Parks Group Warns Shutdown Impacts Only the Beginning, Urges Congress to Act Immediately

Washington, DC – National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is sounding the alarm: the government shutdown will leave our parks understaffed and vulnerable, putting our most cherished places and millions of visitors at risk. Under the Trump administration’s contingency plan for the National Park Service, thousands of park staff are now furloughed without pay, while many of our 433 national parks remain at least partially open and without staff to protect them. Even amid the shutdown, reports indicate the administration is pressing ahead with massive staff cuts that would decimate the Park Service’s ability to protect parks.

Every day this shutdown drags on, national parks will lose as much as $1 million in fee revenue, while gateway communities stand to lose as much as $80 million in visitor spending.

Despite the damage done to our national parks during the last 35-day shutdown (December 2018-January 2019), the Trump administration is choosing to take the same approach yet again, leaving parks partially open using visitor fees intended for other purposes, with only a skeleton crew of staff to protect them and keep visitors safe. Throughout the longest shutdown in our country’s history, Americans saw some of our national parks vandalized, cultural sites damaged, and trash and human waste overflow. The damage that occurred in our national parks took months to recover from. And in some cases, the damage was irreparable. Unfortunately, Americans should expect much of the same this time around if this shutdown drags on:

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

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. 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. 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 act immediately and pass a continuing resolution followed by the Senate Interior Appropriations bill that will allow our national parks to be fully open and protected. Congress must also prevent any further mass staffing cuts of Park Service employees before it’s too late.

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

“The government has shut down, and the administration is once again putting our national parks and visitors at risk, effectively directing staff to open park gates and walk away. Visitors may enter, but very few staff will be there to protect the parks or the people inside. It’s not just irresponsible, it’s dangerous.

“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this crisis, including the thousands of furloughed park staff, local business owners who rely on park visitors, and anyone whose dream national park trip may be disrupted. Every day the shutdown continues, our parks and local economies will lose millions of dollars. People and businesses will suffer.

“During the longest shutdown in U.S. history under the last Trump administration, parks were left open without enough staff. Landmarks were graffitied, artifacts stolen, Joshua Trees destroyed, fragile landscapes damaged by illegal off-roading, wildlife poached, and trash and human waste overflowed. Despite all these impacts, the administration is tempting fate yet again.

“Even worse, the administration is exploiting this shutdown and threatening another round of reckless mass staff terminations, after already gutting a quarter of the Park Service workforce. Our parks can’t function without the people who care for them. With deeper cuts ahead, the administration is swinging a wrecking ball at the very mission of the National Park Service, and the damage could be irreversible.

“Our national parks have never been more at risk. If we don’t act now to stop these senseless staffing cuts, this could mark the beginning of the end for the parks as we know and love them. Congress must immediately fund the government, fully support the Park Service and its staff, and stop any more devastating cuts, before it’s too late.”

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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 1.9 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