right. They are going to try their hardest to make it hurt. Just like the sequester jester. I would be curious if overtime is being logged to keep us out.

Relief maybe on the way. NBC and YAHOO just reported that House Republicans will introduce three small bills that would continue funding for veteran benefits, national parks and museums.

[fireman2012]

The news also said that the White House would veto the bill to reopen parks and museums and restore money to the va because they wouldn't let republicans pick and choose what to fund but hopefully we do get our parks back soon although it does seem pretty unconstitutional to close land and uses to the public since our tax money and soldiers have paid for the right to those places

[adamm]

I've been in North Carolina all week and today they closed the Great Smokey Mountains park as well as the Pisgah National Forest and quite a few other areas we were looking to hike at throughout the week. We got word that thru hikers on the AT in the GSMNP were being forced to leave. All of the campers in the area have tomorrow to be out of their campsites. Unfortunately a lot of the privately held camp grounds are already getting geared up to shut down for the season so there are a lot of RV'ers and campers looking for new sites. We were going to just park at the gates to some of the trails but park officers are ticketing vehicles and hikers for trespassing as well. It's just unfortunate that thousands of outdoor enthusiasts, like us, are vacationing in or near public lands that we can't even access. Wish those in Washington would get their stuff together and stop penalizing those of us that pay their salary.

[Prairie Tater]

Just wondering what the NPS will do about all of the folks parked along 43 south of Ponca to watch the elk rut. I wouldn't think they would have any jurisdiction on the state hiway. They might just be moronic enough to round up all the elk and move them farther into the park where they can't be seen.

[okieboater]

Well, my Dad now passed, a North Georgia farm boy used to the outdoors and a really good rifleman, was recruited by the 10th Mt Division, plus a ton of other North GA, TN and North Alabama farm boys. He landed at Naples and fought the war all the way North. Never left the county till the Army took him west to the Rockies and then over seas. Like every body else those days he did his duty, came home and gave Mom and Me a good living.

Now, the few of those heroes who gave us the freedom we all enjoy are turned away from a Monument they deserve to see. We won't have these silent heroes around for long. They deserve better.

We live in difficult times. We should be looking at ways to ease the pain, not make it worse. I think the President, the Democrats and the Republicans all need to ease up on the ego talk and figure out how to get out of this situation.

I am sure my Dad is looking down, shaking his head and asking "Son, what is going on?"

[hollohead]

The Elk in Boxley Valley (known locally as the tourist Elk) have been told not to pose for pictures, and to stay on public lands only. Boxley Valley is actually private land with some kind of scenic easements.

[Canoe_Codger]

A sad situation for sure. Totally avoidable, but like the sequester, a political game of "make it hurt". As for the elk, are they Federal or State employees or private contractors for one or the other? If they are state or private, they should be barred from using the park like everyone else. If Federal, they should be sent home.

Michael

[mgood]

It seems to me like they can block access to the river, not the river itself. You can distinguish the Grand Canyon in that there is a permit process for overnight trips there- I would assume that if you could find an entry/exit from the Buffalo that was not on federal land, then you could hypothetically float it, if a day trip. If it gets up anytime soon, which I doubt it will.

All this being said, I could be dead wrong. Someone who cares a bit more could look into it.

[Deuce]

COE impoundments are open to use provided one doesn't attempt to access them via COE facilities. Wonder why the same policy doesn't apply to the national rivers.

[Canoe_Codger]

COE impoundments are open to use provided one doesn't attempt to access them via COE facilities. Wonder why the same policy doesn't apply to the national rivers.

Simple, IMHO. "Make it hurt". Now about those pesky elk...