Page 11 - Flathead Beacon // 5.14.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS MAY 14, 2014 | 11

Find
S
A

YOUR

SECURITY

Glacier National Park ranger Kathy Dodd secures a sign to a barricade indicating a park closure during the government shutdown last October. FILE PHOTO BY
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON

Walsh Introduces Bill to Exempt National

Parks, Public Lands from Shutdown

By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
Walsh said he proposed the bill be- tion reports that overall outdoor recre-
cause of the damage done to Montana ation in Montana supported more than
U.S. Sen. John Walsh, D-Mont., in-
during the 16-day federal government 64,000 jobs and totaled $5.8 billion in
troduced a bill May 13 that would keep shutdown and budget impasse in Octo- consumer spending in 2012.
public lands and national parks open ber.
The Interior Department study also
to visitors in the event of a government The bill would cover national parks, showed that the 16-day government
shutdown.
national wildlife refuges, national for- shutdown in 2013 resulted in lost rev-

“Access to Montana’s public lands ests, the Bureau of Land Management, enue of $18 million in the gateway com-
should not be held hostage by the whims the Land and Water Conservation Fund, munities around Glacier and Yellow-
of Washington, D.C. or a few irrespon- the National Fish and Wildlife Foun- stone National Parks.
sible politicians,” Walsh said in an in- dation, the North American Wetlands It also cut into the hunting season in
terview with the Beacon. “I’m hopeful Conservation Fund, and private land Montana.
that there won’t be another shutdown, conservation programs.
“It afected all of the tourists who
but nothing is certain here. I know that I In support of the proposed bill, came into the state of Montana to go
would not support a shutdown, because Walsh cited a study released earlier this into Yellowstone National Park and Gla-

as lieutenant governor I saw what it did year by the U.S. Department of the In- cier, it disrupted the hunting season, it
to Montana’s economy.”
terior showing that Montana’s national afected small businesses, and it was bad
In February, Walsh was appointed to parks alone brought over $403 million for the economy,” Walsh said.
ill former Sen. Max Baucus’ seat when in economic beneits in 2012. More than The bill will be referred to the Sen-
the long-running senator was tabbed as 4.4 million visitors came to Montana’s ate Committee on Energy and Natural
the U.S. Ambassador to China, making national parks, according to the report, Resources.
Walsh the incumbent in Montana’s mar- supporting over 6,500 jobs.
[email protected]

quee Senate race.
The Outdoor Industry Associa-
Republican Congressman Steve
Daines is considered Walsh’s likely op-
ponent in the general election.
“ACCESS TO MONTANA’S PUBLIC LANDS SHOULD NOT BE
The bill, called the “Keeping Public
Lands Open Act,” would continue fund- HELD HOSTAGE BY THE WHIMS OF WASHINGTON, D.C. OR
ing for operations at the previous iscal
year’s level in the event of a government
A FEW IRRESPONSIBLE POLITICIANS.” Sen. John Walsh
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
shutdown.
www.T