Shutdown: Infront of the White House, DC, the impact on civic parks and green spaces has been most glaring. Photo / Bill Clark, Getty Images
Shutdown: Infront of the White House, DC, the impact on civic parks and green spaces has been most glaring. Photo / Bill Clark, Getty Images
The Trump administration rose to prominence on the promise to "drain the political swamp", unfortunately more literal land management has suffered.
As the December 22 government shutdown draws on past the second week mark, the effects are already being felt across the country's 400 national parks and wilderness spots.
The shutdown has affected public services across the country, but it is in the national parks where it is uniquely felt by visitors looking to visit the American wilderness spots.
Reports of rubbish remaining uncollected and park toilets overflowing have been causing a stink for visitors to the beauty spots.
Yosemite local and writer for Outside Online magazine, Chris Van Leuven complained of park trails "covered in used toilet paper, candy wrappers, abandoned clothing, and other trash," as the public loos and refuse areas go untreated.
Restrooms are available in communities outside Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and limited restrooms in deteriorating conditions inside the parks. Please use bear proof trash cans or pack your trash out. Please do not add trash to a full trash can or dumpster.
Almost a third of the parks have been closed to the public, with the remainder kept open with a skeleton staff and cut-down services.
Yosemite, the US's most famous wilderness area, remains open in part with details on the park's website. The normal staffing for the 3000-square-kilometre park has been slashed by 94 per cent to a skeleton crew of just 50 rangers.
However, it is the shutdown's impact on civic parks and green spaces which are most glaring.
Shocking photos capture rubbish piling up in the National Mall park in DC, which sits in front of tourist landmarks including the Washington Monument and the White House.
People who just care: Volunteers keep restrooms at California's Joshua Tree National Park open during the government shutdown. Photo / Mario Tama, Getty Images
In New York, the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, which is operated by the National Park service, only remains open thanks to the State of New York stepping in to provide funding.
"It's unrealistic and dangerous to think that parks can remain open with only a skeleton crew and continue with business as usual," said National Parks Conservation Association President and CEO Theresa Pierno.
While January is a quiet period for the majority of US parks on winter calendars, for many southern parks, January is peak hiking season.
California's scenic desert Joshua Tree National Park has closed its camping grounds and many of the more scenic trails "in order to reduce the number of search and rescue events for rangers already spread thin due to the government shutdown".
Florida's Everglades National Park is being kept open with the help of volunteers and local non-profits.
"Whatever you see in the parks today is done by volunteers, association staffers, concessionaires and people who just care. Jim Sutton of the Florida National Parks Association told NBC News.
— David McGuire, SHARKSTEWARDS (@SHARKSTEWARDS) January 6, 2019
The government shutdown which has affected thousands of US public servants including Park Rangers is set to continue.
Potentially hazardous: Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone National Park. Photo / William Campbell, Getty Images
Declared on December 22nd during an impasse over the Trump administration's proposed Mexican border wall, the budget shutdown freezes any spending deemed not essential and leaving National Parks and wilderness areas as potentially hazardous to visitors.
Jeremy Barnum a spokesman for the National Park Service says that a total of seven visitors have been killed during shutdown.
Incidents include those reported December 24th when a 14-year-old girl fell to her death in the Glen Canyon Recreation Area in Arizona's National Park, on December 25th Christmas Day when a man fell to his death in Yosemite National Park and on December 27th a woman was killed by a falling tree in Great Smoky National Park on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. Many are still waiting to be reported.
While the Park Service has yet to state if the shutdown directly contributed to these deaths they have admitted it has caused significant delays to both reporting and investigation of incidents. A spokesperson for the NPS's Pacific West Region told The Washington Post that the public was not initially notified of the Yosemite death because of the shutdown and that the shutdown is also delaying an investigation into the cause of the death.
The NPS's advice for visitors during budget shutdown
Emergencies: Take care as emergency service response times "may be increased."
Visitor information: Public information and visitor will centres remain closed.
Restrooms and refuse: Public toilets and rubbish collection facilities will be closed due to reductions in staffing. Visitors are advised to carry rubbish out of the parks and anyone attempting to leave waste in full or overflowing bins may be subject to fines.
