National parks taking unprecedented move to support operations during shutdown with entrance fees

The National Park Service is planning to dip into entrance fees to expand operations as the partial government shutdown stretches into a third week.

Acting Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt signed an order Saturday allowing managers to bring on staff to patrol open parks and clean bathrooms and trash, according to The Washington Post.

The move, which was described by National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith in a statement as “extraordinary,” comes after several deaths in accidents at the understaffed parks since the shutdown began. One death at Yosemite National Park went unreported for at least a week, according to reports.

{mosads}“As the lapse in appropriations continues, it has become clear that highly visited parks with limited staff have urgent needs that cannot be addressed solely through the generosity of our partners,” Smith said, according to the Post. “We are taking this extraordinary step to ensure that parks are protected, and that visitors can continue to access parks with limited basic services.”

Critics, including park advocates and congressional Democrats, have suggested that tapping into entrance fees to support park maintenance may be illegal under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the newspaper reported, noting that the fees are supposed to go to visitor services, not operations.

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing Interior, told the Post that the agency is “very likely violating appropriations law.”

“I want to see our parks open, but I want to see our entire government open the right way, following the law,” she said. “This will not open up the parks in any safe, effective manner for tourists to have a safe and enjoyable experience.”

The national parks have remained open during the shutdown, with a reduced staff, though past administrations chose to block access to the parks during shutdowns due to concerns about public safety.

Visitors have reported excessive trash, human waste and illegal fires at the parks during the two weeks of the shutdown. Last week, former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke called on visitors to “pitch in, grab a trash bag.”