The partial government shutdown ended last week after 35 days, but conservationists have warned that its impact may be felt for hundreds of years in at least one part of the country: Joshua Tree National Park. The Southern California park, which is larger than Rhode Island and famed for its dramatic rock formations and the spiky-leafed Joshua trees from which it takes it name, had only a skeleton crew of workers during the shutdown. With most of its park rangers furloughed, vandals and inconsiderate guests ran amok. Gates and posts were toppled, new roads carved through the desert by unauthorized off-road drivers, and a small number of the park’s thousands of Joshua trees were outright destroyed, conservationists said. Pictures posted to social media showed trees that were chopped down or that appeared to have been driven over by cars. The sensitive ecosystem of desert and craggy rock formations that surrounds them was littered with garbage and other telltale signs of illegal camping.<doc-sep>The former superintendent of Joshua Tree national park has said it could take hundreds of years to recover from damage caused by visitors during the longest-ever government shutdown. “What’s happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years,” Curt Sauer said at a rally over the weekend, according to a report from the Desert Sun. Sauer retired in 2010 after running the park for seven years. The park reopened Monday after the record 35-day shutdown, and park workers returned to a state of chaos, including damaged trees, graffiti and ruined trails. The reduced ranger supervision during the shutdown saw increased vandalism at the park, causing officials to announce on 8 January that Joshua Tree would temporarily close. It was announced a day later that officials were able to use recreation fee revenue to avoid the closure. “While the vast majority of those who visit Joshua Tree do so in a responsible manner, there have been incidents of new roads being created by motorists and the destruction of Joshua trees in recent days that have precipitated the closure,” said park spokesman George Land in the news release. The government shutdown left hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed, forcing many national parks to operate without rangers. Volunteers hauled out trash and cleaned toilets – but in a park covering 1,235 square miles, it wasn’t enough to stop damage from visitors to the park who did not heed warnings to take extra care. The decision to keep national parks open with reduced staff was met with criticism. Stories of destruction that came out of Joshua Tree during the shutdown were devastating. “There are about a dozen instances of extensive vehicle traffic off roads and in some cases into wilderness,” David Smith, the current Joshua Tree national park superintendent, told National Parks Traveler after announcing the need to close. “We have two new roads that were created inside the park. We had destruction of government property with the cutting of chains and locks for people to access campgrounds. We’ve never seen this level of out-of-bounds camping. Everyday use area was occupied every evening.” “Joshua trees were actually cut down in order to make new roads,” he added. A barrier blocks a campground at the park during the shutdown. Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images The local community is “fed up” with the fact that the park was left open during the shutdown, said John Lauretig, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Joshua Tree, at Saturday’s “Shutdown the Shutdown for Joshua Tree National Park” rally. The group organized volunteers who helped with the cleanup. “The local community is fed up with our parks being held hostage and the fact that it’s open and partially staffed is not good for the park, it’s not good for the public and it’s not good for the local community here,” Lauretig said. The National Park service did not immediately respond a request for additional comment on Monday. If the government ends up shutting down again, Lauretig said the park should be closed completely to prevent further damage, adding, “If the government doesn’t fund or staff the parks appropriately, then they should just close the parks to protect the parks and protect the people.”<doc-sep>A former superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park warned that the damage of the government shutdown could last 200 to 300 years. While most park employees were unable to work, visitors were found off-roading illegally, cutting down centuries-old trees, and leaving restrooms overflowing with trash and human waste. A few days after the shutdown, park rangers discovered newly-carved unauthorized trails and evidence of illegal campfires. These activities could mean irreparable harm to the local ecosystem and present a huge financial challenge. Few national parks have been hit harder by the government shutdown than Joshua Tree National Park, a nearly 800,000-acre protected area in Southern California known for its rocky landscape and stunning throng of centuries-old trees. Days after the shutdown came to a close, park officials found evidence of hundreds of illegal campfires and about 20 miles of unauthorized trails formed by off-roading vehicles. A visitor also posted a video of mounds of trash, including discarded furniture, cardboard boxes, and even a vacuum cleaner, all piled along the road. Read more: The government shutdown may be over, but the damage to national parks like Joshua Tree and Yellowstone could be permanent With most park employees unable to work during the shutdown, many visitors were left unchecked, leading to a Wild West of human activity in certain areas. Almost immediately after the shutdown began, parkgoers began seeing restrooms overflowing with trash and human waste. Reports surfaced of visitors defacing rocks with graffiti, camping illegally, cutting down beloved Joshua trees, and skirting entrance fees, which are supposed to go toward visitor services. A rock in Joshua Tree was vandalized with graffiti. The activity forced the park to temporarily close its campgrounds, though the rest of the park managed to remain open to visitors. One of the park's former superintendents is now warning that the damage could last for centuries. On Saturday, the day after President Donald Trump signed a bill to end the shutdown, protesters gathered near Joshua Tree to lament the destruction of the public land. Speaking before a large crowd, the former superintendent, Curt Sauer, painted a picture of what happened during the shutdown. According to Sauer, Joshua Tree had been forced to operate with only 40% of its maintenance staff and 20% of its resource-management scientists. He said the park diverted $300,000 in entrance fees — which were supposed to go toward maintaining trails, upgrading campgrounds, and building a new visitors center — to continue operations while employees were furloughed, or temporarily laid off. Rangers discovered