# Pending Government Shutdown: A reliable season of non-boating



## cain (Dec 28, 2011)

The Government passed something on Tuesday keeping the gov. open until Dec. 9 I beleive.


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## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

Uh, no. There is no continuing resolution ("CR") yet, and Phillip's warning is timely - BUT, this is an election year, and speaking only for myself, I would be astonished if there is no CR that funds the USG until January 20, 2017. Pay attention, and VOTE!


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## BilloutWest (Jan 25, 2013)

Paying attention and VOTING is always good advice.

But if anyone here thinks these spending/funding problems will be resolved in our lifetimes, they've got another think coming.

On your calendars. Mark off the CR expiration dates.
Plan accordingly.
If you can *avoid Federal Put-ins* around those dates.


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

I think we'll see a CR by next week but would be smart to have contingencies in place. BLM, USFS and NPS employees will all be deemed non-essential (except LEO) which means all offices would be closed come October 1st. I would have at least 1 verified backup locale in mind and hope it only comes up around the campfire on the Plan A river trip.


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## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

Philip, again, close but no cigar... yes, law enforcement officers/officials (usually referred to as just plain "LE") are broadly exempt from the drawdown/shutdown effects, BUT the bigger distinction is "essential" versus "non-essential" personnel. Not all BLM, USFS and NPS personnel fall into the latter category, and while a backup plan is always a good idea, ALL federal agencies have learned the value of communicating their current operating status & plans to the public - so info should be readily available. 
When you VOTE, you might want to remember/consider which party has been responsible/continues to advocate for shutting down the USG over the last 20 years...just sayin'.


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Thx for clarity. I was trying to infer (it appears ineffectively) that historically they will not have personnel to provide permits or information beyond closure. Visitor Centers and offices will be closed for day to day business, correct? Hence calling next week when they are fully staffed.

Not interested in political discussion beyond how it affects our community's logistics if a closure happens. Hopefully people will take that to the Eddy. 

On a side note, what rivers were people able to float last major closure? I vaguely remember the San Juan but could be wrong. Anybody have first hand experience?


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## tanderson (Mar 26, 2010)

Politics suck. Period.


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## cain (Dec 28, 2011)

Your right. I miss read the article which said the Senate had passed some resolution to send onward. If you are launching on the 30th of Sept. you are already on the river and are good to go. Right??


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

cain said:


> If you are launching on the 30th of Sept. you are already on the river and are good to go. Right??


I think so, if I remember correctly, there were only officers with guns, blockading the roads to the put ins last time, and of course, if you launched before the shutdown, you did not break the law.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Last time at Westwater the volunteer rangers stepped in and complimented the LEOs. No effect by the shutdown except the BLM rangers weren't around.


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

During the last shutdown, the State of Colorado managed to get Rocky Mountain National Park opened back up with state funding. Some other State Governments managed to do the same thing with some of our National Parks.
Some other super cool Federal employees volunteered there time to help keep some public lands open during that whole debacle.

Westwater BLM does do a really good job! I remember my first multi day down there at about 1000-2000 c.f.s. and having a brutal head wind, the Ranger gave us a push out with his motorized rig!


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## davidlbunch (Jul 17, 2008)

*grand trip*

I have a October 1st-23rd Grand canyon trip coming up quick. Does anyone know what happened at lees ferry last time. Did anyone get turned away at lees ferry last time? Does anyone know of anyone that did?
A question for the person that started this thread: where are you getting you sources from? I cant seem to find anything on this subject with a simple google search. Thanks


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Google "government shutdown 2016". We no longer seem to pass real budgets anymore so we have been stuck with "continuing resolutions" for about 8 years now. They should have passed one weeks ago but our legislators can't seem to even do the fundamentals of their job anymore. The 2017 budget year starts Oct 1 hence the pending threat of a shutdown.

You may be lucky as most folks arrive the day before their launch for a rigging window. They will shutdown the day you launch and the precedent is if you are in the gates the day before you are free to float. I would call to confirm. If a closure happens than the Lee's Ferry launch site will be closed and no boaters can proceed. Just search the MB archives to read the heartbreaking experiences from the last federal shutdown.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Mountain Buzz mobile app


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## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

Fact check: Newt Gingrich - one of the finalists to be the running mate of the raccoon in the tanning bed with the dead squirrel on his head - first shut down the government back in 1995, I believe (might have been '96, but that's still 20 years ago). I remember because I suddenly was doing 3 jobs, not being lucky enough to be deemed "non-essential." And it happened 4 or 5 days before Christmas...

Last time NPS blockaded the entrance to Lee's Ferry and several private trips camped in Marble Canyon's parking lot waiting to see if they would be able to launch. They couldn't, but my understanding is they were given new lauch dates the following year (?) - not much consolation if you've already spent thousands, even tens of thousands to buy food, arrange shuttles, etc. for a Grand trip.

Other managing agencies on other rivers adopted different approaches. Some (WW and I believe MFS and maybe Main & Snake) were more accommodating.

No government shutdown has ever been perpetrated or supported by the other major party...


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## melmorr (Feb 8, 2008)

All of Dinosaur National Monument was gated and locked at midnight on Oct 1, 2013. No one launched from Oct 1 until it was resolved some three weeks later. Deso was open with a sign that reminded boaters that there was no ranger patrol and to launch at their own risk as was the Flaming Gorge Dam. The gate at the Dam was not locked but we heard that it could be locked at anytime if managers were given the word to do so.


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Avoided by CR that lasts through December 9th. Should be signed no later than Friday. Down to the wire with roughly 48 hours before shutdown.

Take this time to push your reps to pass a budget or CR soon so our buddies with with winter launches aren't left high and dry. December may be more tempting for a shutdown since it will be during a critical lame duck session.

To be continued....


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## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

Instead of a CR, which keeps the previous outrageous budget in place, insist Congress goes to a Zero Based Budget for each department each year.

Zero Based meaning each department starts with a zero budget each year and they have to justify what ever budget they want with real justification in dollars they give the country in benefits.

This would clean out a lot of worthless money pits that CR's keep in business.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

One thing that was closed that I would not have thought of during the last government shutdown was the scat machines.. I had a bunch of friends that got on the rouge and ended up going to the machine on the Deschutes to clean their groover because it is state run.


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## DriftaBit (Feb 4, 2015)

davidlbunch said:


> I have a October 1st-23rd Grand canyon trip coming up quick. Does anyone know what happened at lees ferry last time. Did anyone get turned away at lees ferry last time? Does anyone know of anyone that did?
> A question for the person that started this thread: where are you getting you sources from? I cant seem to find anything on this subject with a simple google search. Thanks


Yeah, I put on a day or two before the shutdown last time and we weren't really sure what would happen. We were fine, but I had many friends turned away who had launch dates during the closure.


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## dirtbagkayaker (Oct 29, 2008)

The government wont shut down, They are way too busy calling each other racists and liers. They got to keep the hate rolling into November. Don't cha know, its all about ratings. So I think were good until after election when whichever lying racist gets into lead the greatest country to the bottom of the pit.


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## davidlbunch (Jul 17, 2008)

Thanks driftabit I think we will be fine by a thread even if they did shut down the first. On the bright side there would be no one behind us and we would have the river to our selves HaHa


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## fdon (Jul 23, 2008)

We launched on a Lodore adventure morning before the last shut-down. Glorious trip with fall colors, great weather and no one else around. Split Mountain takeout was a different scene however. We had the foresight to shuttle the rigs the same day we launched. The pistol-packin lawman was sure pissed when we pulled in and demanded that we get the hell out of there asap as "his" National Monument was closed to the public.


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