Federal partners update

As the government shutdown continues, we wanted to share an update for you on how the shutdown is impacting the Buckeye Trail Association as well as an additional emerging threat. Due to the length of this shutdown, the Buckeye Trail Association is starting to feel impacts.

We work very closely with the North Country Trail Association and their federal counterparts at the National Park Service for the many miles of trail we share. The NCTA relies on the National Park Service for 22% of its funding. While the White House has proposed slashing the entire NPS budget by 40%, the House and Senate budget proposals are currently keeping the budget at the same level. This budget contributes to things such as NCTA Field Grants, which the Buckeye Trail Association frequently utilizes for projects such as a new bridge crossing at Caldwell Lake, improving your experience as a trail user. These budget cuts can also impact trail protection efforts, programs, and staff at key partner organizations.

In addition to the National Park Service potential budget cuts, the Department of the Interior’s proposed Reduction in Force plan could result in a cut of an additional 30% of the National Park Service’s workforce. This could drastically impact our federal partners for our trails nationwide and make our efforts to create a world-class hiking experience more difficult.

So how can you make a difference? Your voice matters. With these funding decisions still under review, we urge you to contact your members of Congress to stress that our trails matter and we must maintain current funding levels.