Yosemite and other national parks across California and the rest of the United States remained open Wednesday, the first day of the federal government shutdown, but with limited services, staff and programs.
Under a contingency plan released by the Trump administration for national parks, 64% of the roughly 14,500 employees at America’s 433 national parks were sent home without pay.
Law enforcement rangers, firefighters, people who operate power stations and sewage treatment plants were kept on as essential. Many other rangers, planners, maintenance staff, people who run educational programs and others were furloughed.
Nearly every public affairs official at national parks was furloughed, leaving the public in the dark as people struggled with vacation plans, wedding plans, and other events.
At Northern California parks, including Pinnacles National Park in San Benito County and Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, no information about which facilities were open or closed was posted on park websites, distributed through social media channels, or recorded on the main public phone numbers.
Similarly, at Yosemite National Park, which received 4.1 million visitors last year, the public was provided few details Wednesday.
Park officials posted no information on the park’s website or social media channels. Hundreds of park employees were furloughed and sent home without pay.
A recorded message at Yosemite headquarters said:
“National parks remain as accessible as possible during the federal government shutdown. However some services may be limited or unavailable. Due to the lapse in appropriations, we are out of office and not authorized to work at this time. We will return your call when we are back in the office.”
Locals in the Yosemite area said the park’s gates were open Wednesday. But there were no rangers collecting entrance fees. Hotels and campgrounds in the park and in surrounding communities remained open. Visitor centers and museums in the park were closed.
“We recommend visitors pack out trash and plan their visits for limited services while in Yosemite,” said Jonathan Farrington, executive director of the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau.
Under the Trump administration’s contingency plan, open-air places at national parks like meadows, roads and trails were to generally remain open, and enclosed facilities, like museums and historic buildings were to be closed.
Because many hotels, campgrounds, marinas and gift shops in national parks are run by private companies on concession contracts, many of those were expected to remain open.
Environmental groups urged the Trump administration to close national parks entirely during the shutdown, as President Obama did in a 2013 shutdown, noting that trash piled up, illegal trails were bulldozed, Joshua trees were cut down at Joshua Tree National Park, petroglyphs were vandalized at at Big Bend National Park, and other damage occurred in late 2018 when Trump was president and the government shut down for 35 days but he chose to keep gates open with with a bare-bones number of rangers.
“Leaving parks open to the public with minimal — or no — park staffing is reckless and puts both visitors and park resources at risk,” 35 former national parks superintendents wrote this week in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
At Pinnacles National Park, a landmark 20 miles south of Hollister that was set aside in 1908 by President Teddy Roosevelt and known for its breathtaking rock formations, California condors and caves, the campground remained open Wednesday, as did the entrance gates — but with nobody collecting entrance fees and few rangers visible.
National parks are key parts of the economy to many rural parts of the West. In some areas, political leaders urged the Trump administration to keep them open, even with limited staffing.
“Joshua Tree National Park is not only a national treasure but also the economic backbone for the communities that surround it,” wrote U.S. Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-San Bernardino, in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Tuesday.
“Each year, millions of visitors come to the park, generating hundreds of millions of dollars inspending and supporting thousands of local jobs in towns like Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley,” added Obernolte, whose district includes the park. “For small businesses, hotels, and restaurants, even a short disruption in access to the park has real consequences. Keeping the park open will help protect those livelihoods at a time when many families can least afford uncertainty.”
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a national park unit based in San Francisco, announced that Alcatraz Island, which was closed for seismic work to buildings on Wednesday, would reopen Thursday. Boat tours there are run by a private concession company.
Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County was closed, however. Fort Point adjacent to the Golden Gate Bridge was closed. Parking lots at federally owned beaches, including Stinson Beach, Baker Beach, China Beach, Muir Beach and Crissy Field, were closed. Restrooms in some areas were open.
The Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center remained open, as did the Presidio in San Francisco.
“Visitor services are reduced. Please help by practicing ‘leave no trace principles’” said Christine Lehnertzpresident & CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, a non-profit group that helps raise money for Bay Area park facilites, in a statement. “Pack out what you bring in, stay on marked trails, and respect wildlife and historic sites.”