Former Secretary of Interior Calls Rec.gov "Total Scam"
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Yeah, you read that title correctly. Montana Congressman and former Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke sounded off on the reservation systems in his district's Glacier National Park, calling the permit scheme a "total scam" in a Tweet from March 1, 2023.
Links to articles:
National Geographic:
www.nationalge...
Wall Street Journal:
www.wsj.com/ar...
Zinke Investigation Press Release:
zinke.house.go...
Those who would like to send a message to their elected representatives in the House and the Senate can now visit the Democracy IO link below, which provides a quick, painless method by which you can find and message your reps in a matter of seconds.
Just go to the link below, as well as the Google Doc linked below that, copy the FLREA Letter to Reps in Google Docs, then paste that into the comment section in the Democracy IO link. This takes less than two minutes, and you'll rest well, knowing that you took action to affect change for the benefit of future generations of our people.
Democracy.io: democracy.io/#!/
Googel Doc - FLREA - Letter to Reps: docs.google.co...
Here is Matt Stoller's November article on the Rec.gov arrangement: mattstoller.su....
Thanks for your efforts.
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Thank you for raising the interest on this. Just tried to change a reservation date and they want another $10! No human has had to intervene. Boze Allen should not be getting this .
Thank you for all your efforts to expose this and spread awareness
Something is wrong because visiting national parks is becoming out of reach for many Americans due to the excessive cost along with the difficulty making reservations.
Some states give discounts to residents as well as priority to residents for access to the state parks. With the number of foreign visitors accessing our National Parks, there should be discounts and priority reservations for American citizens.
While planning a bucket list trip to Grand Teton/Yellowstone for summer 2023, I was shocked at the excessive prices, and add on fees charged for camping. Prices for actual lodging was outrageous and not within the budget for most middle class Americans. Someone is making bank on our national parks!
America is now corporate. All our beautiful national parks. West Glacier entrance has a big sign, "Welcome to another Xantera Park." Really now. WTF?
That's infuriating! Thanks for sharing!!
Yay! I'm glad some officials are listening! 🎉
For all your efforts, we thank you!!!!!
Thank you Todd for steadfastly sticking with this issue. You should be commended, and to put it mildly, the effort, time, and work, you have put in to this is greatly appreciated. Take care fella.
WE need to know how much of the parking fee in GSMNP (rec.gov and/or nps.gov) actually comes back to the park!!!
"This land is your land. This land is my land. This land was made for you and me." Woody Guthrie Great work, sir!
Woody, not Arlo.
@@geoffdouglass4668 Kids these days!
@@geoffdouglass4668 oops...yaright...fiixed it
I am disgusted with the parks wanting reservations and then not letting the people on their land. Thanks for keeping us informed.
What ? Try reading it really is fundamental
The reservations are meant to control the flow of people to very busy sites, which in theory is a good thing. It allows those natural resources to be better protected and to make everyone's experience better. BUT I don't think that a reservation system for public lands should be in private for-profit hands. I do think we need an investigation to make sure the money goes into the parks and access is handled in the best way for all of us.
@@desiangela agreed, every penny spent should go right back into the preservation of the surrounding area.
Thanks Todd for everything you are doing, these lands belong to every American!!!
Thanks for staying on top of this topic!
Wow, I never knew this but I'm not surprised smh I'm SO tired of corruption 😣
Great job Todd , it looks like you've rattled the bee hive!!!👍
Corruption abounds
Great news!! Thank you, Park Junkie, for leading us and advocating for our rights and our freedom.
Thanks for what YOU are doing.
Thank you very much Todd. I am amazed that Ryan Zinke sees this as a scam. I will be spreading the news!
Thanks for keepin us in the know!
What , a US Congressman was treated like the rest of us. We can't have that! Seriously, what's the solution? Our parks are overrun in the summer. just try to get a parking spot on Logan Pass in July. I have no problem with public /private partnerships or profits. If there is a better solution I'd like to hear it. However, I am a little tired of congressional hearing !
