"The National Park Service would be forced to delay the opening of roads into iconic national parks including Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Yosemite by as much as a month if Congress fails to avert $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts, according to new information obtained by a Park Service retirees group."
"The cuts would also force the closure of visitor centers and a nature preserve at Grand Teton National Park, the shutdown of five campgrounds and picnic areas at Great Smoky Mountains National Park and at least a two-week delay to the opening of Glacier National Park's famous Going-to-the-Sun Road.
In addition, nationwide reductions in staff, maintenance crews and operating hours would affect hundreds of millions of visitors, according to the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees.
The information, which the retirees group said it obtained from people both inside and outside of the agency, comes weeks after NPS Director Jon Jarvis asked parks to submit detailed sequestration plans so the agency can show Congress, the Obama administration and the public how the cuts would affect its nearly 400 units."
Phil Taylor reports for Greenwire February 20, 2013.
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