The federal government will shut down at midnight Tuesday if Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on a spending plan. A group of former national park superintendents is calling on the Trump administration to close the parks to visitors in case of a government shutdown.
AP reports that 40 former superintendents said in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that past shutdowns in which parks remained open led to vandalism of iconic symbols, destroyed wildlife habitat and endangered visitors.
“We've been through this before, and we know what can happen in parks during shutdowns if they are allowed to stay open," said Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers.
He said there will be a skeleton staff at parks, mostly rangers, who are designated as essential employees. But it won’t be enough to protect resources and respond quickly to emergencies to protect visitors.
AP reports a shutdown now could be even worse as parks are already under strain from a 24% reduction in staff and severe budget cuts, the former park officials said in their letter Thursday. A secretarial order by Burgum directing parks to remain open has led parks to neglect trash collection and other routine maintenance work, the ex-officials said.
The April directive was issued as Burgum came under criticism for staffing cuts across the country amid efforts by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to slash federal spending. Burgum directed national parks to “remain open and accessible” despite job cuts and said his department and the National Park Service “are committed to ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to visit and enjoy our Nation’s most treasured places.”
The former superintendents point out the last shutdown in 2018 led to vandalism and habitat destruction. Wade said someone entered Joshua Tree National Park with a chainsaw and cut down several of the extremely rare and ancient trees.
“In Death Valley, there were people who went off road and left tracks in some of the areas there, which in the desert environment like that, you know, take, sometimes decades to return to normal,” he said.
Another person spray painted a rock in Zion National Park. Also with a shutdown, staff isn’t there to pick up trash and service restrooms.
AP reports park staff manage everything from routine maintenance of buildings and trails to educational programs that teach visitors how to safely engage with nature and guided tours, according to the former superintendents. Long-term projects and research are also in jeopardy during a shutdown, they said.
“We don’t leave museums open without curators, or airports without air traffic controllers, and we should not leave our national parks open without NPS employees,” said Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, which helped organize the letter.
In previous shutdowns, federal workers are not paid but then get back pay when the government reopens. However, Politico reported the Trump administration is threatening to conduct mass firings of workers if there is a shutdown.
Interior did not respond to a request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
