An association of retired National Park Service employees says that if Congress does not act to avoid sequestration there will be “meat cleaver” cuts at national parks across the country.

At Glacier National Park, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees says there are plans to delay opening of Going-to-the-Sun Road for two weeks this year.

Asked about that possibility, Glacier public affairs specialist Denise Germann said “anything and everything” is being considered.

“Anything from later openings to earlier closings, to furloughs for some of our employees, shorter seasonal employment, a delay in opening Sun Road, it’s all on the table at this point,” she said.

Germann noted that the park has a large seasonal work force, ranging from 350 to 370 people, that is crucial during the peak summer season.

“We always need to be able to provide a safe and enjoyable visit for folks, so we need to make sure through all of this that we protect the visitor, we protect the resource, we protect the employees,” she said.

Glacier has an annual budget of about $14 million, and only about 15 percent of that is considered discretionary.

A memo from National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis that was released recently by the retirees coalition directed all parks to come up with plans for 5 percent budget reductions by Feb. 11.

“It is critical that the NPS is able to provide specific and tangible results of an across-the-board 5 percent cut,” Jarvis stated in the memo. “We expect that a cut of this magnitude, intensified by the lateness of the implementation, will result in reductions to visitor services, hours of operation, shortening of seasons and possibly closing of areas during periods when there is insufficient staff to ensure the protection of visitors, employees, resources and government assets.”

Jarvis instructed that park sequestration plans also provide specific information on how cuts will impact visitors, as well as nearby communities and businesses.

The Inter Lake has requested Glacier’s sequestration plan, but it has not been provided.

“We remain hopeful and optimistic that Congress is going to avoid some of these cuts, but we as an agency, as with all agencies, have been asked to prepare and plan if this follows through,” Germann said.

Proposed cutbacks for Yellowstone National Park would involve delaying by two to four weeks spring road opening operations inside the park and at the west, south, east, and northeast entrances.  

Plowing delays also would postpone opening Yosemite National Park’s Tioga and Glacier Point roads up to four weeks.

At Grand Canyon National Park, the East Rim and West Rim drives would open later than usual in May and hours would be cut back at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, according to the coalition.

Last year, Congress and the White House signed into law an agreement to implement automatic, across-the-board cuts on March 1, with the thought that action would be taken to implement more refined and targeted cuts before that date.

Sequestration is intended to cut this year’s planned spending of $3.6 trillion by just $85 billion, or 2 percent, with half the cuts being applied to military spending and the other half to domestic discretionary spending.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.