North Dakota’s New $6.1 Million, Stimulus-Funded Visitor’s Center Is Only Open When You’re At Work
Recently Senators John McCain and Tom Coburn released a list of what they considered to be the 100 most wasteful stimulus projects in the country, including things like cocaine for monkeys and new windows for a federal interpretive center that’s closed and has no plans to re-open.
As a North Dakotan, I was interested in noting that #80 on that list was a project in my state. It was $6.1 million in federal funding for a new visitors center at the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge. This facility is actually located near Lake Audubon, where my family owns a lake cabin. I saw in the Minot Daily News that the facility was just opened and “dedicated” this last week (complete with “Fuel Efficient Vehicle Parking Only” signs in front), and since my family and I were spending the Labor Day holiday weekend at the lake anyway I thought I’d stop by and see what my tax dollars paid for.
After all, the proponents of the funding claim that this attraction brought in 80 visitors per day on average even before the new visitors center. I didn’t want to miss something that popular (though if there’s really that many visitors I’ll eat my hat).
So off we went on the four wheelers, taking the long and scenic way around the lake to find this new building. And what did we find when we got there? The place is closed on what is perhaps one of the busiest weekends for the Lake Audubon area all year. In fact, according to the sign on the door, the visitors center is closed every federal holiday. And it’s only regularly open 8am – 4:30pm, Monday – Friday.
The Minot Daily News quotes Audubon Manager Lloyd Jones as saying that the building is an “increased opportunity for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to tell the story about wetlands and grasslands.” He goes on:
We really want to emphasize that it’s a public facility. The commitment the service is making to this facility is an example of how important this region is. It’s the most important waterfowl breeding habitat in North America. Now we have a state of the art interpretive facility for the public to come and learn and enjoy and see what the prairie ecosystem is all about.
Well sure. They want the public to come…but only 8am – 4:30pm, Monday through Friday when it’s not a holiday. Otherwise, it’s just not that important. By the way, the half hour we were walking around outside taking pictures, about half a dozen cars full of people pulled up and then left when they realized the facility was closed.
I guess they’ll have to take time off work next week and come back.
Anyway, the building also has wind turbines outside because it’s a “green” facility as well as stimulus signs inside and a portrait of Barack Obama so that we’ll all know who brought us this marvelous…waste of time and taxpayer dollars.
Here are the wind turbines that supposedly power the facility:
And car pool-only parking…for the people who come during the scant few hours the facility is actually open.
Discussion question: How is this stimulating the economy? The only jobs that seem to have been created here are…government jobs.
Second discussion question: My four wheeler is fuel-efficient, right?
(Photo Credit: Jessica Port)
Tags: audubon national wildlife refuge, Barack Obama, john mccain, North Dakota News, Stimulus, stimulus signs, tom coburn
