Holy Yosemite! What a feces foul up
Print Edition
Human feces, overflowing garbage, illegal off-roading and other damaging behavior in fragile areas are beginning to overwhelm some of the US West鈥檚 iconic national parks, as a partial government shutdown left the areas open to visitors but with few staff on duty.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a free-for-all,鈥 Dakota Snider, 24, who lives and works in Yosemite Valley, said by telephone Monday, as Yosemite National Park officials announced closings of some minimally supervised campgrounds and public areas within the park that are overwhelmed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so heartbreaking. There is more trash and human waste and disregard for the rules than I鈥檝e seen in my four years living here,鈥 Snider said.
The 10th day of the partial federal government shutdown, which has forced furloughs of hundreds of thousands of federal government employees, has left many parks without most of the rangers and others who staff campgrounds and otherwise keep parks running.
Unlike shutdowns in some previous administrations, the Trump administration was leaving parks open to visitors despite the staff furloughs, said John Garder, senior budget director of the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association.
鈥淲e鈥檙e afraid that we鈥檙e going to start seeing significant damage to the natural resources in parks and potentially to historic and other cultural artifacts,鈥 Garder said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e concerned there鈥檒l be impacts to visitors鈥 safety.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 really a nightmare scenario,鈥 Garder said.
Under the park service鈥檚 shutdown plan, authorities have to close any area where garbage or other problems become threats to health and safety or to wildlife, spokesman Jeremy Barnum said.
鈥淎t the superintendent鈥檚 discretion, parks may close areas with sensitive natural, cultural, historic, or archaeological resources vulnerable to destruction, looting, or other damage that cannot be adequately protected by the excepted law enforcement staff that remain on duty,鈥 Barnum said.
In the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, some areas of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks were closed Monday.
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