National parks, left open but understaffed during government shutdown over border wall, are being trashed

A line of cars streamed into Joshua Tree National Park on Saturday despite the federal government's partial shutdown, meaning visitors entered without having to pay the usual $30 fee. (Los Angeles Times photo by Jay Clendenin)

The partial federal government shutdown has had a big, and sometimes disgusting, impact on national parks. Restrooms and visitor centers have been closed and trash collection discontinued since the shutdown began on Dec. 22, but parks remain open to visitors and are only lightly staffed. The result: overflowing garbage cans, littering, and human waste on the ground.

"Yosemite National Park visitors using the side of the road as a toilet have prompted the park to close two campgrounds and a popular redwood grove for public-safety reasons," Matt Forgione reports for the Los Angeles Times. "Death Valley, whose most popular landmarks have been crowded during the winter holidays, says outhouses are open but aren’t being cleaned or stocked with toilet paper during the closure."

The problem stems from the Trump administration's unusual decision to leave the parks open to visitors during the shutdown over the president's demand for funding of a border wall, Ellen Knickmeyer and Jocelyn Gecker report for The Associated Press.

“We’re afraid that we’re going to start seeing significant damage to the natural resources in parks and potentially to historic and other cultural artifacts," John Gardner, senior budget director of the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association, told AP. "We’re concerned there’ll be impacts to visitors’ safety."

The National Park Service has the authority to close any areas where garbage or waste become a threat to visitors' health and safety, historical artifacts, or wildlife, AP reports.