Glacier Park campground dates trimmed

Glacier National Park released further details on impacts from the federal budget sequestration last week, as the Park works to absorb a $682,000 cut to its base operating budget.

Those impacts include:

• Delayed access to trails and decreases in trail maintenance, reductions in native plant restoration, decreases in visitor center and campground hours and openings, less maintenance work, limited or delayed emergency response outside the core season from Memorial day to Labor Day, decreased educational programming and less revenue from closed campgrounds. The Park also has delays in permanent staff hiring and a travel restrictions to only local events and training.

In addition, visitor services will be curtailed, including:

• The Apgar Visitor Center will delay seven-day operations by two weeks this spring and will transition to weekends only five weeks earlier in the fall.

• The Logan Pass Visitor Center will close two weeks earlier in the fall.

• Bowman Lake Campground will have reduced services one week earlier in the fall and primitive camping may be limited.

• Cut Bank Campground will close one week earlier in the fall.

• Kintla Lake Campground will open three weeks later and reduce services one week earlier. Primitive camping could also be curtailed.

• Rising Sun Campground will close one week earlier in the fall.

• Sprague Creek Campground will have a 10-day delay in opening this spring and will close one week earlier in the fall.

• Two Medicine Campground will close one week earlier in the fall and will have no primitive camping. Picnic and day-use areas will be available through the end of September.

• The Goat Lick area will close three weeks earlier.