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National parks face years of damage from government shutdown
When the government eventually reopens, park experts warn reversing damage won't be as easy as throwing out the trash.
National parks are America's public lands, but right now they're America's trashcans.
That's because the U.S. federal government, embattled over funding for a border wall, has shut down, leaving national parks open and largely unattended. Since the shutdown began on December 21, brimming trashcans, overflowing toilets, and trespassing has been reported at many parks locations. On Sunday, the Department of the Interior announced they would be dipping into funds collected from entrance fees to pay for trash clean up, restroom maintenance, and additional law enforcement.
In a response to that announcement, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) cited fears that using entrance fees would divert badly needed funds from the park service’s massive $11 billion maintenance backlog.
Just 117 of the more
