On Tuesday evening, in the final hours before a now imminent US government shutdown, the National Park Service (NPS) began preparations to close down parts of popular public lands across the country – but trails and other open-access areas will remain open.
The guidance for park leaders in the event of a federal shutdown had been uncertain as the impasse loomed, raising fears that the parks could be forced to stay open without anyone to staff them.
Late on Tuesday, the acting NPS director Jessica Bowron issued guidance in an internal email reviewed by the Guardian, that any gated park facility should be prepared to close for the duration of the shutdown.
“If a facility or area is locked or secured during non-business hours (buildings, gated parking lots, etc) [sic] it should be locked or secured for the duration of the shutdown,” Bowron said in the email.
Areas that are generally accessible, however, including “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials”, will remain accessible, and parks will be able to utilize the funds from fees they’ve collected – a budget kept separate from federal appropriations – to continue to maintain bathroo
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