The National Park Service is planning to dip into entrance fees to expand operations as the partial government shutdown stretches into a third week.
Acting Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt signed an order Saturday allowing managers to bring on staff to patrol open parks and clean bathrooms and trash, according to The Washington Post.
The move, which was described by National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith in a statement as “extraordinary,” comes after several deaths in accidents at the understaffed parks since the shutdown began. One death at Yosemite National Park went unreported for at least a week, according to reports.
“As the lapse in appropriations continues, it has become clear that highly visited parks with limited staff have urgent needs that cannot be addressed solely through the generosity of our partners,” Smith said, according to the Post. “We are taking this extraordinary step to ensure that parks are protected, and that visitors can continue to access parks with limited basic services.”
Critics, including park advocates and congressional Democrats, have suggested that tapping into entrance fees to support park maintenance may be illegal under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the newspaper reported, noting that the fees are supposed to go to visitor services, not operations. – READ MORE