|
|
|
|
|
| |
|||
The Fresno Bee, January 5, 2002
CUMBERLAND, Md.-The Inernet Web site that allows campers to reserve campsites
at naional parks has been shut down, caught in an unrelated lawsuit so the
Cumberland, Md., center that handles telephone reservations is bracing for
a flood of calls.
The call center hasn't seen a big impact yet from the month-old shutdown of the National Park Service Web site, but that could change Jan. 15, when Memorial Day and early June camping dates at California's Yosemite National Park are opened, a Park Service official said.
"It's extremely busy then," said foe McGown, who helps manage the telephone reservations contract. "There will be an impact, if this continues."
Unless the Web
site is restored, contractor Spherix Inc. can expect a flood of calls. Even
in a normal year, such calls can overload the system.
"Some parks have a tremendous following," McGown said. "A lot of visitors want to come, they have a campsite they want to come to. They already have it pinned to their refrigerator."
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued an emergency order shutting down Interior Department Web sites Dec. 5 after a report showed a computer system that handles $500 million annually in royalties from Indian land had little security and was an easy target for potential hackers. Each of the department's agencies must prove to Lamberth it has no online connection with the Indian trust fund.
Visitors to the Park Service Web site now find a message advising that the site has been suspended "due to conditions outside our department"
Campsites for parks other than Yosemite opened for reservations Friday for the period including the Memorial Day weekend.
Numbers to Call
Reservations
for campsites at national parks other than Yosemite: (800) 365-2267
Reservations for Yosemite National Park: (800) 436-7275
Hearing-impaired callers: (888) 530-9796 (the line operates from 7 a.m. to
7 p.m. Pacific time)
|
|
|
|