In 2000 there was a big "Visit the National Parks" campaign. So everyone rushed out and bought a gas guzzling RV and visited the National Parks. And here we are. It's a mess. And it's the concessionaires who are profiting.
Brother you have gone from park reporter to legitimate park advocate quickly. Excellent work. Totally agree. Corporate greed needs to be checked. If ever we needed Teddy Roosevelt its now to protect our wild resources and break up monopolies. Thank you for your efforts. Access to OUR parks is getting ridiculous and to restrictive.
And I don’t believe this is just a National Parks problem. I think similar fee scams are also happening with my state parks reservation system.
Similar to my experience when asked to donate to my grandsons schools sports teams.
Great news on real progress. Thanks for taking the lead, Todd.
I am so happy you took on this GIANT scam and exposed it. I’m a little worried for your safety because of it. I’ll be praying for you! God bless!
All I can say is WOW! Great news. Hopefully will work through this!!!👍
Why don't we run our parks as a government agency and hire college students and give them credit for tuition like we used to?
GREED!
Politics
Because of money you big silly. :)
@@ajfletcher8350 No...because of money
@@jimmoses6617 you don’t think money and greed runs politics?
I travel fulltime in an rv and the reservation system is crooked. They now charge $7 to make a reservation, yet won't refund if you cancel within minutes because the reservation info didn't divulge limitations or available amenities, and often don't deduct senior discounts.😊
Thank you…I didn’t realize that it was a separate entity…I was especially irked that after spending time and money to get to the wave lottery (north Coyote buttes) you now have to still pay to try and get a permit in a geo catch area…
Thanks for the update.
Thanks for the info and all the effort it took to get it. I'm behind you every inch of the way. Lets hope that we the people win this one big.
Really, this has been going on for years it’s about time they look into this . Wait until you read some of these vendor contracts and what they get if they don’t get there contract renewal. Who ever negotiated these contracts for the park service did not have the public’s best interest in mind .
I am always wondered why it cost to make or cancel a reservation on a system that should be free now I know!
Zinke is just 1 rep he can’t unilaterally tell a National Park to stop doing something, either the National Park Service or Congress is gonna have to act
If Zinke can create widened public awareness, it might lead to enough public pressure to get something done.
Good work. Was not aware of this. Thanks for bringing it to light.
Great news! Keep up the good fight.
I live near the border of Yosemite! I have so much to say about this. I’ll be sharing and joining the cause. How many typical Americans can pay over and over again with a non refundable fee to enter a lottery to pay for a permit that they will never get? That’s one, next, sure is easy to make the reservation, sure is impossible to cancel once you’re out there. Each and every time, Ive gotten a “connection error.” Not only is this bad for me, it’s bad for others who could have used my spot, but I wasn’t allowed to cancel.
Great job in keeping up with this.
Thank you so much !
Glad to hear that something is happening. I have yet to hear back from the senator from my state who sits on the Energy and Natural Resources committee. Not too surprising as I’m not a big donor, nor am I even a member of his party.
I'm kinda pissed now.
Great News.! Thank you!
No fees should be instituted when computers handle the process. RV Campground reservations for sites without full hookups are a travesty.
Thank you!
Thank you sir.
I’ve been trying to get reservations and it’s been weird? Maybe that’s why. I’m concerned that anything else might also be tied to money . Hope Zinke is a moral person. Praying for our beautiful lands to stay accessible . Wonder what will happen to existing reservations?
Zinke is not a moral person. Just look at his behavior as Sec. of the interior.
@@brucekennedy3005 I live in Utah. I remember that very well.
@@brucekennedy3005 Ryan "Shrink the Monuments" Zinke. I have serious concerns about him being in Congress.
Most Excellent Todd, way to push the needle. \m/ \m/ I just lost $10 to these extortionist when I DIDN'T get my Yosemite Half Dome pass yesterday from their lottery system!!! Of course, I recognize that Half Dome should be governed for safety. Good Works Todd. Cheers from ORegon
Try applying for a backcountry permit to ah, anywhere in Yosemite on any given date and lose 4 times, $40 bucks so gave up…and I live here!
alright did mine buddy. thanks for what your doing
Awesome effort you have put forth. All parks would benefit having you in a major national parks position. An outside position, of course! :)
Great to know!
