Parks Group Calls for National Parks to Close if Government Shuts Down, Warns Additional Mass Terminations Will Devastate Parks

Washington, DC – With a government funding deadline just hours away, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is urging the National Park Service to close parks if the federal government shuts down. A government shutdown would leave our parks understaffed and vulnerable, putting our most cherished places and millions of visitors at risk. If a national park has a gate or door, it must be locked until a funding deal is reached and our parks can be staffed and protected.

With no contingency plan finalized, the Park Service still doesn’t know who will be able to staff the parks and more importantly, who will not be allowed to. Guidance should not force park staff to swing the gates open and walk away, as doing so would go against their duties and the Park Service’s mission. We know what happened last time park staff were forced to do that, and the impacts were devastating. If the federal government shuts down, unfortunately so must our parks.

If the Trump Administration uses their government shutdown playbook from the last 35-day government shutdown (December 2018 – January 2019), the longest in our country’s history, they will force national parks to stay open with only a skeleton crew on hand to protect the parks and visitors. The damage that occurred took many parks months, some years, to recover from. And in some cases, it was irreparable:

• Damage to park infrastructure from illegal off-roading, reports of stolen artifacts from battlefields and more.
• Prehistoric petroglyphs were vandalized and irreparably damaged at Big Bend National Park.
• Joshua trees, which are slow growth and can be more than a century old, were chopped down in Joshua Tree National Park.
• At Death Valley National Park campgrounds were kept open but restrooms were closed, leading to sanitation issues. Illegal off-roading vehicles drove through fragile archaeological sites.
• At Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the human waste and trash issues became so problematic that the parks were eventually forced to close.

The looming shutdown also comes when there are growing reports of massive staff terminations that would decimate the National Park Service. Since January, the National Park Service has lost at least 24% of its permanent staff. Across the country, parks are cutting ranger programs, closing visitor centers, and falling behind on critical maintenance and research because there just aren’t enough people left to do the job. For months, we’ve been hearing reports of another round of mass staff terminations, potentially even during the shutdown. Regardless of the size, any further staffing cuts to the Park Service would be devastating for our parks. Every single employee is critical to keeping parks safe and accessible, and losing them would directly impact the experiences of millions of visitors and put the protection of our natural and cultural resources at risk

NPCA is calling on Congress to quickly pass a continuing resolution followed by the Senate Interior Appropriations bill that will keep our national parks open and protected. And moving forward, it’s essential Congress prevent any additional mass terminations of Park Service employees.

Statement by Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA):

“NPCA will not stand by and watch history repeat itself.

“As a federal government shutdown looms, the National Park Service still isn’t being told who will be able to staff the parks and more importantly, who will not be allowed to. Guidance shouldn’t direct park staff to swing the gates open and walk away. We know what happened last time park staff were forced to leave parks open and unprotected, and the impacts were disastrous. Prehistoric petroglyphs were vandalized, battlefield artifacts were stolen, Joshua trees were cut down and illegal off-roading vehicles drove through fragile archaeological sites. The damage was devastating and, in some cases, permanent. If the federal government shuts down, unfortunately our parks should too.

“Shutdown staffing levels are a dangerous warning of what could come if the administration moves forward with more mass staff terminations. The Park Service has already lost 24% of their workforce since January, forcing parks to slash ranger programs, shutter visitor centers, deny camping and backcountry permits, reduce preparedness for search and rescues, and halt critical maintenance and research. Losing more staff will make it nearly impossible for parks to operate. The Park Service as we know it today will be decimated, and as a result the national parks themselves will be gutted. We can’t let this happen. If ever there was a time for Americans to speak up and tell lawmakers to protect our national parks, it’s now. Before even more permanent damage is done.”

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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org