President Trump wants some national parks to reopen soon, but how long will it take parks to ramp up to handle visitors?/Kurt Repanshek file
Editor's note: This updates with reaction from the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks and the National Parks Conservation Association.
President Trump used an Earth Day event in Washington on Wednesday to say some national parks that have been closed by the coronavirus pandemic could soon reopen, though the National Park Service largely has been quiet on how long it would take parks to reopen.
"Thanks to our significant progress against the invisible enemy, I am pleased to announce that in line with my administration’s guidelines for opening up America again we will begin to reopen our national parks and public lands for the American people to enjoy,” the president said at a tree-planting at the White House.
When individual parks might open depends in part on the status of "shelter in place" or "stay home" orders in their states. Following Trump's statement, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt tweeted that he was "committed to working with governors and local public health officials to gradually reopen our National Parks in a safe manner for the American people to once again enjoy."
Reopening a national park is not as simple as raising the gates.
National Park Service personnel have been careful not to lock themselves into reopening dates. Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly told Traveler earlier this month that bringing his park's 400-500 seasonal workers back to work for the summer season was going to be a complicated operation because of the virus.
"It's a complex conversation given the unknowns about the future, especially relating to how we would effectively mitigate transmission risks to our employees on the front-lines, manage large congregations of visitors, visitors in hotels, employees in dormitories, etc.," Sholly wrote in an email.
The superintendent added that he planned to bring seasonals back to work in waves, with the first wave arriving in May sometime. Those 160-170 workers deal with sanitation throughout the park's front country, law enforcement rangers, paramedics, and "visitor/wildlife interface employees," said Sholly, "and a range of positions needed to continue moving forward on critical priorities, like bison management and non-native fish eradication, etc."
The second wave of seasonal help would arrive throughout the summer, depending on available housing space. Yellowstone also likely will reopen to the public in waves, the superintendent said.
In Alaska, Glacier Bay National Park's superintendent has said seasonals he brings back for the summer could be required to go through a 14-day quarantine as currently required by the state for arrivals through May 19.
At the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, Chair Phil Francis said he wanted to see the reopening plan that the Park Service has ready to go.
“I don’t think the National Park Service is prepared to open as quickly as the president and secretary want. I don’t think we have the people in place," Francis said during a phone call. "I don’t think we have training in place, the PPE in place. If there is pent-up demand and we have large capacity, by no means will we have the capacity to manage the people in a way that is effective and to ensure their saftey and ensure our resources are protected.
“What I would love to see, and since it’s Wednesday already, is that if they are ready to open that should mean that their plans are completed and are being executed, and I think the American public should demand to see them," he added.
At the National Parks Conservation Association, Theresa Pierno agreed with Francis that the parks can't simply open overnight.
“We understand how important national parks and their employees are to America. But the president's call today to reopen national parks is dangerous," said Pierno, NPCA's president and CEO. "At this time, park staff cannot protect their health, the health of the visitors, or the resources they manage. We've heard from park staff that they don't have the proper protective equipment and have no indication any is coming to them. And at many of our national parks, social distancing has already proven to be nearly impossible. It's critical that until it's safe, parks already closed should remain so. And those that have not yet closed should be allowed to do so immediately."
Traveler on Wednesday was awaiting responses from National Park Service headquarters, as well as from Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks in Wyoming, concerning how the agency would juggle its "onboarding" process of bringing seasonals back to work if states lifted their "shelter in place" or "stay at home" orders before parks were ready to handle visitors. Wyoming's order could be lifted May 1, if not sooner.
At the Western Values Project, which regularly criticizes the Trump administration, Director Jayson O’Neill said Trump's announcement about reopening the parks was reckless.
“This shoot-from-the-hip order is eerily similar to the Trump administration’s reckless and careless decision to waive entrance fees that caused a surge in visitors and tourists before park superintendents and local officials had safety measures, protocols, procedures, or even plans in place to protect visitors and employees from the coronavirus pandemic," said O'Neill.
"It would behoove Trump to focus on the immediate needs of American families, not serving up gimmicks to distract from the administration’s failures," O'Neill added. "Let the experts with boots on the ground - working in conjunction with state and local health officials and governors - make the decision because Trump and his team have proven time and again to be incapable of it.”
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Comments
You O Neil are the reckless one...always fawning over Obama now nothing Pres Trump does suits you. The Parks need better management and you need to go
Did you have any comment on the actual article or were you just going to be a troll? Serious question
So True !
Nancy maybe you could get togeather with Donald and start the sanitation process at these National Parks. It may give you a better understanding as to how easy it is ! just saying.
I agree. These park officials need to be gone!!!
Nancy please tell us what Trump has done that has done to suit us? Has he stopped the cancer causing windmills? Has he stop hurricanes with an atom bomb? Has he made america great again with tariffs? Has he done one single thing to keep all amercans safe, ie pissed off allies, slow the spread of COVID by playing golf and ignoring brieffings for the soul benefit of himself and his rich friends? Please tell us one damn thing, we are waiting for your response.....
