CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cuyahoga Valley National Park remains open despite the federal government shutdown that took effect Wednesday, but services will be limited, according to the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
“Visitor centers are closed, volunteer and public programs are canceled or postponed, trail maintenance is paused, and there is limited capacity for visitor assistance and resource protection,” the conservancy’s president and CEO, Greg Peckham, stated in a letter to park visitors.
Trails will stay open for the public to use, and most restrooms and parking areas remain accessible. But Peckham advises visitors to “recreate lightly” so as to minimize their impact on the environment.
“We are especially mindful of our NPS colleagues, many of whom are furloughed and not being paid during this time,” Peckham said. “This situation presents real challenges for both park and personnel, particularly if the shutdown continues for an extended period.”
The conservancy acts as an advocate for Cuyahoga Valley National Park but is not part of the federal government.
Roads in and out of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which are used by visitors as well as commuters passing through, are not owned or controlled by the park and therefor not affected by the shutdown, according to a CVNP spokesperson.
The spokesperson referred detailed questions about the effects of the shutdown to a park service email address and to the National Park Service’s published contingency plan.
In that plan, it states that within the national parks, “roads, lookouts, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors.”
That arrangement doesn’t go over well with the National Parks Conservation Association, which supports the National Park Service but is independent of it.
“The government has shut down, and the administration is once again putting our national parks and visitors at risk, effectively directing staff to open park gates and walk away,” Theresa Pierno, the association’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “Visitors may enter, but very few staff will be there to protect the parks or the people inside. It’s not just irresponsible, it’s dangerous.”
Pierno also warned of more “reckless mass staff terminations” during the shutdown, saying they could lead to irreparable damage to the parks.
“Our national parks have never been more at risk,” she stated. “If we don’t act now to stop these senseless staffing cuts, this could mark the beginning of the end for the parks as we known and love them. Congress must immediately fund the government, fully support the Park Service and its staff, and stop any more devastating cuts, before it’s too late.”
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.