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National parks facing litter, illegal activity without rangers during shutdown
The Hill ^ | 12/27/18 | Michael Burke

Posted on 12/27/2018 9:21:38 PM PST by yesthatjallen

National parks across the U.S. are facing a number of complications amid the current government shutdown, including excess garbage and illegal activities.

Because of the partial government shutdown that has been in effect since last week, employees of the National Park Service haven't been working.

At Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, that has resulted in illegal fires, illegal parking and an increase in littering, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Rand Abbott, a volunteer at the park, told the Times that he has tried to talk people out of littering and other illegal activity but said that 70 percent of the people he encounters "are extremely rude."

“Yesterday, I had my life threatened two times," he added. "It’s crazy in there right now.”

Toilets have also not been maintained at that park due to the lack of workers. Abbott told the Times that he has "gone through 500 rolls of toilet paper" as he's tried to do it himself.

Big Bend National Park in Texas has also faced problems of overflowing garbage, resulting in the potential for black bears to be attracted to the park.

Big Bend Superintendent Bob Krumenaker told National Parks Traveler in an email that "trash WILL attract bears."

"And that creates a safety problem for people and puts the bears at risk as they quickly become habituated to human food," he added.

National parks across the country have stayed open during the shutdown, but a former director of digital strategy for the Interior Department last week warned of the dangers of the parks remaining open.

"As someone who worked @interior during the shutdown in [2013], let me tell you how dangerous this is," Tim Fullerton, who worked for Interior during the 2013 shutdown, wrote on Twitter.

“If someone falls, gets lost, or has any issue in a National Park or wildlife refuge, they’re on their own,” he added.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: nationalparks; shutdown; trump
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Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! 40 years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes! The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!

Worse than man-made global warming!

After only 7 days, the people visiting our national parks have gone feral!

1 posted on 12/27/2018 9:21:38 PM PST by yesthatjallen
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To: yesthatjallen

How ‘bout shifting the 95% of overpaid bureaucrats that seem immune to “gubmint shutdowns” to the park service ?


2 posted on 12/27/2018 9:23:51 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj ("It's Slappin' Time !")
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To: yesthatjallen
After only 7 days, the people visiting our national parks have gone feral!

lol..

3 posted on 12/27/2018 9:26:24 PM PST by DouglasKC
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Lease the parks to property managers and give them a percentage of the profits.


4 posted on 12/27/2018 9:28:58 PM PST by caltaxed
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To: yesthatjallen

Parking problems at national parks! Heaven forefend!!

End this shutdown NOW!


5 posted on 12/27/2018 9:29:43 PM PST by IronJack
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To: yesthatjallen
What this points out is that the computer chair "nature worshippers" have no real respect for the beauty and wonders of nature, and have no hesitation in leaving their trash wherever it happens to drop. Real ungrateful slobs, with the mindset of "the maid will clean it up". NOT RIGHT NOW, you lazy pigs! Now, you're going to have to grow up and have a little appreciation for the special place you are so privileged to see. And keep your trash on your person until you find an appropriate place to discard it. I have always gotten riled when I am out hiking in G-d's creation somewhere, and encounter discarded trash. It just speaks volumes of the spoiled immature mindset of an unfortunate percentage of our populace. These are the same kind of people who march along nature trails with earphones or ear buds on, listening to some crap music, when birds are warbling glorious arias all around them. These kind of people don't deserve to walk in a nature preserve, unless it's accompanied by a ranger to keep them in line.
6 posted on 12/27/2018 9:32:18 PM PST by EinNYC
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To: DouglasKC

Congress ain’t doing nothing. Put them on trash detail. They can get off their a@@ and do real things for a change. They can keep the recyclables as a tip while they earn there pay.


7 posted on 12/27/2018 9:33:22 PM PST by Equine1952 (Get yourself a ticket on a common mans train of thought.)
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To: DouglasKC

I live next to the Cumberland Gap NP and BEFORE the shutdown the road through it is like a third world pot hole festooned mess and trash in and around the roads is unreal. I wonder what park employees actually did before the shutdown.


8 posted on 12/27/2018 9:39:56 PM PST by sarge83
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To: EinNYC
And our park service encourages more of these people to come.

I say let's start DIScouraging most people.

9 posted on 12/27/2018 9:40:32 PM PST by yesthatjallen
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To: fieldmarshaldj

litter. my god, we’re doomed.


10 posted on 12/27/2018 9:40:43 PM PST by JohnBrowdie
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To: EinNYC

It’s called the Tragedy of the Commons. The feral-Americans aren’t much for the outdoors, so that leaves the rest of us. I’m thinking millennials. They assume wood elves do the cleanup, if they give it any thought at all.


11 posted on 12/27/2018 9:41:26 PM PST by sparklite2 (See more at Sparklite Times)
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To: sparklite2
Set up cameras in areas where trash is most common.

Start fining people.

Post their pictures at entrances with the fines they paid.

12 posted on 12/27/2018 9:45:52 PM PST by yesthatjallen
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To: yesthatjallen

Only trash I’ve ever seen picked wasn’t by Conservatio but by volunteers.


13 posted on 12/27/2018 9:51:40 PM PST by Cowgirl
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To: EinNYC

Not too hard to figure out who the litterers are...

Compare the trash left behind after a Tea Party rally and its lack of vandalism to what trash is left behind after a liberal protest which almost always includes vandalism...


14 posted on 12/27/2018 9:51:54 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: yesthatjallen

Time to build a Wall around the National Parks.


15 posted on 12/27/2018 9:54:19 PM PST by Kickass Conservative (Democracy, two Wolves and one Sheep deciding what's for Dinner.)
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To: yesthatjallen

These activities aren’t illegal...they’re undocumented. (snark)


16 posted on 12/27/2018 9:54:37 PM PST by BookmanTheJanitor
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To: yesthatjallen

Here come all the sob stories.


17 posted on 12/27/2018 9:56:40 PM PST by aquila48
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To: yesthatjallen

Wow, sounds like the National Parks have devolved into San Francisco.


18 posted on 12/27/2018 9:56:58 PM PST by Catmom (We're all gonna get the punishment only some of us deserve.r)
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To: yesthatjallen

Is this article trying to imply that there was NO “litter, illegal activity ... BEFORE the ... shutdown”????

Gimme a BREAK!


19 posted on 12/27/2018 10:04:33 PM PST by Oscar in Batangas (12:01 PM 1/20/2017...The end of an error.)
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To: yesthatjallen

When is the last time you saw a ranger picking up trash?


20 posted on 12/27/2018 10:05:10 PM PST by bray (Pray for President Trump)
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