Washington — The National Park Service will furlough more than half of its workforce during the government shutdown, but will keep trails, open-air memorials and other areas at least partially open to visitors, it said in its plan for navigating the funding lapse.
Of the service’s 14,500 employees, 9,296 will be furloughed, according to the document, which was released Tuesday. The NPS’ plan for the parks themselves makes a distinction between those with accessible areas that collect fees under a law known as the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act and those that don’t. The agency, which is part of the Department of Interior, has a list of parks that do and don’t charge fees on its website.
“Park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors,” the plan says.
About 100 of the 400 parks in the National Parks system collect fees. Those parks that have accessible areas will use available fees to provide “basic visitor services” to maintain “restrooms and sanitation, trash collection, road maintenance, campground operations, law enforcement and emergency operations, and staffing entrance gates as necessary to provide critical safety information.”
Parks with accessible areas that don’t collect fees may be able to use “regional or national” fees with the approval of the service’s director.
Parks without accessible areas will not operate during the shutdown, the NPS plan says. Staffing will be at a minimum and “[n]o visitor services will be provided.” The service “will not issue permits, conduct interpretive or educational programs, collect trash, operate or provide restrooms, maintain roads and walkways (including plowing and ice melting) or provide visitor information.”
“As a general rule, if a facility or area is locked or secured during non-business hours (buildings, gated parking lots, etc.) it should be locked or secured for the duration of the shutdown,” the plan says.
The service says parks can enter into agreements with state and local governments and third parties “for donations to fund the full operation of an individual park unit or for specified services.”
The government shut down overnight after Republicans and Democrats remained at an impasse over a deal to extend federal funding before an Oct. 1 deadline. Up to 750,000 federal workers could be furloughed during the funding lapse, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and they will not be paid until Congress approves funding to end the shutdown. But employees considered essential will continue working.
Republicans are pinning the blame for the shutdown on Democrats, while Democrats argued that the GOP has been unwilling to negotiate with them.
The National Parks Conservation Association warned that national parks will lose up to $1 million in fee revenue for every day the shutdown lasts, and communities outside of the parks could lose up to $80 million in spending from tourists.
During the 35-day shutdown that occurred in the first Trump administration, some parks were vandalized, cultural sites were damaged and there were sanitation issues as parks were minimally staffed.
“The government has shut down, and the administration is once again putting our national parks and visitors at risk, effectively directing staff to open park gates and walk away,” Theresa Pierno, president and CEO for National Parks Conservation Association, said in a statement. “Visitors may enter, but very few staff will be there to protect the parks or the people inside. It’s not just irresponsible, it’s dangerous.”
The Government Accountability Office found that during the lapse in funding that began in late 2018 and ran into early 2019, the Department of the Interior violated federal law when it used fees collected under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to cover expenses normally covered by a different program.
Melissa Quinn
contributed to this report.