Gosh, Nancy, that's harsh. And, I'm not sure why you single out Jayson O’Neill for special criticism because it's really not just his Western Values Project that's being cautious about trusting the Trump Administration at this point. You have the National Parks Conservation Association warning that "the president's call today to reopen national parks is dangerous." The Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, which actually consists of very senior, experienced, well educated, highly trained professionals, cautions that the NPS and the parks don’t have the people, the training, or the PPE in place and warning that, if there is pent-up demand and large crowds show up and they easily could, neither the NPS nor the parks would have "the capacity to manage the people in a way that is effective and to ensure their safety and ensure our resources are protected." The Coalition also challenges the NPS and the parks that "if they are ready to open that should mean that their plans are completed and are being executed, and I think the American public should demand to see them." I know for a fact that those plans aren't ready; many haven't even been started in the detail they'll need. Even Cam Sholly, ever flexible when it comes to working with politicians and rich business interests, admits that mobilizing sufficient staff to support a proper opening will be a "complicated" effort.
When you look at the big picture, maybe it's really not O’Neill who "needs to go." Bye, Felicia.
Is it ignorance or the lack of respect when you fail to capitalize President when you are referring to the President of the United States. Nancy wasn't minimizing the risks associated with reopening the NPs. She was rightly taking to task the attack on the President. If O'Neill had just focused on the risks and the daunting task of putting an effective plan in place, I doubt if Nancy would have even responded. But no, O'Neill chose to rant from his bully pulpit....again!
Great article. Looking foward to better times. Nancey go put your head in the sand.
Rump - perhaps O'Neil would have more credibility if he didn't have an unblemished record of bashing every action of the President.
And perhaps you would have more credibility Buck if you didn't praise anything and everything that President Trump does. It rather works both ways. Let us know when you perfect that Lysol martini.
Glad - you are just factually incorrect. Just last week, I was at the front of the line in criticizing the President for his comments that he believed it was solely his decsion whether to reopen the states. I have repeatedly chastised him for not reining in spending. I have also consitently argued that the wall isn't the best solution to illegal immigration. You see Glad, I have a compass. Liberty and free markets as laid out in the orignal words and intent of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. It doesn't matter who crosses the line, I will criticize them for it. Unlike many here, my comments are driven by principles not hate.
Nancy --- do you have any skin in the game? Just curious. Any involvement or history with parks management?
I continue to be amazed at how long it takes the NPS to respond to anything. It isn't like the agency isn't working on this stuff, thinking about this stuff - as a taxpayer I think they should be more prepared.
Are you upset with the rest of the government about being unprepare? After three and one half years of Trump governance we are paying a terrible price. Can you tell me has Trump ever been to Yellowstone? Ever been camping ? I have a hard time reconciling any of my values with his.
let's just hope they can be organized enough to get it done soon. I also hopet been making good use of this time to go through the stacks of applications for Backcountry permit because that socially distant. it is certainly worth it could be done at home
Nancy - if your President Trump now considers it safe to encourage people to inject detergent, perhaps you might reconsider some of his other medical advice as well.
would you stop acting like this is the end of the world even our worst case scenario a New York according to the serology test now or showing a 0.5 % death rate. serology test in California and other places are showing that a lot of people have had it. The vast majority need to get out and stop panicking. the most honorable should be careful but the vast majority need to get out and live to build some herd immunity.
That equates to over a million dead in the USA, it is sad that you feel that the people that have to work are expendible, but no worries it will also wipe out a majority of the stupid. You can't have herd immuniity without a vaccination. You might want to vote democratic this time out as they support better education, cause it sure sounds like your fake bone spurs are rattled.......
Time to open now. Provide masks and the employees are fine. NPS is a slow dinosaur. Any private business would be open the next day. Stop whining.
The NPS bas a horrible track record, and reopening the parks will disappoint me too, I'm sure.
How long does it take to rebuild a bridge?!! The Ribbon Falls Bridge on the North Kaibab has been "under construction " for 1...or is it 2...or 3 years?!!
Every time I think about the 200 year old tree at the rest area of Indian Garden (on the Bright Angel Trail of the Grand Canyon) getting cut down,, I want to cry. That tree was replaced by TARPS!!
Many beautiful, non diseased trees were destroyed along the corridor trails of the Grand Canyon, including those providing much needed shade at Phantom Ranch, Cottonwood, and Indian Garden. The tree debris was thrown to the side of the trail for the hikers' visual "enjoyment ". It is the saddest and most disturbing action that the NPS has implemented yet.
I used to be very impressed by the rangers and general management of the Grand Canyon, but if this is the future of the NPS, our parks will not reopen until 2030.
Of course Rick, he made no such statement. But hey, no need for the facts to get in the way.
“And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute — one minute — and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning?” he asked. “Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.”
Rick, that is a far cry from saying he "considers it safe to encourage people to inject detergent". He said nothing about the safety or advisability. He made no suggestion that people inject detergent. He merely asked if that might be an avenue of scientific inquiry. But once again, the facts don't make any difference to you. Just make the accusations and maybe enough sheeple will believe you. Seems to work for what ever source you are listening to.
Buck ---
There is no longer any conceivable value to interacting with you. Other than a couple of fellow out-riders, most folks here recognize your work to be trollish.
