As the ongoing federal government shutdown continues, reports are steaming in from the the country’s National Park System that people are taking advantage of nature and access to normally heavily restricted areas requiring permits.
For example, Yosemite National Park has seen a marked surge in illegal activity as enforcement capacity dropped sharply amid staff furloughs. Video and social media accounts describe a chaotic situation involving unauthorized BASE jumping, illegal camping, and unpermitted climbing on iconic park features such as El Capitan and Half Dome.
“It’s like the Wild Wild West,” said John DeGrazio, founder of the tour company YExplore Yosemite Adventures.BASE jumping from the park’s majestic granite monoliths and illegal climbs up Half Dome’s famous cables aren’t anything new. The jumps have been happening since the 1960s, and in his more than 200 times summiting Half Dome, DeGrazio has regularly encountered hikers without permits who are hoping to score somebody’s extra along the trail.“This is different,” DeGrazio said after viewing a brazen post in the Aspiring Half Dome Hikers Facebook group about an illegal ascent. “These people are counting on no enforcement because of the shutdown.”A park employee, who spoke with SFGATE on the condition of anonymity to protect their job (which was granted in accordance with Hearst’s ethics policy), said they know of only one wilderness ranger working the entire park. And technically, that person is not even a ranger, the employee said, but a volunteer.
No word if the volunteer was transgender. But, I digress.
There are also reports of squatting. The National Park Service denies there is a staffing issue.
Squatters have moved into Yosemite National Park’s campgrounds and rule-breakers are pushing boundaries as ranger patrols are stretched thin during the prolonged federal shutdown, according to a park employee who described growing disorder inside the park….”The National Park Service can confirm that the park remains appropriately staffed to ensure visitor safety and resource protection during the lapse in appropriations,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Law enforcement rangers and campground personnel continue to monitor visitor use, respond to incidents, and enforce park regulations.”The department added that “reports suggesting that campgrounds are unmonitored or that widespread squatting is occurring are inaccurate.””Suggesting there is only one ranger is ludicrous,” officials said. “While we have sighted several individuals for camping in non-designated sites, it has been adequately addressed and those camp sites have been removed.”
Conservation activists are upset that Secretary of the Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum is keeping the parks open, because President Donald Trump was not petty enough to close them.
Statement by Theresa Pierno, President and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA):“It’s day six of the government shutdown, and our national parks are already feeling the strain. Nearly two-thirds of park staff are furloughed, leaving only a skeleton crew to protect resources and keep visitors safe. Yet, Secretary Burgum insists on keeping gates open.“What we saw in some of our national parks this weekend is a warning of what’s to come. At Great Falls, visitors parked illegally and climbed around barricades to get in. And at Gateway, crowds packed the beach, parking wherever they could with no staff to manage access, creating real safety risks.
But if you decide to go and take advantage of this permit-free situation, make sure you bring enough toilet paper.
Joshua Tree National Park will remain open, with law enforcement and maintenance staff on hand. But as the shutdown goes on, it’s unclear how long the park will be staffed. During the last shutdown in late 2018 and early 2019, the park struggled with vandalism, trash and overall, a lot of destruction. “The visitors centers are closed,” said John Lauretig, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Joshua Tree National Park said at the time. “All the bathrooms are still open, but they’re not being maintained right now by the Park Service. So the local community has rallied together and started cleaning the bathrooms and restocking the toilet paper.”
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY