The National Parks Service Expands Its Activities During Government Closure: NPR

As part of an unprecedented initiative, the National Parks Service decided to draw on input funds to fund the development of operations during the government's closure which allowed many of its workers to to be put away.

The decision comes after reports of degradations in the parks: rubbish thrown to the ground, accumulation of human waste and visitors acting irresponsibly leaving their dogs without leash or even walking off the beaten track to make donuts in the desert. [19659008] The revised emergency plan, obtained and communicated by The Washington Post, did not specify how many agency employees would return to work or which parks would receive funding from additional staff.

In a press release on Sunday, the National Parks Service stated that the funds could not fully open the parks and that many of the country's smaller sites would remain closed.

"The NPS will start using them: funds to clean garbage accumulated in many parks, clean and maintain toilets, bring in law enforcement rangers to parks to monitor areas accessible and to restore access to areas that would normally be accessible this time of year, "wrote the agency in the press release

Only 115 of the 418 parks of the agency collect entrance fees. The Washington Post reports that Acting Secretary of the Department of the Interior, David Bernhardt, asked for a list of parks likely to be enlarged.

The removal of the National Parks Service could constitute a violation of the Appropriations Act because the fees collected under this Act under the Improvement of Recreational Activities in Crown Lands Act are designated . to visitor services, not operations and basic maintenance.

An Imperfect Solution

Some park advocates, like Sabra Purdy, co-owner of a climbing guide service operating in Joshua Tree National Park. are concerned that drawing on park fees will deplete future park funding.

She said that it was particularly worrisome given that many of these parks have already lost a significant amount of park expense – sometimes millions of dollars – by not charging fees during the holiday season, while many of them have grown. visitors.

"If we allocate the fees that were collected previously to this temporary emergency funding, we will really rob Peter to pay Paul," she said. "I do not think it's a great long-term solution, but I understand why people want to do it."

Ultimately, Purdy supports the relocation, although reluctant, as she would like park workers to be paid and she thinks nationally. the parks could use the resources.

Since national parks have remained open but have not had enough staff in the past two weeks, Purdy and dozens of others across the country have volunteered to replace the missing workers.

"I pretend to be a janitor of the park services for 16 days, with many, many other people", she said.

Amid

"Toilet Paper Angels" Cleaned Joshua Tree National Park

The first thing that Purdy's husband, Seth Zaharias, co-owner of the company, made the morning after the start of the partial government shutdown on December 22 was going to Walmart and spending $ 100 in toilet paper.

Zaharias knew that one of the first The problems with the lack of park service staff are the toilets.

Having no one to clean, empty and maintain garbage cans and bathrooms, Zaharias feared that garbage – and human excrement – would accumulate and that conditions would deteriorate to the point of close the park. "I knew that a disaster was going to happen and I would not let the federal government ruin my house," he said.

Purdy then posted on Facebook, inviting others to join them to clean up the park. This movement quickly became a popular voluntary movement.

The couple holds a public meeting every morning in his shop, where he organizes the cleaning efforts with all those who show up. Every day, 10 to 50 people will show up. Last Saturday, 40 people came.

Volunteers working with Purdy, Zaharias and two local non-profit associations, the Friends of Joshua's Tree and the Joshua Tree Climber's Collective, bring hundreds of rolls of toilet paper daily into the park.

The work they have to do in the bathrooms is far from divine.

"I saw several toilets covered with diarrhea," Zaharias said.

In addition to cleaning and restocking bathrooms, volunteers also use trucks and trailers to transport garbage into overflowing dumpsters.

"The waste would have spilled over and swept the desert without the volunteers," Purdy said.

In one day, Purdy said volunteers collected about 4,000 pounds of waste.

The Park's Cleaning Efforts Are Not Lasting

Cleaning up the parks is a difficult and unglamorous job, but Zaharias said the Joshua Tree National Park volunteers are not working. commit to continue every day until closing.

"Not only is it where we put food on our table, but it's a place we consider sacred," he said. .

However, despite donations of nearly $ 11,000 to support their efforts, Zaharias believes that volunteers can only manage the time and resources allocated for a few more weeks.

The news of the National Park Service's decision somewhat relieved his wife. Purdy hopes that Joshua Tree National Park will be one of the resources chosen for additional staff

. If so, she hopes the National Park Service custodians will be among the first to return to work.