BREAKING NEWS: Park service urges visitors to stay away in shutdown expected this weekend
MOUNT DESERT, Sept. 29, 2023 - The National Park Service announced today the majority of national parks, including Acadia, will be closed completely to public access if the government shuts down this weekend.
It urged visitors to cancel their trips.
“Areas that, by their nature, are physically accessible to the public will face significantly reduced visitor services,” it stated in a press release embargoed for this morning at 6.
“At NPS sites across the country, gates will be locked, visitor centers will be closed, and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed. Accordingly, the public will be encouraged not to visit sites during the period of lapse in appropriations out of consideration for protection of natural and cultural resources, as well as visitor safety.
“Visitors should expect that many of the services and facilities they depend on at national parks will be closed or largely unavailable during a shutdown.
“Due to the dramatic differences in accessibility, operations, size, visitation, location and infrastructure represented in NPS sites, the number of employees on site will vary. As a general rule, if a facility or area is locked, secured or otherwise inaccessible during non-business hours (buildings, gated parking lots, bathrooms, etc.), or is closed regularly for safety or resource protection, it will be locked or secured for the duration of the lapse in appropriations. Parks will not provide regular road or trail condition updates. As a part of their orderly shutdown activities, park staff will post signs as appropriate to notify visitors that services, maintenance or other non-emergency management activities will not be conducted.
A senior Interior Department official stated, “Unfortunately, this is something we have a lot of experience with. It is impossible to pretend like it will be business as usual in the parks when the funding they depend on is not there.
“The parks were still recovering from damage to resources, overwhelmed facilities and depleted seed funding, which is reserved for vital maintenance and upkeep, from shutdowns in the previous administration.
“As in the past, we expect state leaders to offer to provide funding for parks in their state, should there be a lapse in government funding. We are committed to and prepared to work with those leaders interested in those discussions.
“Parks will be able to enter into non reimbursable arrangements for donations to fund the full operation of an individual park site or specified services that clearly benefit the park and the public. By providing enhanced visitor health protection and safety.
“House Republicans continue to demand a series of disastrous cuts to America's national parks.
“As a condition of keeping the government open, House proposal includes a 10 percent cut to project accounts within the National Park System, which would severely impact cherished natural and cultural resources, defer regularly scheduled maintenance to facility and curtail visitor experience enhancements like new visitor center exhibits.
“In addition, the proposal includes a 9 percent cut in park management funding and fails to fund roughly $100 million to pay related costs of the National Park Service staff.
“This would result in the loss of 950 full-time employees which would in turn lead to reduced hours of operation, delayed emergency response, less frequent trash collection and restroom cleaning and fewer ranger programs.
“Instead of pursuing these reckless cuts, we're hopeful that House Republicans will fulfill their obligation to keep the government open so that the American public can enjoy our great outdoors without interruption.
Acadia spokesman John Kelly declined to answer questions about Jordan Pond House and other concessions referring all inquiries to the NPS central office.
“Concessions located in areas that are accessible to the public may continue to operate during a lapse in appropriations if no NPS resources are required to support concession operations beyond excepted services and critical health, safety and protection services,” the NPS stated in a press release.
“During a potential lapse in government funding, the NPS will continue activities necessary to protect life and property, expressly authorized by law, and necessarily implied by law, including:
Law enforcement and emergency response
Border and coastal protection and surveillance
Fire suppression for active fires or monitoring areas currently under a fire watch
Protection of federal lands, buildings, waterways, equipment, and other property within the
National Park System, including research property
Activities that ensure production of power and maintenance of the power distribution system
The QSJ reported on the impact of previous shutdowns on Acadia National Park.
Perhaps aid to Ukraine must also be temporarily sacrificed.