According to an article in the San Bernardino Sun, Congress recently passed a bill approving expenditures for lots of stuff, including $500,000 for PCT improvements.
http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208~12588~2548669,00.html
Craig “Computer” Rogers
Actually funding for the Forest Service has been decreasing since the Clinton era. They have particularly reduced funding in the recreation part of the budget and tried to replace it with the highly unpopular Fee Demo Program. Fee Demo has proven to be so unpopular that they appear to be allowing it to sunset. Senator Murkowsi who was one of the big sponsers of Fee Demo is even willing to see it die just to get rid of all the controversy. The trend has been to privatize the recreation facilities of the National Forests. None of the campgrounds in the White Mountain National Forest are run by the Forest Service and I assume this is true all over. Recreation suffers but the subsidized logging activities continue. The Forest Service continually sells the lumber at less then it costs to produce it. Before you point the finger at any political party realize that this has been going on no matter who has been in power. The best thing you can do for the PCT and any of our trails is to volunteer to help maintain them. Its the one thing we have control of.
Big B
Funding for our National Parks is often discussed on NPR. And since Bush took office in Jan of 2001 we’ve watched him cut and cut and cut funds for our National Parks. His record speaks for itself. Bush seems to care more about oil then protecting wildlife.
Maybe this will change over the next four years, but until it does, we’ll have to work hard to keep our funds and attempt to protect our backyards from people like GW Bush.
Happy hiking to all.
Boorh