Thanks for the info. But how can one avoid paying into the "for-profit" system? Outside of government pushing them out? Is there anything individuals can do to get rid of these conglomerates businesses that have no business in park affairs?
And our National Parks are MILLIONS of dollars short of funds. IF they had those funds they could actually rebuild our Parks infrastructure . I lived and worked in Yosemite a couple of years ago and the employees are living in house trailers that were supposed to be temporary when hauled in in 1965 and are still be lived in . Even the Concessionaires get to keep the majority of the money for souvenirs,food etc and the Park Service has to support the buildings etc. TOTAL Government idiocy.
I agree with what you are trying to do. However, if the NPS is going to farm out for a reservation service, then the company does need to get paid to operate. The current rate however is far above what they deserve.
Government jobs outsourced to private industry has rarely, if ever, gone well.
@@Patrick_Ross You're right. I wouldn't mind the private sector doing the govt's work if they could do it both better and cheaper. But it's usually a scam, because they always seem to charge more, not less. Often 10 times as much as the govt charges for the same thing.
@@Patrick_Ross they have outsourced in Yellowstone for years, with the hotels and stores.
@@timwolfers7880 - and many other parks as well. I’ve never been to Yellowstone but what I saw in Grand Canyon National Park when I visited there a few years ago was depressing. A cafeteria style restaurant that looked like a cross between something one would see at a prison or a theme park with the food quality to match. The company that has taken over the concessions at many parks, including Yellowstone, is Delaware North. This predatory, anti-union company one in the same that claimed they owned the rights to iconic names in Yosemite NP including Half Dome, Ahwahnee Lodge and the name of the park itself, Yosemite. I also see that Delaware North has taken over a dozen or so family run businesses in Yellowstone NP. Repulsive!
Next is what they are charging for a room at the parks, now just below $500.00 per night at Tetons & Yellowstone
HELL YEAH!!
I never even try to stay in a national park campground. It is impossible. How about hire a host or several open the campground, no reservations, show up first come first served.
This must be the most litigious country on earth.
Booz Allen Hamilton has been a shady operation since forever and they've had the dirty fingers involved with a crap ton of nefarious activities so it comes as no shock that they have wormed their way into control of a crucial aspect of the park system. I would not be at all surprised to find activities like this are a back-channel method of paying for something they government would prefer to be kept off the books. Being involved with park reservations seems entirely outside of their wheelhouse which makes their involvement all the more suspicious. Again, my guess is that this is a cover for some black ops thing...
Thanks for getting the word out on this.
I don't know how it is in other places. At Red Rock National Conservation Area I pay the "reservation" fee anytime I enter the park even when I don't make a reservation. I often drive up to the gate without a reservation midweek without a reservation and still have to pay the "reservation fee". This means Booze Allen is getting $2x2 million per year from people driving the loop at Red Rocks. Of course, this doesn't include all the other fees and other parks. By the end of the contract(another 7 years) the fees will approach a billion dollars!
Hello from Gatlinburg TN Smoky Mountains Park... Great job!! I do Vlogs here in Gatlinburg...Nice!! Just subscribed 🏞️🌄🐻
I worked with several BAH employees during my career. I would not trust a single one of them. I was told to never lie to the government concerning a contract milestone. BAH employees would say they were meeting contract milestones even though they weren't ready. They would also drag their feet so they would get paid more. I am not surprised they have been paid this much for a website.
Yeah, I hated them, provide some resumes to win contract, about six months later they all get replaced with freshly scrubbed kids out of college. Contract ends, no deliverables....
Anyone else wondering what other .gov sites are run for the benefit of private corporations?
So my question is , does rec.gov's administrator get a piece of camping fees ?
Woe this is looking like they want to secure them for other reasons .
thanks brother
Ticketmaster might be worse, but that's not saying much. Ticketmaster is worse than anybody.
