Campgrounds, boat ramps and other facilities at least 30 federal lakes and reservoirs in six states will be closed or time will be cut as of mid-May as the Trump administration is about to rapidly shrink the U.S. government.
Officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who oversee lakes and reservoirs and oversee amenities for boating, camping, hiking and tourism, said they are dealing with staffing shortages and other budgetary restrictions.
Corps spokesman Douglas Garman said staff, focusing on fewer recreational sites, will allow those sites to maintain the “all services” that visitors expect.
The Omaha Legion District Office oversees the facility across the large squares of the Great Plains, from Western Iowa and Nebraska to the Montana border with Canada, saying the changes would also protect hydroelectric power and dam operations.
“We understand that decisions to make operational changes in recreation areas have not been made lightly and that these decisions could destroy public travel plans,” Garman said in an email to the Associated Press.
After starting his second term in January, President Trump imposed a federal employment freeze, and his advisory team led by billionaire Elon Musk, the government’s department of efficiency, is trying to eliminate tens of thousands of government jobs, and in some cases, the agency is completely removed.
In Picktown, SD, residents were appalled when they learned of the legion’s plans to close the Visitor Center at Fort Randall Dam and halt the tour of the dam’s great power on May 1st.
“We have a lot of fishing and boats, but there are a lot of ordinary tourists coming in to see the dam,” Broyhill said of Pickstown, about half a mile east of the Missouri River dam and just north of the Nebraska State Line.
“I think there are other places where they can cut things that make more sense,” she said.
In western Kansas, Sue Graham, manager of Knotthead’s Bait Shop and Camping Supply Store, on the east side of Lake Wilson, was skeptical of plans to restrict campsites to daytime use as of May 15th.
Graham doesn’t think the move will save a lot of money as the campground will only be used by residents who own nearby boat ramps, but Army officials will “shoot in the foot” if they go further to reduce fee revenues, she said.
However, Graham doesn’t expect her store to be affected. “People are still coming out,” she said.
The Kansas City area is set to close two Lake Kansas Visitor Information Centers in Hillsdale outside the Kansas City area and in Canopolis, central Kansas. The Legion will not allow overnight camping at 25 “primitive” ame-unbuilt spots in two areas of Harlan County Lake in western Nebraska, near the Kansas State Line. Nearby sites and water are still accessible during the day.
Emily Coffin, the district’s chief of natural resources division, said the district will pursue a five- or six-year efficiency initiative, with less interaction with visitors staff. It includes self-service campsite registration, cashless parking and payment via codes scanned on your smartphone.
“It might stand out a little bit because there’s more built than I did two years ago,” she said.
In March, the Army Corps of Engineers’ Baltimore district closed three campsites on Raystown Lake in central Pennsylvania, and closed campsites, swimming beaches and boat ramps at Lake Cowanesque in northern Pennsylvania.
The Omaha district announced this month that it will close six campsites in Dakotas and three visitor centers in South Dakota and Montana on May 1st. It also plans to suspend or limit tours of the four South Dakota Dam powerhouses and reduce tours at Fort Peck Dam in northeastern Montana.
The Corps District in southeastern Washington announced last week that it would close two visitor centers and eight camps and recreational areas.
“Concentrating resources will help us better maintain our essential mission,” district commander Lt. Col. Katie Worbeck said in a statement.
Hannah writes for the Associated Press.
