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This photo released by the Nation Park Service shows Turbid Lake on a sunny on Sept. 21, 2024, in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. (Jacob W. Frank/National Park Service via AP)

WASHINGTON – A group of former national park superintendents is calling on the Trump administration to close the parks to visitors in case of a government shutdown .

Past shutdowns in which parks have remained opened have led to the vandalism of iconic symbols, destruction of wildlife habitats and possible endangerment of visitors, 40 former superintendents said in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

A shutdown now could be even worse as parks are already under strain from a 24% reduction in staff and severe budget cuts, the former park officials said in a letter Thursday. A secretarial order by

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