"National Parks: Shutdown Damage May Linger For Years"

"The National Park Service faced a daunting task of assessing the damage from the long government shutdown as parks began reopening this weekend and employees began digging out from a month's worth of accumulated snow and garbage.

NPS's acting director, P. Daniel Smith, said that some parks may not reopen immediately and that schedules would depend "on staff size and complexity of operations." But he said: "We will work to open all parks as quickly as possible."

Park employees began logging the widespread damage caused by vandals and unsupervised visitors at some of the nation's most popular parks that remained open during the five-week shutdown, usually with few workers on hand. The full cost of damages, broken or delayed contracts, lost visitor fees, and other issues brought on by the 35-day shutdown remains unknown so far."

Rob Hotakainen reports for Greenwire January 28, 2019.

SEE ALSO:

"Joshua Tree National Park 'May Take 300 Years To Recover' From Shutdown" (Guardian)

"Former Joshua Tree Supervisor Warns Of ‘Irreparable’ Damage To Park From Shutdown" (The Hill)

Source: Greenwire, 01/29/2019