Sequester: Disaster for the National Park Service and the Local Economies

In less than a week, mandatory federal spending cuts known as “sequestering” will take place. On February 25, the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said that these cuts could have serious impacts on operations in many national parks and wildlife refuges around the United States. These parks, according to a peer-reviewed report by the National Park Service, generated $30 billion in economic activity and maintained 252,000 jobs in 2011. But, hiring of seasonal workers such as search-and-rescue teams, law enforcement officers, and maintenance staff has already been delayed in anticipation of the upcoming sequester, which would reduce the annual budget of the…