There will be no habitat conservation, erosion control, trail improvement, nor birds of prey research projects this year, according to Jake Armundson of the Department of Interior. Funding for all those projects for the past three years have come from the sasquatch hunting lottery which is closed in 2012 by legal action put forth by anti-hunting groups.
Some states are expected to shut down outdoor recreation facilities, such as state parks, shooting ranges, lakes, and swimming pools. This lack of funding may very well turn the summer of 2012 into the summer of staying home for most of America.
Possibly more devastating is the impact on the National Parks System. It's possible that many of our national parks and monuments, such as the Grand Canyon, Devil's Tower, Yosemite, and many others may not allow visitors as the season wears on and funds become scarce. Plans are being made now at both the state and national level to ensure the populace understans that the shutdowns are caused by legal steps taken by a few groups, with the hope that blame, frustration, and backlash are aimed at the correct parties.
Fortunately, the 2011 sasquatch season was once again much more popular than anticipated. The extra money will help us through 2012 and the pent up demand going into 2013 should make for an amazing season! We completely expect to see a new record set in 2013 for both number of hunters and number of kills. There very likely will even be a world record sasquatch taken in Idaho, Montana, or Utah.
The brown line on the chart is verified historic information, while the blue dot is projection based on current data. Oregon expects to pass the $55 million mark in the 2013 season.
