Our National Parks During Government Shutdown

We are experiencing the longest running government shutdown in this country’s history.  Time will tell the toll that this government shutdown will have on the lives of those furloughed employees, and the impact on our parks and public lands that result from this event.  Here are a few thoughts on our National Parks During a Government Shutdown.

What is the purpose of the National Park Service?

Since it’s inception over 100 years ago, the National Park Service, a Bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior, has had as its mission (as stated in the Organic Act) to “promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments and reservations… as conform to the fundamental purpose” which is stated as follows:

1. “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein”, and
2. “to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Who Owns Our National Parks?

“National parks are the best idea we ever had.  Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”  Wallace Stegner

Who owns our parks?  Simply put, we do.  The American people collectively own our parks in much the same way as we collectively own our democratic system of government.

It is our individual responsibility to abide by the laws of the land.  It is our individual duty to vote in elections.  We are individually tasked with being productive citizens.  When we fail in our individual responsibilities, we suffer individually (on a micro level if you will).  There are safeguards in place that help to keep us individually on track (i.e. we may elect to purchase insurance to avoid catastrophic loss).

As the head of the American people; however, our government has the responsibility to provide for the care of these collectively owned places.  This is, in essence the democratic way.  We establish institutions (like the National Park Service) to regulate what we agree to collectively – in the case of our parks, to conserve and enjoy our parks and monuments so that they are left “unimpaired for… future generations”.  This was the value that the collective put into place over 100 years ago.

But when we fail to operate effectively as a country, and when we do not provide as we should for the institutions that were established to safeguard our way of life, then what should be done?  Without the institution in place to promote and regulate the use of our precious parks, who then is there to conserve the natural and historic objects and wild life?  Whose responsibility is it to ensure that our parks are left “unimpaired”?  Unfortunately, no one.

Don’t get me wrong, there are volunteers that have taken up the task of filling some of the gaps that have been left by decimated park staff.  But do they own that responsibility? No.  The responsibility for the functioning of these places still lies in the hands of the collective – in the hands of our government.

What is happening to our National Parks during this partial government shutdown?

There are numerous impacts to the parks and wildlife that have been cited already.  The full extent of damage, however, will not be known or assessed for some time.  Additionally, the longer that the shutdown continues, the more deterioration that is taking place in our parks each day.  Here are a few notable examples of what has already occurred:

• ~87% of the National Park Services approximately 24,600 employees have been furloughed. These are the people that eat, sleep and breathe the parks each and every day in service to the collective.  To hear how their dedication and work have been minimized during this shutdown, all you have to do is check out social media updates from folks (that I choose not to litter my page with) that question the use of “non-essential” staff, or that imply that these furloughed employees that want to work but have been subject to disruption in their lives are “on vacation”.  If you don’t buy the numbers, check out the NPS Contingency Plan here.
• Fallen Joshua Trees, off-roading and illegal camping – deemed to be “another casualty” of the shutdown 
• Impact to research on animals and delicate wildlife
• Animals in parks and on trails for which they were not intended
• Mounting piles of trash and refuse at our parks and National Monuments
• …and the list goes on…

What Can We Do to Support Our National Parks During a Government Shutdown?

In my opinion, the parks need to close completely until they are staffed and until the NPS is equipped to carry out what they were intended to do.

While some parks remain open, however, providing financial support for future cleanup efforts and volunteering time for getting the parks back on track once the shutdown is over may be the best option that individuals that care about our parks may have.  You can sign up to give and / or volunteer at the National Park Foundation site (the official non-profit that is in place to support our parks).

A few concluding thoughts on the National Parks during this Government Shutdown

Unless and until we provide the resources to our Parks that enable us to do them justice, they don’t need to be open for us to enjoy.  In my opinion, when our systems fail, we need to go into safety mode in order to avoid injury to our parks.  By “temporarily” failing in its execution during a government shutdown, the will of the collective is not reversed.  The same edict that was established over 100 years ago to conserve our parks, monuments and reservations still is the collective will of the people.  And because the collective institution is not in place to safeguard these places, we must protect our collective homes from individuals that may impose their individual values on our public lands.

If National Parks are truly the example of America “at our best rather than our worst”, and if these examples of lack of care and concern for these special and delicate places is the best care that we can provide for them in moments of political meltdown, then at this time when we are arguably not at our best and are unable to care for them, I think that we should close their doors.  We must save ourselves from our collective selves, and preserve the best places and cherished sites in our Nation for a time when we are actually at our best.  When our country fails itself, we should safeguard ourselves from bringing our natural and historical places down too.

This post was written for the #NatureWritingChallenge.

#NatureWritingChallenge Topic: How do we ensure the protection of our Public Lands need is given during Government Shutdowns?  How should they be maintained.  Check out the challenge here.

(Note: Rules for this challenge include writing, unfiltered, on the topic for no more than one hour – although I took some liberties with this particular post.)