Goverment shutdown /statement from Ranger District WI

[LoveMyDobe]

Effective October 1, 2013, the US federal government has been shut down due to the lapse in funding. I am emailing our partners to inform you all that the Forest Service is closing all recreation facilities including trailheads, campgrounds, and day use areas. We have been ordered to lock up all toilet buildings, swing gates where there are gates, pull water pump handles and take the solar wells, and post with the official signage. Due to the lack of funding to continue operations, all Forest Service recreation sites and facilities will be closed until further notice. Since we won't have water, garbage, or restrooms, camping or use won't be allowed due to health and safety concerns. Our law enforcement officers will be on duty and checking facilities. All trail work will stop as well. We will be placing a message on the main line that the office is closed and the trail report will include the message regarding all recreation site closures. If you would like to share that all National Forest recreation sites and facilities are closed, please do so. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Teresa Maday
Assistant Ranger for Recreation & Land
Washburn Ranger District
Phone (715)373-2667 ext. 247
Fax715)373-2878

 

[lmuch21]

use won't be allowed due to health and safety concerns

seems like a clever ploy by the government here. Lets pass a bunch of "health and safety" rules and regulations so that when the people tell us to quit spending money, we can shut everything down citing "health and safety" concerns. To me, this whole shutting down the national parks is a joke. If you don't have money to pay for people to pick up garbage and maintain the mechanical equipment, or pay the utility bills; fine, shut those down. But shutting down the entire park/forest? give me a break. this was paid for with taxpayer money, so the taxpayers should be able to use it. Please feel free to correct me if i am wrong or missing something here...

 

[ezra]

huge bunch of typical BS
spend money and time pulling swing gates where there are gates, pull water pump handles and take the solar wells, and post with the official signage.
all to try to punish the people.
and oh yeah we still have just enough to get some cops out there to make sure u don't use your land
F OFF
keep it shut down I don't need or can we afford the 900000 unessential fed employees or there overly generous salary's and benefits packages.
I am going 4 wheeling in N WI today I can tell u now a closed gate on any fed land sorry our land trail will not stop me.

 

[renegade]

seems like a clever ploy by the government here

It would only be clever if it wasn't expected. They want to close campgrounds and any facilities with water, fine. But there are plenty of facilities that do not need water that could stay open. And as far as closing gates to a trail, totally useless. There doesnt need to be anybody watching over a trail as someone passes thru. I know why they do it, and I'm not drinking the kool aid. I'm with ezra, keep it shut down.

 

[anonomoose]

Daniel,

we are sorry to inform you that because the government has decided that it is unsafe for you travel over land, your travels by foot will not be permitted, and since you have no means to plug in a generator, or hose to hook to your tent, we must inform you that your travels will not be allowed to go over American soil.

Dear Government


I shot a bear (without license) when I was only 5 years old, and my leather shoes will leave nary a trace as I travel all over the smokey mountains. I have NEVER used electric or needed a latrene, and have always left the land as I found it as I have traveled it. Since I am a true American, I also consider that this land is as much my land as it is anyone elses, and I do not intend to stop my travels because some dumb cluck needs to shut a gate or take a pump handle off of a water well. If you need to address this futher, I will be walking around this land of ours from day to day and I would encourage you to look me up where we can discuss this futher. Please make lots of noise or whistle as you approach, because I tend to shoot first and ask questions later when I see a brown object approaching me aspecially with silly looking hats.

Sincerely

Daniel Boone

 

[ezra]

ALL BS they are spending money buying chain and planting posts on scenic stops on freeways at popular stops.
spending money hiring contractors to chain off the un maned scenic overlook at Normandy.
the tape and steel barriers could not keep the old timers out of the outdoor WW2 memorial so they brought in cement freeway barricades with fr end loaders
only 1 person has the discretionary spending power to do this kind of stuff during a shut down.
He get his orders from the Man Child in Chief.
Worst in history hands down

 

[Admin]

ALL BS they are spending money buying chain and planting posts on scenic stops on freeways at popular stops.
spending money hiring contractors to chain off the un maned scenic overlook at Normandy.
the tape and steel barriers could not keep the old timers out of the outdoor WW2 memorial so they brought in cement freeway barricades with fr end loaders
only 1 person has the discretionary spending power to do this kind of stuff during a shut down.
He get his orders from the Man Child in Chief.
Worst in history hands down

It is amazing the lengths they are going to in order to show how much of an impact this shutdown can have. There are a bunch of automated NOAA web sites that all have a nice graphic telling us how the page is not available due to the shutdown. Kinda funny as it is all automated and needs no human to create it. I suppose if a server crashed, then it would need human intervention to restart, but they have been known to crash and be down for quite a while before someone realizes they need to hit the "restart" button. Thankfully I can still dig down and find most of the raw data I need to produce my forecasts.

