National parks quiet as government shuts down
The pointless federal government shutdown of 2013 may be returning to a national park near you.
While there is the smallest chance that the federal government could yet avoid a shutdown slated to take place in less than an hour, the Senate has failed to pass a continuing resolution bill that would keep the government funded and open for another 30 days.
While the shutdown looms, national parks, which closed during the 2013 government shutdown, were strangely silent on the topic. We received no press releases from any of the California desert parks on the topic, though the shutdown would certainly impact visitors and the parks' gateway communities. The last government shutdown led to business slowdowns, reductions in employee hours, and in some cases, layoffs of personnel.
On Death Valley National Park's Facebook page, their last post, made 11 hours earlier, talks about Neil deGrasse Tyson and the night sky. Joshua Tree National Park, which had attracted attention by posting scientific facts in the park's Twitter feed, leading to a reported disciplinary meeting for its superintendent, there were no posts today. Grand Canyon National Park's Facebook page tried to ignore the shutdown, while posting weather advisories, but in response to a question posted as a comment on the park's page, they just responded with the Department of the Interior's misleading and confusing National Park Service Contingency Plan, January 2018.
"We fully expect the government to remain open, however in the event of a shutdown, national parks will remain as accessible as possible while still following all applicable laws and procedures. For more information and updates, please visit-https://www.doi.gov/shutdown"
This statement, which appears to have been forced upon park officials by DOI, is misleading and has led to erroneous news reports that claim national parks will remain open, something the DOI's contingency plan seems to directly contradict:
Effective immediately upon a lapse in appropriations, the National Park Service will take all necessary steps to suspend all activities and secure national park facilities that operate using appropriations that are now lapsed, except for those that are essential to respond to emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property. Parks must notify visitors that the NPS will cease providing visitor services, including restrooms, trash collection, facilities and roads maintenance (including plowing), campground reservation and check-in/check-out services, backcountry and other permits, and public information. National and regional offices and support centers will be closed and secured, except where they are needed to support excepted personnel. These steps will be diligently carried out while still ensuring visitor and employee safety as well as the integrity of park resources. Once the shutdown is initiated employees should proceed with shutdown activities, including notifying the public of the cessation of operations and securing government records and property. Non-excepted employees will generally have 4 hours to complete their shutdown activities before entering furlough status. The entire closure process will be completed as expeditiously as possible: operations and staffing numbers are expected to be at the minimum levels defined below within two days.
With no restrooms, trash collection, maintenance, campgrounds, permits, and information, with offices closed, it is difficult to imagine how parks will continue to operate on any level, though parks such as Death Valley and Mojave National Preserve that have public roads and highways crossing through them will continue to be accessible, though visitor centers and restrooms may be closed.
This kind of closure, however, increases the possibility of vandalism, theft, and trespass taking place within national parks without proper staffing. Clearly, operating a national park such as Joshua Tree that sees three million annual visitors without restrooms does not seem viable. Certainly families with camping reservations for this weekend in national parks may well be turned away.
The contingency plan is clear that the National Park Service will not be operating parks as usual, and in fact, they are instructed to not attempt to use visitors to justify staffing numbers:
Staffing levels will be based on the assumption that no visitor services will be provided. While parks may still be accessible to visitors, parks may not use the presence of visitors in the park to justify higher staffing numbers than approved during previous shutdowns. However, in certain instances maintenance and IT personnel may be required for systems that normally require 24 hour monitoring or periodic maintenance, without which the system would shut down. Emergency responders, including Fire Management, EMS, and Law Enforcement personnel, not required for essential activities will be placed on furlough but may be called back to duty if an emergency situation arises.
Staffing levels will be based on the assumption that the NPS is conducting no park operations and providing no visitor services... Wildland fire personnel required for active fires or for monitoring areas currently under a fire watch will remain on duty. All other personnel, including maintenance, law enforcement, EMS, and Fire Management not deemed excepted will be furloughed, but will be subject to being called back in the case of an emergency. Parks may not exceed the staffing number approved during the October 2013 shutdown unless a partner is willing to provide payment in advance (as a donation) to support additional staff.
Even though some park facilities are operated by concessionaires, it will be up to the park superintendent whether concessionaires or partnership facilities (park-related support partners) will be allowed to operate during the shutdown. But while dining and lodging facilities at, for example, the Grand Canyon National Park are run by concessionaires, it is difficult to believe they will remain open if the park itself is closed. Concessionaires don't appear to know what to tell their customers, so with seven minutes to a federal government shutdown, and senators still in the Capitol, the public is being ill served by their representatives and may or may not be able to access their national parks come Saturday morning.