The partial government shutdown has left America’s national parks largely unsupervised, but while streaming into the parks and enjoying the free access may sound nice, the parks are actually turning into the Wild West.
Visitor centers are closed, park rangers are nowhere to be found and people are finding trashcans overflowing and restrooms locked and uncleaned. Vault toilets are not serviced, and there’s hardly a flush toilet to be found.
Joshua Tree National Park is one prime example of a national park facing some deteriorating conditions.
“Once those port-a-potties fill up, there’s no amount of cleaning that will save them,” said Sabra Purdy, who along with her husband, Seth, owns the rock-climbing guide service Cliffhanger Guides in the town of Joshua Tree. “At that point, I think I’m going to have to tap out.”
As of late, parks have been surviving off the kindness and love of volunteers. Purdy is among dozens of volunteers who have been collecting garbage, cleaning bathrooms and generally keeping an eye on the park. Local business owners and park supporters have even been donating toiletries and cleaning supplies.
At Yosemite National Park, “It’s a free-for-all,” Dakota Snider, 24, who lives and works in Yosemite Valley, said. Yosemite National Park officials announced closings of some minimally supervised campgrounds and public areas within the park that have become overwhelmed.
“It’s so heartbreaking. There is more trash and human waste and disregard for the rules than I’ve seen in my four years living here,” Snider said.
The partial government shutdown, triggered by a dispute between President Trump and Congress over funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, has entered into its second week and there is still no resolution in sight.
By: Maytinee Kramer
