Mow says Park's budget woes could get worse

November is usually a slow month in Glacier National Park, but Jeff Mow, the Park’s new superintendent, has a lot on his plate.

Crews are wrapping up another construction season on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, work on a parking lot expansion at the west side transit center is underway, and the Park plans to relocate the Apgar visitor center there by next spring.

But there are continued budget worries. If the federal budget sequestration continues in 2014, the Park could see an additional 3 percent cut added to the 5 percent cut it saw last year, Mow said in an interview last week.

The 5 percent cut last year resulted in a $683,000 reduction to the Park’s $13.2 million base budget.

Federal sequestration fell halfway through the last fiscal year. But this year, the Park could feel the full blow of the cuts, Mow said. There’s still hope Congress will reach a budget deal in the coming months, but if not visitors could once again see shorter seasons at campgrounds and reduced services. Last year, the Park either delayed opening campgrounds or shuttered them early, in some cases both.

If budget cuts stay in place, the Park may shift opening dates for campgrounds to later in the spring, rather than closing them earlier in the fall, Mow said. Fall weather in the past few years has been stellar, while spring weather has been cool and wet.

Even if Congress reaches a budget deal, the Park isn’t expecting any huge windfall, Mow noted.

“I think we’d be lucky if we have a budget that was level with fiscal year 2012,” he said.

There are other budget considerations — federal employees, for example haven’t had a raise in four years, he said.

Some budget impacts were addressed with outside money. With the Park snowplow crew down two workers, for example, the Glacier National Park Conservancy gave the Park $10,000 to cover overtime costs to get the road plowed in time for the summer tourist season. But next spring, the Park could have problems staffing a full crew on the east side, Mow said.

Political uncertainty in Washington makes planning problematic, Mow said. If the Park knew it was going to have an 8 to 10 percent budget cut over the long term, it could make fundamental organizational changes. But cuts to national parks have proven unpopular to the public, and Congress could restore funding as budget negotiations continue.

The Park also is developing a Sun Road Corridor management plan to balance visitor use with wildlife conflicts and other impacts to natural resources.

At the heart of the issue is the future of the Park’s free shuttle system. The shuttles have been blamed, at least in part, for overuse of some of the Park’s most popular trails, particularly those at Logan Pass. But Mow said the public really likes the service.

“People rave about the shuttle system,” he said. “They really like it.”

The current funding scheme for the shuttles also is not sustainable. Mow said based on the input he’s seen, the public has indicated a willingness to pay for the service, which could prove to be a solution. The Park will release its formal alternatives in late summer or early fall next year.

Meanwhile Sun Road reconstruction crews have made progress on the east side this summer. HK Construction workers have removed the Rose Creek Bridge and set girders for the new deck.

They’ve also mostly completed roadway cuts for the realignment at the Wild Goose Island overlook and are working on improvements for the viewing area.

Crews are also working on a new parking area and transit stop at the St. Mary Falls trailhead and have mostly completed improvements at Jackson Glacier Overlook and the Gunsight Pass trailhead parking area.

Other Park roads are also in need of work. The Inside North Fork Road between Fish Creek and Polebridge is prone to slumping and erosion by braiding streams, and National Park Service personnel recently met with Federal Highway Administration officials to discuss future plans for the Many Glacier Road, which also has severe slumping problems.