Before the government shutdown became official on October 1st, former NPS employees were begging officials to close national parks in the event of a closure . Their primary concern was visitor behavior causing irreversible damage to the fragile ecosystems given the lack of staff.

Unfortunately, the National Park Service Contingency Plan dictated that parks were to remain as accessible as possible during the shutdown. Across the country, national parks are feeling the effects, with Redwood National and State Parks dealing with stolen items and Rocky Mountain National Park’s latest conservation project in jeopardy .

Now, Yosemite National Park in California is getting its turn with unruly visitors taking advantage of the reduced staff. Base jumpers have been spotted jumping off o

See Full Page