You are cut off. No longer feeding you. Now, usually when I try this you make some totally outrageous comment that I feel must be refuted. In about a week or so I will be going into a hospital that is "ground zero" in handling regional COVID-19 cases, but I'm going in for neurological surgery. I'm going to be dealing with real life and death considerations for myself and my loved ones, and you deserve zero of my mental or emotional calories.
Robert, first, I don't believe it is the federal governments responsibility. Nothing in the Constitution makes it so or even gives the Federal government the power. If you think the response has been inadequate, you should be looking at your state and local governments. Second, I don't see how you can complain when the rates of infections and deaths are small fractions of what was predicted and what was used to shut down the economy. It also is hard to claim it has been inadequate when the rates of infections and deaths are well below what we see in similar industrialized nations such as the UK, France, Italy, and Spain which have taken as severe if no more so shut down measures. Tell us, what exactly would you have done differently, when did you first express that opinion and would it have actually have made a difference?
Certainly not for you. You look bad every time you do.
I hope your surgery goes well. Good luck.
EC, you really are the definition of pathetic. To tell Rick that HE looks bad every time he interacts with you? Really? HE looks bad? And then to say that you hope his surgery goes well after ridiculing him? And one of your last quotes: "Unlike many here, my comments are driven by principles not hate." Oh, yeah, that's you EC: principled, ethical, honest, noble, etc. Everyone else is hateful but not you. Hmmm, you definitely have some personality traits very similar to your leader Donnie.
Brian, I am able to seperate my personal empathy from political differences. I wish no one ill and sincerely hope Rick does well with his surgery. You can't cite a single instances where I have been "hateful". That doesn't diminish the fact that Rick hates our President and will attack him anyway he can, whether he has to make up stuff or just blindly follow whatever BS source he is watching. Either way, I will call him out. That isn't "ridiculing him", that is honest political debate.
Every discussion has at least one troll. The price we pay for free speech.
No, there are always two, a master and an apprentice.
It's a little frustrating to see the lack of a plan being implemented by the parks. Their actions are simply reactionary movements. Instead of saying "we don't know what will happen so we will try a few things and wait" I think it is better to devise a schedule and task list for reopening with the acknowledgement that plans could change. But that's why we have a little backup called Plan B.
Ultimately it feels as though there wasn't a single organization in the country with a pandemic preparedness plan.
O'Neal shouldn't be allowed to take pot shots at the President! He should be fired or his duties reduced to cleaning toilets for minimum wage. I have no tolerance for people who use every opportunity that arrises to acert a political agenda! Maybe if O'Neil was loosing thousands of dollars each day the park was closed he would quickly reconsider his opinion on the matter! As Cindy once said, "Money changes everything"!
The article lacks detail when the parks are going to be open. Lacks information where to go about updates. Very poor over all update other than the parks will open. When, that is anyone's quess.
Which is probably why the article lacks the details. NPT can't report facts that aren't there.
Amusing that most of the hostile-to-life commenters seem to think that Jayson O'Neill, who the article clearly identifies as working for the Western Values Project, is an NPS employee. Reading comprehension is not their strong suit.
Irony -who is "hostile-to-life" and who suggest ONeil was an NPS employee?
A national park staying closed? Lodges and restaurants okay. What ever but after being locked down in homes for months and kids shut in, now we can't travel to the national parks because they haven't figured out how to open? What have NPS been doing all this time? Are they getting money from the government to stay closed? It is a virus. It will not be cured. You will be closed in to the next flu season which also is contagious and causes death. This sounds really suspicious.
I'm here in Montana for the first time. I came to enjoy the open state and state parks which were slated to open 4/24/20. I also wanted to see Yellowstone thinking it would open May 1st. You have a superintendent that has taken it upon himself to keep the park closed til June 1st even though there is no science to support his decision. He won't even let people drive through the park. He needs to explain his rationale and bring forward evidence to justify his actions. This is authoritarian rule of the worst kind. The article didnt challenge him and then through in the Token Trump hater for good measure. Fear and control are 2 very dangerous cousins to sheeple. I didn't think the amazing people of Montana are easily scared and led Sheeple. I guess you are. Btw You have a beautiful state..
Its difficult to weigh the safety options with the loss of revenue. All of the border towns are hanging by a thread, hoping something will open. Each of the 5 parks entrances have "tourist" towns that have little other source of revenue than what GTNP and YNP generate. So, regardless of the political BS that is going on, there has to be some give and take. The park(s) can require reservations, safety precautions, wellness checks - etc - from their visitors. This is no different from the requirements from Stay-At-Home. The park can protect their employees with masks, and other sources. Crowd management at Old Faithful and the Geyser Basin. Hiking permits. Limit the visitors to start - including very specific intstructions/assistance for foreigners that may not understand, but for crying out loud - please - help these towns and their people.
What ha the nps been doing for weeks plans should have been in place all along
talk about bringing cleaning crews in. The virus only lasts on surface a short time lack of foresight typical
I read this article hoping to learn something new but all I see is Trump-bashing. The American people want and need the Parks to re-open. How about a plan and annoucement as to when that will happen?