Respecting national parks — even during shutdowns

By Cal Sutton

U.S. Government shutdowns have large impacts on the health and upkeep of our national parks. The National Park Service staff and park rangers do not work during government shutdowns. Even though national parks remain “closed,” this only is true in the vain of not having active staff and park rangers physically on the grounds.

While it is highly appealing to bypass the entrance fee for a national park, as there is no one at the booth to monitor payment, this action is taking money from the National Park Service and the U.S. government — I believe that going to national parks during a government shutdown is, in turn, stealing from the government.

Through visitor revenue in 2023, The National Park Service provided $55.6 billion back to the government. This money is substantial, and if we truly loved our national parks, I think we would be doing more in our power to make sure they are not losing their money — which is precisely what is happening because people are going and experiencing the national parks’ resources without paying for it.

Monetary issues aside, people taking advantage of government shutdowns can be detrimental to the wildlife in national parks. National parks are protected land, with animal species, various plants and other parts of nature that we should be able to experience for many years to come. Though, taking advantage of government shutdowns to “appreciate” this wildlife is not ethical.

This summer, I went to Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. From the moment I got to the entrance, I was made very aware of the fact that the horses you encounter there need to be left alone. There were signs that patrons must stay 40 feet from horses at all times and to not touch or feed wildlife.

Though, there were times where park rangers would come through on golf carts letting patrons know that they were too close to the horses and they could be subject to hefty fines of up to $5,000.

Without the rangers working at Assateague Island National Seashore, the horses that are already touched and bothered by humans will not be protected at all.

There are people on social media who claim that it is okay to go to a national park as long as they “leave no trace,” which is just an aspirational phrase conservationists use — there is no such thing as leaving no trace. Visitors of national parks claim that they engage in conservationist behaviors, but there are still excessive amounts of trash on the ground and damages to pieces of important wildlife among various national parks.

According to a 2019 New York Times article, after the most recent government shutdown,  Joshua Tree National Park, located in southern California, felt disastrous impacts from people taking advantage of the parks without the majority of its rangers present, who are there to keep wildlife safe.

When the majority of the park rangers resumed work, they noticed that there was vandalism throughout the park, as well as Joshua trees cut down and driven over. Now, this is so detrimental because it can take 100 years for a Joshua tree to mature, and there can be seasons where the trees do not grow at all, if it is particularly dry.

People who come to national parks during shutdowns can ruin wildlife in national parks, even if they have good intentions. We should have a larger awareness of what it means for the national parks when the government is shut down, so we can avoid the ill-treatment of nature when extenuating circumstances occur.

Cal Sutton is a sophomore journalism major