Grand Portage National Monument was perhaps the most proactive local federal agency in the shutdown of the federal government due to the Congress’s inability to reach an agreement on the federal budget. The National Monument issued a news release on October 1, 2013 stating that it was one of the many governmental offices closed because of the “lapse in appropriations.”
Grand Portage National Park staff explained that the National Park Service (NPS) has closed all 401 national parks, including Grand Portage National Monument. All visitor facilities including Grand Portage National Monument Heritage Center and Historic Site are closed. The park will remain closed until the government reopens. Anyone interested in updates on the shutdown was encouraged to visit the U.S. Department of the Interior website at: www.doi.gov/shutdown.
Grand Portage National Monument hosts 75 visitors on average each day in October; nationally, more than 715,000 visitors a day frequent the National Park System. Nationwide the NPS stands to lose approximately $450,000 per day in lost revenue from fees collected at entry stations and fees paid for in-park activities such as cave tours, boat rides and camping. Gateway communities across the country see about $76 million per day in total sales from visitor spending that is lost during a government shutdown.
At Grand Portage National Monument, 13 employees are on furlough because of the shutdown and another nine partnership employees, i.e. Grand Portage Band of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, are affected. One employee remains on duty, providing security and emergency services.
Nationwide the shutdown has also furloughed more than 20,000 National Park Service employees; approximately 3,000 employees remain on duty to ensure essential health, safety, and security functions at parks and facilities. About 12,000 park concessions employees are also affected.
Because it will not be maintained, the National Park Service website will be down for the duration of the shutdown. NPS.gov has more than 750,000 pages and 91 million unique visitors each year.
Isle Royale National Park, which is accessed by the Grand Portage – Isle Royale Ferry Line from Voyageur’s Marina in Grand Portage, is also closed. The ferries were ceasing operation for the season this week anyway. However, travelers who wanted to make a late-season trip in the first week of October were out of luck. Anyone seeking information online about trips to Isle Royale National Park is met with this message: “Because of the federal government shutdown, all national parks are closed and National Park Service webpages are not operating. For more information, go to www.doi.gov.”
Likewise the Superior National Forest, which added the message: “We will attempt to make timely updates about public health and safety on these webpages as appropriate. We sincerely regret this inconvenience.”
Phone calls to the local District Ranger offices are answered by a phone message with a similar message.
Winter hours for Superior National Forest District Offices began Sept. 30, and will be in effect when the government shut down ends. Those hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the offices will be closed weekends and holidays until May 1.
The U.S.D.A. Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, which oversees the food stamp program will continue for at least one month, however, the federal WIC program which assists pregnant women and children is shut down. WIC affects 9 million people per month according to the U.S.D.A. website. However, RN Kristin Wharton said the state of Minnesota will continue to operate the WIC program, at least for a while. WIC works with women on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and sessions will be held as planned on October 8-9. She said about 120 clients participate in the WIC program monthly. WIC vouchers should be honored by local food vendors. “The state is looking at its budget week by week,” said Wharton, “but for now it is status quo.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare programs will run in the usual manner, because that funding is approved a year in advance by lawmakers. However, vets appealing denials of disability benefits will have to wait for a response after the shutdown. Local veteran service programs are primarily funded by the county, the state or the Grand Portage Tribal Council.
Employees who work for government functions “necessary to protect life” remain open, such as Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. military, intelligence agencies, embassies, consulates that help Americans abroad, emergency medical care, border patrol, and emergency and disaster assistance. So that means Customs and Border Patrol officers are still on the job at the Grand Portage – Pigeon River border crossing.
Federal occupational safety and health inspectors (OSHA) will stop workplace inspections except in cases of imminent danger.
The U.S. Postal Service continues to deliver the mail so Cook County residents will see no interruption in that service.
The shut down caused by the Republicancontrolled House of Representatives and Democratic-controlled Senate’s inability to reach agreement affects only federal workers. Minnesota state parks and government offices remain open as usual.
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