Kim Nachazel had been looking forward to a road trip to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado this week, but when she arrived, she was told the park was closed due to the government shutdown. 'We were devastated,' she said.
The shutdown has left the national park system in limbo. According to a contingency plan from the Department of the Interior, 9,296 of the park agency's 14,500 employees are expected to be furloughed. Some parks are fully closed, while others remain partially open with skeleton staff.
At Yosemite National Park, gates are open but no one is collecting fees, and backcountry permits must be self-issued. At Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Sequoia, little maintenance will be conducted, and updates will only be provided in emergencies. Law enforcement is still working.
Angela Gonzales of the National Parks Conservation Association expressed concern: 'Our national parks are dealing with multiple challenges. Thousands of park employees are now furloughed, unsure when they’ll see their next paycheck.' She noted that the National Park Service has lost over 25% of its permanent staff since January.
James Jones, a furloughed maintenance worker at Blue Ridge Parkway, said the park is still recovering from Hurricane Helene and expects a surge of visitors for fall colours. He warned that during past shutdowns, poachers have collected ginseng and people have been injured waiting for medical attention.
The previous shutdown in 2018 lasted 35 days and caused damage at parks, including chopped trees at Joshua Tree and vandalism at Sequoia.
