[dropcap size=big]J[/dropcap]oshua Tree National Park is largely OK now thanks to volunteers and emergency funds. But how much longer can our national parks (and other government agencies) run on goodwill and savings?
The day after a desert shower, my girlfriend and I pulled into the main entrance of Joshua Tree National Park, as a park ranger struggled to open the fee station door. We drove up beside her. “You don’t have to pay, you can go,” the ranger said as she waved us in and continued to play with the door. Dozens of other vehicles followed.
Roughly 30,000 park rangers have been without a job and pay since for weeks. So have the hundreds of civilians and scientists that also work in our national parks. One visitor begged the ranger to accept his money but she turned him down reluctantly. “We’re legally not allowed to collect your money.”
The popular spiritual destination is entering the fourth week under the US government shutdown. Earlier in the month there were reports of vandalism and chaos within the park but on the day we were there, the ranger “on-duty” was more concerned about the effects of last night’s rain rather than the shutdown. She told us that certain roads were closed but other than that, things were “fine.”