The Mountaineers
Update: On Wednesday, November 12, Congress passed - and the President signed into law - a short-term funding bill to fully re-open the federal government and end the partial government shutdown. However, it will take some time for things to return to normal.
Lawmakers in Congress failed to pass a stopgap funding bill by the end of the fiscal year deadline of September 30, resulting in a partial federal government shutdown.
Each year, lawmakers develop and approve a budget to fund all federal government agencies and programs. Over the last several years, Congress has relied on short-term funding bills that largely carry over previous levels of federal spending. This approach can hamstring agencies like the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service by creating funding challenges for their work managing recreation and stewarding natural resources. When lawmakers cannot reach agreement on the budget before funding runs out, the government shuts down.
The last government shutdown lasted for 35 days in late 2018 and early 2019 and significantly impacted natural and cultural resources in the National Park System. What’s different this year, though, is that this shutdown comes in the wake of significant agency workforce reductions at the Park Service and Forest Service - the Park Service has lost about 25% of its total permanent staff this year and the shutdown might lead to additional reductions in force.
Now that another shutdown is upon us, it’s important for recreationists to understand what it means and how it may affect their plans on federal public lands.
Impacts of a Government Shutdown
When the government shuts down, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed, but federal workers deemed as essential are required to work without pay. This year, 9,296 of 14,500 National Park Service staff will be furloughed, and 12,744 Forest Service staff and rangers will be furloughed. As an organization that works side-by-side with land management staff to conserve public lands and help connect the public to the outdoors, we’re concerned about the shutdown’s impact on the livelihoods of these dedicated professionals.
National parks were kept open during the last government shutdown in 2018 without adequate staffing, leading to unnecessary and avoidable damage, including overflowing trash and human waste, vandalism, and illegal use. Keeping with a similar approach to 2018, the Park Service has issued guidance that parks will remain open to visitor access while visitor centers and other facilities like bathrooms will likely be closed. The agency will keep reduced staffing levels on hand to carry out their law enforcement, public safety, and emergency response, and other functions.
Similar to national parks, national forests will not be closed to public access, although facilities will not be maintained, visitor centers will be closed, and campgrounds may not be open. The Forest Service has shared their shutdown plans. As far as we know, The Mountaineers Forest Service special use permits will not be affected, and we presume all Mountaineers activities on Forest Service lands should go on as planned.
So, how long will the shutdown last? The duration of this shutdown is up in the air. Next, Congress would likely pass a temporary funding measure to end the shutdown and provide more time to pass a full fiscal year 2026 budget.
Recreate Responsibly & Share Your Experience
With federal public lands kept open and managed by a very limited number of staff, the recreation community must step up and lean into responsible recreation practices. Mountaineers trips on national parks will continue, but for your individual trips, consider saving that national park visit for when the NPS is fully staffed and able to provide full visitor services. If you do visit federal public lands during the shutdown, consider the following best practices for recreating during a government shutdown:
- Plan ahead and be informed about the status of the public lands you’re visiting.
- Pack out all of your trash and have a bathroom strategy.
- Exercise extra caution while recreating, since search and rescue resources may be spread thin.
- Respect closures and recreate responsibly.
Another way to help is by sharing your experiences with us. Let us know what you’re seeing out on federal public lands during the government shutdown using our recreation impacts survey. Your stories and photos will help us communicate those impacts directly with members of Congress and show them the importance of providing robust funding for public lands. Thanks for recreating responsibly during the government shutdown - and always!