I do feel sorry for the workers who are out of a job for something that is not their fault at all...well most of them!

-John

 

[kwikgren]

Daniel Boone

Daniel Boone? Are you kidding me? You want to be Daniel Boone? Fine, get out and walk everywhere you go and see how far you get.

It's pretty sad that we need gates, locks, and signs at all. The reality, though, is that we do nowadays.

One reason for closure is to protect infrastructure from inevitable vandalism and looting that will occur if all kinds of people can easily get in on motorized vehicles. I'm guessing that people like Daniel Boone, if they actually existed in this day and age, would tend to not steal or vandalize. I'm guessing the reason a lot of trails perfectly suited to vehicle traffic are closed (even without a govt. shutdown) is because they allow people easy access to areas off the road or trail that they would stay out of if they had any common sense (soil erosion, wetland destruction, wildlife habitat, etc.). But a lot of these people will not take no for an answer, and if they can easily do whatever they want and get away with it they will.

I'm an old timer and can remember when there was no internet, no atvs, no off trail snowmachines. (I remember riding a short track Yamaha in the Keweenaw around 1980 and thought the "stay on trail" signs meant that you better stay on the trail or you will get stuck). That's nothing compared to my grandfather who worked as a lumberjack with hand tools and horses (no chain saws or skidders back then). Forget about Daniel Boone, those days are gone.

When I first moved to the U.P. 35 years ago, there were cabins way back in the bush that were not locked. Not because people back then didn't steal or vandalize, but because so few people ever got back there it wasn't a problem, and those that did get back there appreciated the work of others because they themselves had to work hard just to get there.

Flash forward to modern times. There are those that feel that the prolific use of recreational motor vehicles has now debased, profaned, and forever cheapened the great wilderness that once existed up here not all that long ago.

I for one appreciate our modern conveniences and don't really want to go back in time. But I do like a taste of wilderness, and appreciate solitude, clean air and clean water, which is why I choose to live up here. What gets me are the people that come up here (usually from the city) and are amazed at how quiet it is and how clean the air and water is, how pristine the wilderness is, and how polite the people are. They then proceed to do everything in their power to make it more noisy, polluted, and crowded just like it was back home. Vehicles are here to stay, but a little
common sense, politeness, and courtesy goes a long way. Maybe even Daniel Boone wouldn't shoot you, but don't count on it.

 

[durphee]

Yikes! John, I would have assumed that those automated graphics would be in the best interest or safety of many individuals, hence a necessary function of your govt. Bad idea of shutting those down.

As far as shutdown, the gov't just wants you to feel the crunch and inconvenience the citizens. Its too bad it has come to this, again. If you want my opinion on it, just watch George Carlin and his views on politics, it explains it all.

 

[whitedust]

Yikes! John, I would have assumed that those automated graphics would be in the best interest or safety of many individuals, hence a necessary function of your govt. Bad idea of shutting those down.

As far as shutdown, the gov't just wants you to feel the crunch and inconvenience the citizens. Its too bad it has come to this, again. If you want my opinion on it, just watch George Carlin and his views on politics, it explains it all.

Exactly it is all about pain to put the squeez on the public then trickle down to DC. Stock market just starting to move down in chunks no solution next week & markets will tank big time. I was wondering why no Fed Taper in Sept but get it now.lol

 

[ripcord]

daniel boone? Are you kidding me? You want to be daniel boone? Fine, get out and walk everywhere you go and see how far you get.

It's pretty sad that we need gates, locks, and signs at all. The reality, though, is that we do nowadays.

One reason for closure is to protect infrastructure from inevitable vandalism and looting that will occur if all kinds of people can easily get in on motorized vehicles. I'm guessing that people like daniel boone, if they actually existed in this day and age, would tend to not steal or vandalize. I'm guessing the reason a lot of trails perfectly suited to vehicle traffic are closed (even without a govt. Shutdown) is because they allow people easy access to areas off the road or trail that they would stay out of if they had any common sense (soil erosion, wetland destruction, wildlife habitat, etc.). But a lot of these people will not take no for an answer, and if they can easily do whatever they want and get away with it they will.

I'm an old timer and can remember when there was no internet, no atvs, no off trail snowmachines. (i remember riding a short track yamaha in the keweenaw around 1980 and thought the "stay on trail" signs meant that you better stay on the trail or you will get stuck). That's nothing compared to my grandfather who worked as a lumberjack with hand tools and horses (no chain saws or skidders back then). Forget about daniel boone, those days are gone.

When i first moved to the u.p. 35 years ago, there were cabins way back in the bush that were not locked. Not because people back then didn't steal or vandalize, but because so few people ever got back there it wasn't a problem, and those that did get back there appreciated the work of others because they themselves had to work hard just to get there.

