{"id":20666,"date":"2014-01-09T20:47:52","date_gmt":"2014-01-09T20:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/?p=317416"},"modified":"2014-01-09T20:47:52","modified_gmt":"2014-01-09T20:47:52","slug":"death-by-a-thousand-cuts-report-shows-consequences-of-defunding-national-parks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leedpoints.com\/green-building-blog\/death-by-a-thousand-cuts-report-shows-consequences-of-defunding-national-parks\/","title":{"rendered":"Death by a Thousand Cuts: Report Shows Consequences of Defunding National Parks"},"content":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"parksFI\"<\/p>\n

As Congress approaches another deadline on the federal budget, a new report<\/a>, released by Environment America<\/a> exposes the challenges facing the country’s parks, seashores, monuments and historic sites as a result of mounting funding cuts to the National Park Service.<\/p>\n[caption id=\"attachment_317429\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]\"parksFI\"<\/a> Graphic courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association<\/a>[\/caption]\n

“From Yellowstone to the Everglades, our country’s parks saw seasonal staffing slashed, educational programs cancelled and in some instances saw some sections of parks closed to visitors entirely this past summer,” said Aaron Weil, conservation advocate with Environment America. “We don’t want death by a thousand cuts for our national parks.”<\/p>\n

Our national parks, seashores, trails and historic sites provide critical habitat for wildlife, ensure clean drinking water<\/a> for communities across the country, and offer endless recreational opportunities. Visitors to this country’s parks have been enjoying the chance to hike canoe, camp, or just take in the awe-inspiring beauty of these iconic landscapes for more than 100 years.<\/p>\n

In addition to national parks being closed during the government shutdown<\/a> last year, 2013 was the third straight year Congress cut funding to the National Park Service operating budget. Additional cuts from the March sequester make for a 13 percent reduction in funding for our parks in todays dollars over this period.<\/p>\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"480\"]\"Open<\/a> Infographic courtesy of the National Parks Conservation Association<\/a>[\/caption]\n

The report, Death by a Thousand Cuts, <\/em>looks at individual states’ National Parks statistics <\/em>and gives concrete examples of how each state’s Parks have been affected by defunding, such as:<\/p>\n