Hundreds of former National Park Service (NPS) employees are calling for the nation’s parks to close amid the ongoing government shutdown.
In a new letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the former staffers cited high-profile incidents of illegal jumping at Yosemite National Park and a vegetation fire that started at a campground at Joshua Tree National Park.
The more than 400 signatories said there have also been “bathrooms overflowing, trash that is not being picked up, and trails that are not being safely maintained or monitored.”
“Our parks don’t run by themselves. The dedicated staff of the National Park Service (NPS) keep them clean, safe, and functioning. And as these latest, and sadly predictable, incidents clearly demonstrate, our parks cannot operate without them,” they wrote.
“We recognize that closing parks is not an easy decision, but it’s the responsible one. Protecting our parks now ensures that future generations can enjoy them as we do today,” they added.
The letter’s more than 400 signatories include people who have held a range of positions at the parks, including two former directors of the agency, Jon Jarvis and Robert Stanton, who served under the Obama and Clinton administrations, respectively.
The letter notes that this is coming on top of additional Trump administration staff cuts. The administration said in a recent court filing that it plans to cut 272 additional NPS staffers.
The Trump administration decided to leave national parks open during the shutdown while furloughing about 64 percent of the agency’s staff.
Prior to the shutdown, about 40 former national park superintendents called for the parks to close, warning that past shutdowns saw “iconic symbols cut down and vandalized, trash piled up, habitats destroyed, and visitor safety jeopardized.”
Asked about the latest letter, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, which oversees the park service, cited the economic impacts of shutting down parks on local communities.
“We are currently doing our best to avoid the devastating effects Congressional Democrats’ government shutdown has on the economy. When national parks completely shut down, the impact on surrounding communities is swift and devastating,” the spokesperson said in a written statement.
“Local economies that rely on park tourism lose tens of millions of dollars each day as visitors are turned away, hotels sit empty, and restaurants and tour operators close their doors,” the statement continued.
The spokesperson also blamed Democrats for the ongoing shutdown, saying “Each day the gates stay closed, gateway towns lose income, jobs, and the sense of security that comes from predictable visitation, underscoring just how intertwined America’s national parks are with the economic health of the states that surround them. This is why Congressional Democrats need to do their jobs and reopen the federal government.”
Of the more than 430 parks in the system, more than 80 percent are currently open in some capacity, according to the department.