evidence of hundreds of illegal campfires. Gina Ferazzi/Los AngelesTimes/Getty Images "What's happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years," he said. In a statement to Business Insider, John Garder, a senior director of the National Parks Conservation Association, agreed that some of the damage could be permanent. "Some damage can be repaired, but some things can be lost forever," Garder said. Of particular concern, he added, was the possibility of vandalized historical sites or the looting of irreplaceable artifacts. The environmental damage could also be long-lasting. During the shutdown, there were at least three reports of Joshua trees being cut down to make room for illegal off-roading in restricted zones. Rangers are now attempting to determine how many trees were destroyed. A Joshua tree was severed in half. Gina Ferazzi/Los AngelesTimes/Getty Images In addition to being the park's namesake, the trees are a key part of the Southern California ecosystem, providing vital support to birds, bats, and insects, among other forms of wildlife. "When a mature tree is cut down, an ancient organism has been killed, and it could be centuries before another takes its place," a director of the Mojave Desert Land Trust told the Desert Sun. According to Garder, off-roading can also damage the "biological crust on the soil that supports a web of life." If Joshua Tree National Park hopes to repair this damage, it will have to pull from an already waning pool of funding. The NPCA estimated that the National Parks Service faces more than $13 million in uncollected entrance-fee revenue as a result of the shutdown, on top of a $11.6 billion repairs backlog. At the rally on Saturday, Sauer estimated that Joshua Tree had lost about $800,000 during the shutdown. A park spokesman told the Los Angeles Times that the losses could be even higher — around $1 million. A day after the rally, Trump suggested that another shutdown could be on the horizon.<doc-sep>The partial government shutdown, which deprived many federal employees of their first paycheck this week, has claimed some new victims: several of the signature spiky-leafed Joshua trees at Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. A skeleton crew of workers has remained at the park, which is larger than Rhode Island, during the shutdown, but they have struggled to maintain order among its otherworldly rock formations and vast stretches of desert. Park officials issued a statement on Tuesday that said the park had suffered “sanitation, safety, and resource protection issues” since the shutdown began on Dec. 22. That included the destruction of an unspecified number of the Dr. Seuss-ian Joshua trees that are frequently photographed (and Instagrammed) by its visitors.<doc-sep>
The destruction of signature trees and driving off-road during the partial government shutdown have led park officials to believe that it could take 300 years for Joshua Tree National Park to fully recover. Earlier this month the park, which is located in Southern California, temporarily shut down. Closure of the vast desert park allowed staff to address sanitation, safety and resource protection issues that have occurred since the government shutdown on December 22. The destruction of signature trees (pictured) and driving off-road during the partial government shutdown have led park officials to believe that it could take 300 years for Joshua Tree National Park to fully recover Earlier this month the park, which is located in Southern California, temporarily shut down. Closure of the vast desert park allowed staff (right) to address sanitation, safety and resource protection issues. A tree was illegally cut down in the park (left) The park's former superintendent, Curt Sauer, said : 'What's happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years.' Pictured is graffiti sprayed on a rock in the park 'While the vast majority of those who visit Joshua Tree National Park do so in a responsible manner, there have been incidents of new roads being created by motorists and the destruction of Joshua trees in recent days that have precipitated the closure,' the National Park Service said earlier this month. The statement did not describe the extent of damage to the crazy-limbed trees with clusters of green spikes. The park's former superintendent, Curt Sauer, told Business Insider: 'What's happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years.' John Garder, a senior director at the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), also told Business Insider that some damage may be permanent. 'Some damage can be repaired, but some things can be lost forever,' Garner said. Garner said there is concern that historical sites were vandalized. Like other national parks, Joshua Tree remained accessible despite the government shutdown and problems of human waste, trash and damage began to occur as staffing was cut and visitor centers closed. Park supporters, members of local communities who depend on visitor traffic and even some visitors stepped in to help with some basic cleaning of restrooms and trash. The National Park Service said that assistance has been significant. Like other national parks, Joshua Tree remained accessible despite the government shutdown and problems of human waste, trash and damage began to occur as staffing was cut and visitor centers closed. Park employees are seen loading trash on a truck earlier this month Park supporters, members of local communities who depend on visitor traffic and even some visitors stepped in to help with some basic cleaning of restrooms and trash (pictured) Rubbish collected from Joshua Tree National Park is loaded onto a truck Park officials are also concerned with the damage done to trees. Several trees were illegally cut down in the park. The trees play a key role in Southern California's ecosystem. They provide support to birds, bats, and insects, among other forms of wildlife. Mojave Desert Land Trust Director of Plant Conservation Programs Madena Asbell told The Desert Sun that 'when a mature tree is cut down, an ancient organism has been killed, and it could be centuries before another takes its place'. 'The desert is a slow landscape that takes a long time to grow and a long time to recover from damage,' Asbell said. Joshua Tree sprawls over nearly 800,000 acres of the Mojave and Colorado deserts about 140 miles east of Los Angeles. In 2017, it set a new attendance record with visits by more than 2.8 million people, an increase of nearly 340,000 over the previous year's record. It is most popular between October and May, when temperatures moderate from fierce and sometimes dangerous summer heat. Visitors are advised to have a gallon of water per day per person, and double that for hikers and cyclists. Several trees were illegally cut down in the park. The trees play a key role in Southern California's ecosystem. They provide support to birds, bats, and insects, among other forms of wildlife.