The US Government has reopened after a 35 day shutdown as President Donald Trump was at loggerheads with Democrats over funding over the Mexican border wall. While federal employees are now facing a daunting task of getting everything back up and running smoothly, some things may never be the same again. Namely the Yellowstone National Park, which may have been irreversibly damaged during the shutdown.
In previous shutdowns, the government has completely closed off national parks to the public – but under the Trump administration, the parks, such as Yellowstone and the Joshua Tree, were left open with minimal staff.
As a result, major damage has been inflicted on the parks, with mounds of rubbish left uncollected, graffiti scrawled and vandalism carried out. Plus the toilets of Yellowstone National Park and the Joshua Tree were found to be massively overflowing.
Former Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent Curt Sauer said the damage could be “irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years”.
There has also been biological damage, due to people not properly respecting the national parks and with minimal staff to police the areas.
Senior director at the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), John Garder, told Business Insider: “There is a biological crust on the soil [in national parks] that supports a web of life.
“Damage to those soils by people parking or camping in inappropriate places could last for decades because of the sensitivity of that fragile ecosystem.
“If the parks service isn’t provided with additional money from Congress to address the financial impacts of the shutdown, it’s fair to say that this is going to further challenge an already underfunded agency, which is deeply concerning.
“There could have been looting of irreplaceable artefacts or vandalism to sites of historical significance.
”Some damage can be repaired, but some things can be lost forever.