UPDATE: Department of Interior is holding a national teleconference with the media at 1 p.m. Apparently, they'll loosen the reins on individual parks a bit after that. But it still remains unclear how much each park knows about how the sequester might affect it.
As for the Superior National Forest, which includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and is operated by the U.S. Forest Service, spokeswoman Kris Reichenbach said they don't know specific impacts.
Here's my original post, now partly outdated
Officials at individual national parks, such as Isle Royale and Voyageurs, have been told not to discuss specifics of the potential impact of the so-called "sequester," a series of of federal spending reductions scheduled to go into effect Friday if Congress and the president don't act.
So we don't know, for example, how it might effect campsite reservations at Voyageurs or ferry boat schedules at Isle Royale.
Some information on specific parks, such as a delayed opening of Yellowstone, has been stated publicly. But for folks concerned about National Park Service-run places closer to home, the short answer is we just don't know -- for now at least. I'll keep you posted if I hear anything.
For a refresher, here are some of the NPS properties in the Upper Midwest:
- Isle Royale (MI)
- Voyageurs (MN)
- Badlands (SD)
- Theodore Roosevelt (ND)
- Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (WI)
- Mississippi National River and Rec Area (MN)
- St. Croix River National Scenic Riverway (WI/MN)
- Pipestone National Monument (MN)
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