California’s Joshua Tree National Park will become the latest natural wonder to succumb to the dirty effects of the government shutdown as it closes its gates to campers on Wednesday.
The sites will close due to health and safety concerns, CNN reported, because of near-capacity pit toilets.
The more than 792,000 acres of the majestic park nestled between Palm Springs to the south and the town of Joshua Tree to the north, will remain open, although unstaffed, but the campgrounds will be officially closed.
“The park is being forced to take this action for health and safety concerns as vault toilets reach capacity,” the park service said. “In addition to human waste in public areas, driving off-road and other infractions that damage the resource are becoming a problem.”
The National Park Service also said the shutdown prevented it from making staff available to “provide guidance, assistance, maintenance, or emergency response.”
“Any entry onto NPS property during this period of federal government shutdown is at the visitor’s sole risk,” the park service said this week.
Offices from the National Park Service to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Smithsonian museums are feeling the effects of losing a quarter of the federal government workforce to the shutdown.
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