 |
| Above, Petrified Forest National Park will be closed unless the state of Arizona pays to keep it open. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
In the event of a government shutdown, the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, issued a press release on the closure of national parks.
It begins with:
The Department of the Interior is committed to upholding the highest standards of public access to and maintenance of America’s national parks and public lands. Our national parks reflect who we are as a country and unite us in our common purpose to not only enjoy their beauty, but also to preserve them for all Americans to enjoy.
However, in the event of a lapse in annual government appropriations, National Park Service (NPS) sites will be closed. This means that the majority of national parks will be closed completely to public access. Areas that, by their nature, are physically accessible to the public will face significantly reduced visitor services.
At NPS sites across the country, gates will be locked, visitor centers will be closed, and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed. Accordingly, the public will be encouraged not to visit sites during the period of lapse in appropriations out of consideration for protection of natural and cultural resources, as well as visitor safety.
To read the full press release, go here.
No comments:
Post a Comment