Joshua Tree National Park officials said February 1 that this downed Joshua tree had been cut down prior to the recent partial government shutdown/NPS
Going back to 2013, we've now had two rather lengthy government shutdowns. In 2013, the National Park System was closed to the public, while this time around the parks were for the most part kept open. Which do you believe is the better approach?
The 2013 shutdown raised quite a bit of consternation, and some vandalism, and this year's shutdown raised quite a bit of consternation, and some vandalism. Indeed, the spectre of a downed Joshua tree this month could be seen as the sad emblem of this year's shutdown.
If you were in charge, would you order the parks closed, no matter the season, or keep the gates open and deal with the consequences?
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Comments
The parks should be closer when the government is shut down and there is no one to maintain and protect the park. The general population doesn't adhere to 'leave no trace' and as proven this past go round, those that leave their traces can ruin the parks for decades to come. It hurts to close them but I think that is what's best for the parks.
National Parks should absolutely be closed during government shutdowns! We are all stewards of these places for the enjoyment of future generations. It is painfully obvious that as a species we cannot be trusted with the honor system of keeping the parks in good shape on our own. Close the parks. Use your energy to install competent leadership in Washington that can keep the government open.
all National Parks should be closed during any shutdown.
Close the parks during government shutdowns.
I visited Yellowstone National Park when I was 4 years old. Enjoying the National Parks for the next 65 years with my family is one of the greatest learning experiences we have had. My children are following the example my parents gave to me. The NPS are the experts in this dilemma. For the rest of us someone said “leave only footprints “ as we cherish and learn from these places for generations.
Close the parks when they are not propetly staffed.
Truly sad that we are even having this conversation, close them.
All parks should be closed, it’s a shame people would trash them because nobody is there to stop them
Closed! Not only for safety of visitors and natural resources, but so the public can experience what a shutdown means and maybe stop electing officials that close it for pettiness.
Declare protection of the Parks as "essential services" and keep them open and fully protected. Just because the government can't get their act together doesn't mean our people and parks should suffer. It is "no way to run a railroad" as the old saying goes.
The parks should be closed during government shutdowns.
If only this $ economic lost $ could have been paid toward the NPS Maintenance Budgets ?
EVENING BRIEF CNBC
The government shutdown cost the economy $11 billion, including a permanent $3 billion loss, Congressional Budget Office says
AS OF MON, JAN 28, 2019 • 04:00 ET
After witnessing the latest damage to our National Parks, my opinion is they should be Closed during a government shutdown. Obviously some people cannot be trusted to act like caring individuals. The fact that the parks were trashed when no supervision is available is reason enough to protect our beautiful natural spaces from ourselves.
CLOSE the parks! But the main problems we have is our President and Congress can not just talk to each other . I so tired of hearing about Democrat vs Republican arguing about who’s got the ball. As one of per founding fathers said A DIVIDED HOUSE WILL NOT STAND
Close national parks, natIonal monuments, and all other national refuges, wilderness areas, grasslands, and forests. The potential irreparable damage to habitats and entire ecosystems, loss of revenue, and inability to protect our national treasures because of understaffing demands closure.
Closed so all of us can feel the pinch and maybe enough of us will get mad enough to light some fires under Congressional/Presidential sit-upons.
BUT must have adequate staff on duty to guard the parks as we have seen that a few folks will seize any opportunity for selfish, destructive behaviors.
Closed so all of us can feel the pinch and maybe enough of us will get mad enough to light some fires under Congressional/Presidential sit-upons.
BUT must have adequate staff on duty to guard the parks as we have seen that a few folks will seize any opportunity for selfish, destructive behaviors.
The national parks should be closed if there are inadequate staff to protect the parks. As the picture that goes along with this post shows, we unfortunately can't prevent idiots from treating our parklands with respect.
Pass an automatic continuing resolution bill that would eliminate government shutdowns.
Close the parks during shutdowns. Charge more for non - US residents to get us out of the backlog of infrastructure needs . Keep the parks pristine for Americans for generations
If the parks aren’t fully staffed the gates should stay locked. And any unauthorized persons found inside them should be charged with criminal trespass and persecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Amen to that! (I think you mean "prosecuted" although some of those entitled fools will think they're being persecuted.) Just to keep the trespassers company, throw in the graffiti artists, cactus carvers, petroglyph embellishers and any parent who lets their kid run amok and then wants to sue when said kid is bitten, stung, bruised, scratched or eaten for a mid-day snack.
Truly sad that we are even having this conversation, close them.
Sadly, close them and keep law enforcement on any at all costs. It’s pathetic that many of our fellow humans show what they are trul like. Better idea would be to make unlawful to shut down the government
Yellowstone operated just fine during the shutdown, with very few major problems. The communities and tour guides all worked hard to keep things running smoothly and were successful. Thousands of people visited the park and had great vacations. Perhaps the local communities, surrounding these parks, need to get together with the park service and find out how they can keep things running smoothly in the event of another shutdown? A little pre-planning might go a long ways in keeping the parks safe and operational. If there is no help from the local communities, then the park should close - the destruction at Joshua Tree is unconscionable.
absolutely closed
sad to close them, but we need to close them so they don’t get trashed!