You get things done
.gov is supposed to be sacred....
is there an up date on the north loop at Yellowstone
The WSJ article about Booz Allen was mentioned on the Slate Money Podcast a few days ago, but not necessarily in a good way. The host Felix Salmon remarked that 140 million was "not bad money...well done, Booz Allen" without a hint of sarcasm. I've sent him an email but I don't hold out much hope of straightening him out on what the underlying issue really is.
Zinke doesn't have a clean shirt himself and has been under investigation by the Inspector General's office for actions that he took while being the Interior Secretary. On the other hand, he probably has a pretty good understanding of how Booz Allen can manipulate Rec,gov.
While the reservation is understandable its online and should cost nothing. So now everyone pays an additional and unregulated fee. Peru seems to manage a regular electric railservice and bus up to Machu Pico, yet in the USA...still tarmac road and endless traffic and parking congestion. No solutions except stop people going in. That's not progress.
Zinke. Typical politician. Upset he has to get in line with us common folk.
A lot of grandstanding going on here.
Same thing happened to the Florida park system
Glad to see this snowball is rolling!
A total scam? No, probably just 95% scam. I've used the site and gotten reservations although for popular locations it can be like trying to buy tickets to superbowl. However the fees are very high. I always assumed that it was a company that snagged a very lucrative contract and they were making big profits, apparently this is true.
The link to the Google Doc isn't working for me, but I was able to use a link from one of your other videos. Thank you for your efforts!
Fixed, sorry!
Could you please add a playlist for videos on this subject so it is easy for us to share the whole sequence of information you've presented?
This is amazing news.
The Corporatization of America. Our national parks are essentially owned by the concessionaires. Mesa Verde concessionaire does not recognize golden age passes. Just makes me sick to my stomach.
I've had problems with this system at Big Bend. It needs to go back to the way it was before stupid covid
I understand why they do the reservation system. The Parks are really overcrowded but why I have to pay fee for reservation if I’m paying for entrance?!! That’s what make me mad
Wow, to me, the use of a defense contractor screams personal information harvesting and data mining in this reservation process. Defense contractors are totally beholden to the federal government and will do most anything the government wants. I don't trust these people at all with my personal information. What types of data bases on US citizens could be built with the information collected in this reservation process?
Would bet the reservation company has nice political ties to some congressional members
& Who really owns Booz Allen Hamilton? Follow the money!
Shared it on fb & u bet ! 💝
I notice that someone said the company gets a transaction fee and the park gets ALL the rest of the money. Umm but I didn’t see any exact figures. So on say a 30$ campsite fee, does the private company get a couple of dollars and the park gets ALL the rest (28$)? Or does the company get 28$ and the park gets ALL the rest (2$)? I would just like to understand this BULLSHT a little better.
This is good news.
Why did you skip the part that Zinke had to resign in disgrace ?
This is a bunch of BS. The company gets a transaction fee, the park or forest gets all the rest of the money. That’s how it works, if we want a private company to run the reservation system, there must’ve been profit in it for them to do it. Otherwise, pay more taxes, and fund your government better, and they can run the website themselves. And complaining about not being able to reserve a campsite is because campsites are super popular, especially in glacier national Park! Better to find out online ahead of time that the place is fully booked then show up with your family and have nowhere to stay. There is no conspiracy behind the fact that our parks and forests are incredibly busy!
Don’t forget… and I’m a Republican. This started with Bush/Cheney crap. Just saying…
Be the wolf chasing its prey, don't give up.
Any comments/opinions from those who have used the site while traveling or camping ?
While I agree that the system requires serious reform and a bright light shone on it. Democratic values and transparency go hand in hand. The company we keep is an important measure however and Secretary Zinke’s record in that office casts a troubling shadow even among conservative conservationists. Thank you for making me aware of this issue, I’ll do my part.
That Google doc link doesn't work.
Fixed, sorry!
Everybody sleeps in the NF or BLM, which is why you see places like Movie Road in Lone Pine CA now "managed" Massive demand in a short window.
Woohoo 🎉🎉🎉
Chyuh!!!
Fat Shades
🎯👍🎯
All National Parks need massive upgrades and so public transportation into and out of the park.