Some National Parks Closed, Some Operating w. Skeleton Staffing, Some Left The Gates Open - No One Knows What To Do

[hatrack]

EDIT

As US government funding ground to a halt on Wednesday, the sprawling national park system was thrust into limbo. Without a budget agreement, 9,296 of the park agency’s 14,500 employees were expected to be furloughed, according to a contingency plan published by the Department of the Interior. The plan also outlined how parks should stay partially open, leaving some visitors confused about whether they could actually visit or not. “Park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors,” the contingency plan read. Operators who run the park’s hotels and other facilities could also stay open. “If a facility or area is locked or secured during non-business hours (buildings, gated parking lots, etc) it should be locked or secured for the duration of the shutdown,” the plan also said.

While the shutdown has shuttered large parts of some national parks, such as Mesa Verde, some popular parks are still trying to function – with a skeleton crew of staff – using fees collected from campgrounds instead of from federally appropriated funds.

However, operations are not continuing as normal. At Yosemite national park, the gates are open– but no one is there to collect park fees – and backcountry permits have to be self-issued by hikers. At Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Sequoia national parks, little to no maintenance will be conducted, parks will not provide regular road or trail condition updates, and will only provide updates on their websites and social media in an emergency. Law enforcement is still working, the national park service says. Emails and calls the Guardian made to the public information officers at the parks for further clarity went unanswered, with a message about the “lapse in appropriations”.

The hodgepodge situation has park workers and advocates concerned, especially on the heels of an already tough year. “Our national parks are dealing with multiple challenges right now, threatening everything that these places were created to protect,” says Angela Gonzales, with the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy organization for national parks. She points out that since January, the National Park Service has lost more than 25% of its permanent staff. “With the government shut down, thousands of park employees are now furloughed, unsure when they’ll see their next paycheck. And with the administration threatening more staff cuts, many fear they may not have a job to return to at all.”

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/04/us-national-parks-government-shutdown

[SandyDoc]

1. Trash heap

They're sending the US and really the planet down the trash heap. Doesn't matter to them, as long as they get their money.

[taxi]

2. In other words, unregulated camping, open fires, hunting or fishing without permits,

unrestricted access for off road vehicles, uncollected waste, widespread littering, and tacit approval to enter unoccupied buildings and offices is nothing to be concerned about - proviso you don't have an offensive liberal bumper sticker on your car.