🚀 go-pugleaf

The National Park Service is already overburdened and underfunded.  They
are in debt and have been getting deeper every year.  There is a bill 
going through congress that will harm the existing National Parks you
know and love.

It's called the California Desert Protection Act.  As you all know it will
create 3 national parks out of approximately 9 million acres of California
Desert.  The National Park service has estimated it will cost them $10.50
per acre to manage this land (which is currently being managed by the
BLM for $1.50 per acre).  That amounts to approx 95 million dollars a year
in additional funds the National Park service will need.  Do you really
think they'll get it from the government?? NO!  They don't even get enough
to fund the existing National Parks.  Do you really think they'll get it
from visitation/tourism?? NO!  The desert is the harshest environment in
Northern America.  99% of the people who visit it now do so because of
vehicular access.  Calling it a National Park and removing the access will
not cause people to come flocking to 115 degree temperatures during summer
and sub-freezing temperatures during winter.  

So where will the extra money come from?  It will be taken from the existing
National Parks.  They will be directly harmed.  They will be forced to allow
more concessioneering and logging in a feeble attempt to make up the
difference.  If you believe that our current parks can't afford to be
deprived of money worse than they already are, if you believe California
can't stand a 1.6 billion dollar economic hit (economic impact of OHV use) and
43,000 jobs lost, then you should be AGAINST the Desert Protection Act.


--
  Jeremy Hansen                                jeremyh@amcc.com
  Technology Group
  Applied Micro Circuits Corp.

Opinions are mine only and do not represent AMCC or its customers.