Flash forward to modern times. There are those that feel that the prolific use of recreational motor vehicles has now debased, profaned, and forever cheapened the great wilderness that once existed up here not all that long ago.

I for one appreciate our modern conveniences and don't really want to go back in time. But i do like a taste of wilderness, and appreciate solitude, clean air and clean water, which is why i choose to live up here. What gets me are the people that come up here (usually from the city) and are amazed at how quiet it is and how clean the air and water is, how pristine the wilderness is, and how polite the people are. They then proceed to do everything in their power to make it more noisy, polluted, and crowded just like it was back home. Vehicles are here to stay, but a little
common sense, politeness, and courtesy goes a long way. Maybe even daniel boone wouldn't shoot you, but don't count on it.

amen!!!

 

[garyl62]

Daniel Boone? Are you kidding me? You want to be Daniel Boone? Fine, get out and walk everywhere you go and see how far you get.

It's pretty sad that we need gates, locks, and signs at all. The reality, though, is that we do nowadays.

One reason for closure is to protect infrastructure from inevitable vandalism and looting that will occur if all kinds of people can easily get in on motorized vehicles. I'm guessing that people like Daniel Boone, if they actually existed in this day and age, would tend to not steal or vandalize. I'm guessing the reason a lot of trails perfectly suited to vehicle traffic are closed (even without a govt. shutdown) is because they allow people easy access to areas off the road or trail that they would stay out of if they had any common sense (soil erosion, wetland destruction, wildlife habitat, etc.). But a lot of these people will not take no for an answer, and if they can easily do whatever they want and get away with it they will.

I'm an old timer and can remember when there was no internet, no atvs, no off trail snowmachines. (I remember riding a short track Yamaha in the Keweenaw around 1980 and thought the "stay on trail" signs meant that you better stay on the trail or you will get stuck). That's nothing compared to my grandfather who worked as a lumberjack with hand tools and horses (no chain saws or skidders back then). Forget about Daniel Boone, those days are gone.

When I first moved to the U.P. 35 years ago, there were cabins way back in the bush that were not locked. Not because people back then didn't steal or vandalize, but because so few people ever got back there it wasn't a problem, and those that did get back there appreciated the work of others because they themselves had to work hard just to get there.

Flash forward to modern times. There are those that feel that the prolific use of recreational motor vehicles has now debased, profaned, and forever cheapened the great wilderness that once existed up here not all that long ago.

I for one appreciate our modern conveniences and don't really want to go back in time. But I do like a taste of wilderness, and appreciate solitude, clean air and clean water, which is why I choose to live up here. What gets me are the people that come up here (usually from the city) and are amazed at how quiet it is and how clean the air and water is, how pristine the wilderness is, and how polite the people are. They then proceed to do everything in their power to make it more noisy, polluted, and crowded just like it was back home. Vehicles are here to stay, but a little
common sense, politeness, and courtesy goes a long way. Maybe even Daniel Boone wouldn't shoot you, but don't count on it.

Well said Kwikgren. You sound like someone who has been through life, and while you probably know a thing or two about it, tend to keep your thoughts to yourself while you go about your own business. I'd like to see more of your ideas on here as you obviously have chosen to live your life in an area we all enjoy and pray continues as it is for a long time to come.

 

[rocketman356]

Dingy Harry

As I type , there eight funding bills on Harry Ried's desk to fund all this and he will not bring any one of them to the floor for a vote......on a lighter note attached some pics of Keweenaw 4 wheelin othis weekend

 

[lmuch21]

http://news.yahoo.com/shutdown-rebels-defying-federal-orders-close-155647228.html

 

[longtrack]

What I can't figure out is Obama can write a directive for anything he thinks of and now I feel he is directing this closure BS also. He is the CEO.

 

[renegade]

He wants you to believe in your heart of hearts, that we cannot function without an overbearing government. The above link gets you mad at the beginning and makes you happy at the end. Hope Cathy is having success!

 

[ezra]

What I can't figure out is Obama can write a directive for anything he thinks of and now I feel he is directing this closure BS also. He is the CEO.

your feeling is 100% correct

 

[snowbum]

What next...........suppose their going to close open air War Memorials. This is disgraceful. Vote in the 2014 mid-term elections.

SB

 

[eao]

Shutdown could alter LSPR schedule

LSPR organizers had permission to use roads in the Ottawa National Forest located near Kenton for Friday's competition, but were recently advised by the United States Forest Service Kenton office their permit was invalid as long as the federal government remained unfunded.

 

[Polarice]

My understanding is that the things that are gated or would have personnel are the only things 'shut down.' I read somewhere that the National Forests that are not gated we are still allowed to be in. Such as if you wanted to go hunting or fishing on Federal land that is okay. But if you want to go and camp or visit something that normally has personnel that is prohibited.

Has anyone else heard this?