U.S. Senator John Thune sent a letter to the Director of the National Parks Service questioning a plan to close a campground at Wind Cave National Park following the budget sequester.
Wind Cave officials say the five percent across the board cuts will close the Elk Mountain Campground. In an earlier press release park officials say over 65-hundred visitors used the campground in 2011.
Thune says the campground closure raises suspicions the Park Service is using the sequester cutbacks to make a political statement. He says the Park Service should be able to find other areas to reduce costs.
Patty Rooney with the Parks Service says almost all programs at National Parks are visitor related–so any budget cuts ends up impacting visitors.
“We’re having to absorb this five percent cut that is intended over an entire fiscal year within our seven busiest months coming up. So it’s especially difficult for us as a visitor oriented agency to absorb a cut like that without the visitor feeling an impact,” says Rooney.
Besides the closure of a campground at Wind Cave– Park Service Officials say Rushmore could also close one of its visitor centers. The Badlands and other National Parks in South Dakota may also reduce programs.
