The toilets are overflowing in national parks. But that’s not the worst problem.

The toilets at Joshua Tree National Park — a world of palm oases, lizard-dominated wilderness, and desert tortoises — are overflowing.

Due to the ongoing government shutdown that started Dec. 22, there is zero funding for most Park Service employees. Hence, Joshua Tree announced that it is now forced to close its popular campgrounds, beginning on Jan. 2.  

“The park is being forced to take this action for health and safety concerns as vault toilets reach capacity,” the park wrote on its website. 

In a dozen past government shutdowns, like that in 2013, national parks closed completely — which gave some inherent protection to the nation’s hundreds of parks, memorials, and historic sites. But beginning in January 2018, the Trump administration instructed parks to stay open during a shutdown, however long. Now, with an extended shutdown, the parks are finding themselves littered, ill-managed, or not managed at all. Read more…

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