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In shutdown, national parks transform into Wild West — heavily populated and barely supervised
JOSHUA TREE, Calif. — The government shutdown has left America’s national parks largely unsupervised.
No one is at the gate. No one is collecting a fee.
- Joel Achenbach
- The Washington Post
The visitor centers are closed.
There are some law enforcement and emergency personnel on site, but certainly nothing as standard as a park ranger who can answer a question.
People are streaming into the parks, enjoying the free access, but they’re finding trash cans overflowing and restrooms locked.
Vault toilets are not serviced, and there’s hardly a flush toilet to be found anywhere.
If nature calls — well, the…