Feds Order Shutdown of Park It Doesn't Fund or Staff

Going a little overboard, aren't we?

National Park Officials closed down the educational Claude Moore Colonial Farm near the CIA in McLean, Va., even though the federal government doesn't fund or staff the park popular with children and schools. Just because the privately-operated park is on Park Service land, making the federal government simply its landlord, the agency decided to close it.

A Claude Moore Colonial Farm official said that the privately-funded staff is on the job Wednesday, but barred from letting anybody visit the historically accurate buildings or animals. Anna Eberly, the managing director, sent out an email decrying the decision and rude National Park Service staff handling the closure.

Pointing to Park Service claims that parks have to be closed because the agency can't afford staff during the government closure, Eberly wrote: "What utter crap. We have operated the Farm successfully for 32 years after the NPS cut the Farm from its budget in 1980 and are fully staffed and prepared to open today. But there are barricades at the Pavilions and entrance to the Farm. And if you were to park on the grass and visit on your own, you run the risk of being arrested. Of course, that will cost the NPS staff salaries to police the Farm against intruders while leaving it open will cost them nothing."

(Hat tip to Coyote Blog)

Comments

[Ron]

They don't own any of the parks, all of the parks belong to the citizens therefore it is unlawful to deny access to the parks

[SomeGuy]

the fed begs to differ. The fed owns all land...it just gives you the privilege to own it unless they want it, which results in them taking it from you...at "far market price" or whatever they choose. If you don't like it too bad the courts won't hear it.

[Sevo]

I'd hope it's beginning to dawn on the low-info voters exactly how petty this administration is. But I'm not confident.

[JWatts]

Sevo, don't you realize that Barack was force to mistreat us by those mean Republicans. So it's really Bush's fault.

[Knarf Yenrab (prev. An0nB0t)]

As though we needed to be reminded that "public property" is misnomer and figment of the propagandized imagination.

There's private property and there's state property. The NPS? That's state property.

[TMLutas]

Time to privatize that land.

[Robert]

For making those remarks, they're going to be closed forever. The ground salted, too.