What a government shutdown will likely mean for national parks

""A government shutdown would leave our parks understaffed and vulnerable, putting our most cherished places and millions of visitors at risk,""

""With no contingency plan finalized, the Park Service still doesn't know who will be able to staff the parks and more importantly, who will not be allowed to.""

""If sufficient staff aren't there, visitors shouldn't be either,""

""National parks don't run themselves. It is hard-working National Park Service employees that keep them safe, clean and accessible.""

A government shutdown is poised to begin at midnight after Congress failed to authorize a short-term spending stopgap. The National Parks Conservation Association urged the National Park Service to close parks ahead of the shutdown, warning that understaffing would leave sites vulnerable and that contingency staffing plans remain unresolved. Forty former NPS superintendents also urged closures, stating that parks require sufficient staff to operate safely and remain accessible. The NPS faces staffing strain, with more than 750 park workers reportedly fired during a prior purge. The 2019 shutdown caused damage that took many parks months or years to recover from and included irreparable vandalism and infrastructure harm.

Read at Axios