The Green and Gray Retort, Special Shutdown Edition

Hello friends, and welcome to a very special shutdown edition of The Green and Gray Retort, the official newsletter of your Resistance Rangers. In this edition, we will share the real impacts of government shutdowns on your public lands, things we all can do to help, and some stories from those impacted during these trying times. 

📰 Showdown Over a Shutdown

Once calendars flipped to October, the federal government shut down. How does that happen and what does it mean? A “government shutdown” in the United States, officially known as a “lapse in appropriations,” occurs when Congress fails to pass legislation to fund the government. The major tie-up in this shutdown was cuts to health insurance funding via the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year, which would lead to rising health insurance premiums.

During a government shutdown, most federal employees are furloughed, meaning temporarily laid off without pay. While backpay is guaranteed by law, Gov Exec published an article stating that OMB removed the reference online to the law that guarantees backpay. Thus, most government services are shuttered during shutdowns. What does this mean for the NPS? In response to prior shutdowns, parks were completely closed and off limits to the public; for others, most major sites remained open but largely unstaffed - leading to major resource damage.

🗑️ Parks During Shutdown

National Parks have been ordered to remain “accessible”. This includes most open-air memorials, trails, and park roads. Although parks remain accessible, they have been stripped to the barest of bones in terms of staffing. Dispatchers, law enforcement rangers, water treatment staff, firefighters, and search-and-rescue personnel are generally working. Some of these employees are considered “exempted” which means working with pay. Others are considered “excepted” which means working without immediate pay. The latter will receive backpay once appropriations pass. Parks are not solely staffed on appropriations from Congress; they would not be able to run on such skinny budgets. Because of this, some parks bring in a significant amount of their own funding through fees collected at entrance stations, campgrounds, and permit offices. Larger parks with concession operations and special use fees also receive funding through those paths. These funding sources may cover exempted employees during shutdowns.

For other rangers… it really just depends. For example, Yellowstone is staffing the entrance kiosks, without collecting fees, while Yosemite is not. Campgrounds are generally open, but backcountry wilderness rangers are largely furloughed. (Can campers rent bear spray or food storage? Unsure!) The situation continues to develop daily, and as we gather information from all our parks, we will keep you updated as to major developments.

October brings high visitation across parks, especially in Utah, which is funding their NPS sites through their state budget during the shutdown. This is problematic, as it demonstrates that parks can squeak by with skeleton staff and the federal government does not need to responsibly fund and support these high-visitation parks.

When parks were kept open during past government shutdowns, natural and cultural resources were impacted. Some examples from 2019 include chopped down Joshua trees in Joshua Tree National Park, vandalized ancient petroglyphs in Big Bend National Park, and sensitive plants crushed by off-roading in Death Valley National Park.

🗒️ Visitors During Shutdown - a Q&A

Q: “How do I visit the National Parks during a government shutdown?” 
A: That’s the thing, you don’t. We wish we were joking, but the best way to support the NPS is by staying home, or enjoying other (open) sites run by your state or county!

Q: “What if our hotel/campsite/rental is already booked for ________ ?” 
A: Even if the NPS site is closed, there are sooooo many great state/local/county parks around National Parks! Your rental might have great ideas, and there are tons of recs on the ol’ internet. If you had a booking through recreation.gov at a site that is closed, you will receive an email with information about cancellations. If you have further questions or issues surrounding refunds, call rec.gov directly!

Q: “But I am a good visitor who always follows the rules!”  
A: We know you are - that is why you are part of the RR community. Still, accidents happen to the best of us, and incident response requires staff - staff who may not be working, or who will sacrifice other duties (like resource protection) to respond. Waste collection and regular maintenance will be limited; even the most well-informed visitors will leave a larger footprint than usual.

Q: “But what if everything goes fine?” 
A: Maybe it will! Ultimately, you choose how to spend your time. Resistance Rangers stand in solidarity with NPS staff. We recognize that the administration’s strategy is to normalize what NPS sites look like without a functioning NPS: keeping parks “open” during a shutdown sets parks up to fail when limited staff cannot perform their duties. Any perceived “failure” of government function expands the chances for private enterprise to fill the gaps.

🛑 Impacts from the Field

How is the shutdown affecting rangers? We checked in with some community members. Immediate impacts include:

Roughly 7% shared that a single missed pay check will cause serious trouble. 26% report that missing one paycheck will be okay, but anything further will be problematic. A handful of MAJOR resource impacts and issues were described. Just over half of the group reported that their park or program was completely shut down, however, nearly 40% explained that their situation was a much more nuanced “gray area”.

Here’s a quote from an anonymous Resistance Ranger: 

“The financial insecurity and fear of losing my job has been incredibly stressful. My spouse has been unable to find a job for over a year so we are a single income household with two children under 3, no savings, no safety net, and a mortgage. The threat of withholding backpay paired with an imminent RIF almost broke me. I just want to work, be able to pay my bills, and do something fun with my kids every now and then. That shouldn't be too much to ask for.”

If you are a ranger or other government employee, we highly recommend checking out Resistance Rangers’ Shutdown Guide. This living document was crowdsourced by community members, and includes a ton of resources for anyone affected by this (or future) shutdowns. 

🐻 A Light in the Darkness: Fat Bear Week!

Lest we forget to have some fun around here, Fat Bear Week gives us all a reason to smile. This year, from September 23rd to September 30th, y’all voted on your favorite fat bear as they prepare for Winter hibernation in Katmai National Park. After a tense showdown in the final, Chunk (bear 32) outlasted 856 by a margin of 96,350 to 63,725 votes! Chunk joins illustrious company, claiming a crown previously worn by such legends such as 4-time champion Otis and the illustrious 747 (who needs no nickname!) in the contest that has been held since 2014. In the junior category, held the week prior, 128’s yearling took home the prize by 10,000 votes over Bear 26’s female cub! The competition raised over $300,000 and was featured all over the internet - check out the link above for some very good fat bear pics. 

 🌄 Rather Listen than Read? 

Resistance Rangers On The Air will soon air several episodes focused on the impacts of this lapse in appropriations - impacts on rangers, parks, and resources. You can follow the pod on major platforms, or wherever you get your podcasts.

🗞️ A note on future issues: 

Have a cool story you want highlighted here? Want to showcase that once-in-a-lifetime pic you captured at a park recently? Have some insight, reflection, or idea that you feel is worth sharing to the Resistance? What are you waiting for?! Reach out to us and we may just include your submission in future editions!

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In solidarity - and for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations,

Resistance Rangers