Shutdown affects activities
Lincoln County residents seeking to purchase a firewood-cutting permit or planning to spend time in U.S. Forest Service or U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campsites or recreational areas may want to make other plans.
The shutdown of the federal government because of a budget stalemate has closed the sites.
At Libby Dam, all non-essential employees have been excused from work until a compromise has been reached.
What this means is all Corps boat ramps, except the one immediately downstream of the dam, are closed. Restrooms including vault toilets are closed and locked and all USACE campgrounds (and their boat ramps) at Blackwell, Dunn Creek and Alexander Creek are closed.
Closures include the entirety of Souse Gulch, including the Visitor Center, disc golf course, boat ramp behind the dam and picnic areas.
Similarly, there is no one working at the U.S. Forest Service’s Kootenai National Forest Supervisor’s Office. The door is locked and a phone recording urges people to call back.
As residents continue to prepare for winter firewood gathering, the permits to purchase to legally cut wood in national forests are unobtainable because of the agency’s closure.
“I really don’t know what difference it makes,” said Tom Horelick, of North Fork Forestry, who supplies firewood. “It’s really a free-for-all out there anyway.”
Lincoln County commissioners on Wednesday, which was the second full day of the shutdown, said they have felt little impact thus far, but acknowledged it is still early in the federal employee work stoppage.
“I noticed some gated campgrounds at Rocky Gorge on my way down from Eureka,” Commissioner Mike Cole said. “The sad thing is the SRS (Secure Rural Schools) package is sitting on the president’s desk. Do you think that’ll get signed with this?”
Commissioner Ron Downey said the shutdown is having wide-ranging effects.
“It is affecting families,” Downey said. “People are not working, but as far as having wide-ranging effect, we don’t see it yet. They’re saying they’re closing the forests. That can’t be. The forests belong to (everyone).”
Presiding Commissioner Tony Berget said he’s heard of people being concerned about not being able to get firewood permits.
“We had a meeting with (KNF Supervisor) Paul Bradford cancelled,” Berget said. “But so far, I don’t know that it’s had much effect yet.”
The Army Corps’ Seattle office, which has jurisdiction in Libby, states on its website says it is “curtailing some services and closing its campgrounds and day-use parks nationwide until fiscal 2014 funding becomes available.” The statement, however, says all security personnel at dam locations, such as Libby Dam, will remain on the job.
The Western News learned officials from the Spokane Veterans Affairs Center in Spokane still plan on coming to the Libby Stand Down Friday and Saturday at the Libby Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“Our medical center and rural health clinics, including the VA contracted clinic in Libby remain open despite the government shutdown,” said Bret Bowers, VA public affairs officer. “ Our Medical Center is sending a strong contingent of eligibility, outreach, homeless and clinical staff to Libby for the Stand Down this weekend.”