Joshua Tree will remain open as the park service uses revenue generated by taxes at closing

Joshua Tree National Park will not close on Thursday due to the partial closure of the government and reported damage to California's southern attraction After all, the park service

The National Park Service announced Wednesday in a statement that it would immediately use the funds generated by the recreational taxes to avoid the planned closure. On Tuesday, Joshua Tree National Park said it should be closed temporarily for cleaning and repair starting Thursday at 8 am.

Recreation expenses, authorized by the Acting Secretary of the Department of the Interior, will also be used to immediately bring back maintenance crews to tackle sanitation problems in Joshua Tree and areas. recently closed will be available again, said the Parks Department. The move will also reopen the campgrounds.

Deputy Director of the National Parks Service, P. Daniel Smith, said in a statement Sunday that funds from entrance, camping, parking and other fees would be generally used for future projects in the parks – could and would be used for immediate assistance and services for highly visited parks.

"We are taking this extraordinary step to ensure the protection of the parks and allow visitors to continue to access the parks with limited basic services," Smith said in an article published Sunday.

Members of the federal government closed on December 22 following a dispute between President Donald Trump and the Democratic Democrats over funding for a wall south of the US border, promised by Trump to the voters during the campaign. Mexico would pay for it.

Approximately 800,000 federal employees were affected by the closure. Half of them were laid off – they are forbidden to work during the closure – while half still work without a wage guarantee. In previous judgments, employees on leave have received salary arrears. The stalemate in Washington persisted on Wednesday.

This interruption in funding has affected national parks, some of which may have remained open with the assistance of state governments or foundations. Smith said Sunday in a statement that help was appreciated but "it has become clear that busy parks with limited staff have urgent needs that can not be met solely by the generosity of our partners."

Mike Litterst National Park spokesman said that in addition to waste and sanitation problems at Joshua Tree, it was reported that desert trees had been cut down and trails cut by all-weather vehicles. ground.

Joshua Tree stretches over 3,000 square kilometers approximately 130 kilometers east of downtown Los Angeles. and for the first time in 2015, according to the park, it has exceeded 2 million annual visitors.

Trump and the Democrats still seem in stalemate on the wall funding frontier. Trump announced on Wednesday on Twitter a meeting with Democrats Chuck Schumer, leader of the Senate minority and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, "a total waste of time."

A memorandum from the Acting Secretary of the Department of the Interior, David Bernhardt, authorizing the use of National Park Service fee funds, indicates that operations such as toilets, sanitation and law enforcement should be maintained "until these funds reach a zero balance".

Phil Helsel is a journalist for NBC News.