NPS Shut Down Due to Lack of Congressional Funding

If you tried to visit the NPS website today, you were greeted with this:

Splash-screen on the newly shut down NPS.gov

Yes, that’s right. The US Government shutdown has not only resulted in the closure of ALL 400+ national park sites, but even the NPS website has been completely shut down. Simply put: there is no one around to maintain it, which effectively cuts off access to over 750,000 web pages about the national parks and its programs. This is very frustrating as many people (to the tune of 91 million unique visitors each year) use it for educational purposes and travel planning. I found out about it myself because I wanted to do some research—very irritating!

After a few moments on the above screen, you will be redirected to the US Department of Interior (DOI) website which contains more information about the shutdown and the Department’s contingency plans.

So what’s going on?

Well, the short answer is that due to the lapse of funds appropriate by US Congress for the operation of the National Park System, the National Park Service (NPS), which manages over 84 million acres across 50 states and territories and 400+ park units, will be shut down. According to the DOI, effective 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2013:

• All National Parks will be closed to public visitation and use and will be secured.
• Visitor Centers and other facilities will be closed.
• Education programs and special events will be cancelled .
• Permits for special events will be rescinded.
• Guests staying hotels and campgrounds will be notified of the closure and given 48 hours to make alternate arrangements and leave the park.
• A limited number of personnel will remain to protect park resources (this includes NPS law enforcement, emergency services and firefighting, all of whom are exempt from the furlough).
• While the national parks are closed, roads that serve as thruways will remain open.

 How many people does that affect?

According to the DOI, there are 24,645 NPS employees (as of 9/10/13). Of those, 21,379 will be furloughed. Additionally, there are 25,000 concession employees are now out of work.

Aside from the staffing, the closings obviously affect the thousands of people who visit our national parks. To put it in perspective, nearly 287 million people visited national parks last year; in October that figure was 715,000 people per day. And, according to a press release distributed by the NPS, an October shutdown will cost the NPS an estimated $450,000 in revenue per day from fees collected at entry stations and in-park activities.

This closure resulting from the lapse of appropriations by Congress will remain in effect until appropriations are provided. In other words, the national parks will be re-opened as soon as funding is restored. One can only hope that all of these issues will be resolved quickly so that everyone can go back to enjoying their national parks.

Updates regarding the shutdown can be found at www.doi.gov/shutdown.

Sources: nps.gov, doi.gov