All parks should be closed
I feel the Parks should be closed when there is no one there to maintain them or protect them. As mentioned by others, the general public does not adhere to the rules of the parks, as I see many people do even when they are fully staffed. I am a public school teacher so to me, having them open without any staff there is liking sending my students to school with no teachers or staff present. It’s not safe.
The NPS in its entirety should be closed during governmeant shut downs.
Keeping them open during the shutdown was a political stunt and a gift to the local businesses that rely on tourist dollars. Sure there were some cases where people pitched in, but that's no way to run a government entity.
Parks, when there is a government shutdown and not adequate staff to protect them, should be closed as well.
I think the recent experiences of vandalism and disrespect in the national parks during the shutdown pretty much answers your question. When there are so many people who are incapable of respecting the parks, these ignorant miscreants can‘t be trusted to do the right thing. Close the parks during a shutdown! To leave them open at this time has been proven a stupid decision.
If no one is there to protect them, close them down.
Three reasons to close parks: 1) It’s our own treasure, why let idiots destroy our inheritance? 2) Why add injury to insult; it makes extra work for people who do hard jobs because they love them. 3) When we endure a little fast, we are reminded how lucky we are, and how grateful we should be for stewardship we seldom think about.
For the protection of the earth, the parks must be closed to the public during a government shutdown.
It's heartbreaking to see how disrespectful much of the population was to these beautiful places.
What don't people understand about "when it's gone....it's gone"? Our job is to leave it better than we found it.
I think closing them is the best way to go.
CLOSE them. It disrespects Park Rangers who are unable to serve and protect. It’s also a safety issue. What if a major incident occurs? And, how can you adhere to the NPS mission to "preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources" without proper staffing? No good reason to keep them open at all. It shows a real lack in proper judgment and indicates that whom ever made such a decision has no responsibility to the parks or it’s furloughed employees.
Yes, shut down the parks, when the government function that runs the parks is not funded during a government shut down. Also, need to station military guards in the parks, since otherwise some will enter the parks, even if they are shut down.
All Parks must remain closed during any lapse in funds. Our leadership needs to stand strong against any administration that demands that we keep parks accessible during the shutdowns. It is ridiculous that anyone, especially those who are highest in the government, would think that our parks and our visitors would be better off with a free-for-all mentality. We either have money to keep them open or we don't. Shame on all of our Bureau leaders not only for caving to the pressures to remain open but for digging for "other" funds to run a partial operation. We have a promise to both Congress and the American people that the FLREA funds will not go to operations unless it is to recover the cost of collecting fees. This money needs to go to maintenance backlog, resource and educational projects to enhance the experience of our visitors who are paying these fees. How quickly we, and Congress, have forgotten that we, the NPS, demonstrated that we could and would use these funds appropriately if allowed to keep fee revenue in the parks - only to see our backlog grow exponentially because we cannot get contracts completed - Now we decide to use our “stash” for operations - the last I checked, laws were laws and our leaders must not break them. And did I mention the added responsibility on our excepted employees who were forced to work without pay – bless them for their dedication and for the risk they faced each and every day without sufficient back-up and or assistance in dealing with and trying to educate the public.
National Parks should be closed during government shutdowns. They need to be protected from irresponsible tourists even at the expense of those trying to be responsible. Leaving the parks open is simply a ploy to take off criticism from those manipulating the shutdown. Our parks are a national treasure that should be protected from politics. Unfortunately that was not the case in this last shutdown
Y'all are arguing about points [1], [2], and [3], ignoring point [0] --- do NOT shut down the government.
Rick B - or, readers are directly answering the question posed at the end of the article. A whole lot of us agree with your point [0], but that’s not within the power of anyone at DOI nor NPS. Fortunately, at least a few in congress are starting to address your point.
I seem to be in the minority. As I have planned many vacations around visiting many of our National Parks: I say it is not fair to us citizens to close OUR parks. The Friends of National Parks did a great job at Volcano National Park in January 2019 keeping the park open and clean. (The volunteers were paid by The Friends of National Parks). A very good place to give your money friends. Also people: PACK IT IN PACK IT OUT. KEEP OUR PARKS CLEAN.
Is there really any doubt at this point that the answer has to be CLOSED ?!!!?
I think it is clear that leaving the parks open and without sufficient staff was a fateful decision that will have a long lasting impact on the parks and ecosystems. People have shown that they are not mature enough to be in the parks without supervision. So, no.
Close them. You cannot rely on people to do the right thing by cleaning up after themselves, trespassing in areas barred from use (hearing me ATV users?) vandalizing and otherwise destroying sensitive areas. Our parks deserve better.
Obviously we as a society aren’t resonsible enough to have low or unstaffed National Parks. Sadly, I feel they should be closed during shutdowns.