AAA expects a busy anniversary weekend for travel
AAA officials expect more than 45 million people will travel at least 50 miles from their homes on the next Memorial Day weekend.
Fox-10 Phoenix
- Boat ramps, campsites and beaches are one of dozens of lakes managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
- The closure comes as USACE tackles the layoffs and the staffing shortage caused by the actions of the Trump administration.
- USACE maintains a continuous map and a list of sites with full or partial closures.
More than 40 federally managed lakes in more than 12 states are facing full or partial closures heading for anniversary weekend as Trump administration layoffs and cuts in funding impact recreational services.
Officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say they are facing resource limitations and staffing shortages as they approach the busiest month of the year for outdoor recreation. As a result, agents say they are forced to limit operations on certain sites or potentially shut down them entirely.
Campgrounds, beaches, boat ramps and access points are one of the closed lake sites managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
“We understand that decisions to make operational changes in the recreation area have not been made lightly and that these decisions could destroy the public’s plans,” USACE spokesman Jean Paulik told USA Today.
Several local offices have directly pointed to a staff shortage as a reason for limited public access to recreational sites entering the summer.
“As the impact of resignation and the employment freeze come to fruition, we continue to reassess the current operating situation,” Pawlik said.
The Corps manages 400 lake and river projects in 43 states, making it one of the leading providers of outdoor recreation. The agency says it welcomes more than 260 million visitors each year. Many are located within 50 miles of the metropolitan centre from the coast to coast.
How is the US Army Corps of Engineers affected by Doge?
Layoffs for tens of thousands of workers across the federal government began shortly after Trump took office earlier this year. Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk have reduced the federal government and pushed dramatically to cut spending. The administration has established the government’s efficiency department to lead the effort.
On January 20, Trump implemented an executive order that freed jobs to private workers in all executive branches and agencies. This has been extended until July 15th. The US Army Corps of Engineers is primarily a branch of the US military that builds and allows infrastructure.
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in March notified 1,068 employees (approximately 3% of the private workforce) for the Trump administration’s acquisition program for federal workers as part of a massive downsizing of various federal agencies.
More than 100,000 federal employees lost their jobs in the first two months of Trump’s second administration through layoffs of probation employees who are unfamiliar with government jobs or who have recently moved between agencies or accepted promotions. Additionally, around 75,000 federal employees accepted the original acquisition offer extended by Trump shortly after he took office in January.
Which lakes are affected by the closure? This is how to check
Memorial Day weekends can be closed to some of your favourite destinations for the time being, with the start of evening springs and early summer boating, camping trips and hiking.
There are some scheduled closures and weather-based disruptions, but more than 40 lakes will be affected by full or partial closures amid efforts by agencies working on resignations and ongoing employment freezes.
USACE maintains A List of sites with continuous maps and full or partial closuresincluding damage caused by floods and storms, and planned renovations. Lakes with multiple sites and access closures or other services destruction include:
- Bullsholes Lake, Arkansas, Missouri
- Lake Norfolk, Arkansas
- Lake Black Butte, California
- Lake Lanier, Georgia
- Albeni Falls Dam, Idaho
- Lake Coralville, Iowa
- Kansas State Council Grove Lake
- Kentucky Barren River Lake
- Norlin River Lake, Kentucky
- Lough River Lake, Kentucky
- Lake Alcabutra, Mississippi
- Lake Harlan County, Nebraska
- Robert S. Kerr Reservoir, Oklahoma
- Webers falls into Oklahoma Reservoir
The closure will support other sites on USACE staff, a spokesman says
Pawlik said USACE is reducing operations on some sites to prioritize visitor safety and well-being, and to ensure minimum staffing requirements elsewhere. Full closures are a last resort, he added.
“By focusing on staffing available on fewer sites, USACE can enable those sites to provide visitors with all the services and opportunities expected in those recreational areas,” Pawlik said, adding that changes will be made on a project-by-project basis. Some are required due to resource limitations, such as shortages of staff, while others are due to scheduled maintenance, outages, or what he calls “other resource limitations.”
Contributor: James Sergent, USA Today.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA Today. You can contact her kapalmer@usatoday.com And with x @Kathrynplmr.
