RHINELANDER, Wis. (AP) - Cuts are being made at some recreation areas in the 1.5 million-acre Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern and northwest Wisconsin.
WLUK-TV (https://bit.ly/1QAi9yL ) reports reductions in services are coming next week to 11 percent of sites in the forest. U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Hilary Markin said some sites will see reduced services, while others will be “hard closures” with gates shuttered.
Overnight camping visits have fallen 20 percent in a five-year span, and there’s a shortfall amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the Forest Service.
Markin said affected sites don’t typically see much use and cost a lot to maintain. The beach at the Green Lake picnic area near the town of Mountain will be closed, and the gates at Mountain Fire Tower are locked.
“We do recognize we probably have closed maybe somebody’s favorite spot, but usually right down the road, there’s another comparable site that has the same amenities, and same experiences,” Markin said.
Area officials worry cuts could affect tourism. Three Wisconsin lawmakers want the state to take control of the forest and harvest trees to raise money.
“We will take and we manage all the parks, keep them open,” said state Rep. Jeff Mursau, R-Crivitz. “The federal government does not have to stick a nickel into it.”
Markin said it’d be a “very complicated process” for Wisconsin to take over the forest.
“There is no mechanism for the state to take of the national forest right now.” Markin said. “It would have to go through Congress and be appropriated all the way down.”
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Information from: WLUK-TV, https://www.fox11online.com
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