The federal government shutdown was an agonizing time for people around the country, including the thousands of Park Service staff, contractors, business owners, and tourists who love and depend on our national parks. If something positive came out of all this, it was that park closures reminded so many of us how much we truly value these wonderful places.
During the 16 days we couldn’t enjoy the parks, staff at NPCA enjoyed many expressions of support for the parks, including photos, stories, tweets, and sentiments that touched us and made us laugh. Here are 9 of our favorites.
1) This sign, hung on a barricade on one of the first few days of the shutdown. (Photo by Gail Pascaris.)
2) This badge, in response to the widely circulated video of a Texas congressman telling a national park ranger that she should be ashamed of politely enforcing the park closures he had helped cause.
3) This tweet, in response to NPCA’s assessment of a five-hour congressional hearing blaming the Park Service for enforcing the park closures that members of the congressional committee had helped cause. (I sense a theme here.)
4) This passionate defense of park rangers by an Arizona blogger, explaining the need to have them on duty to protect park resources.
5) This Facebook profile picture, created in response to NPCA’s “Support NPS” badge.
6) This counter that ran throughout the shutdown, reminding us that even as most federal workers were furloughed and thousands of business owners were up a creek, the government was still funding members of Congress.
7) This Buzzfeed story that humorously highlighted the ridiculous situation park officials in Washington, D.C., faced, having to close off large areas like the National Mall.
8) This thoughtful post by the Friends of the Fordyce & Hot Springs National Park (and stunning photo of Rocky Mountain National Park by Jesse L. Summers Photography).
9) We’re biased, of course, but NPCA is proud to have sponsored this video, created by National Park Experience, sharing the views of several anonymous national park rangers and how they felt during the during the shutdown.
About the author
-
Jennifer Errick Associate Director of Digital StorytellingJennifer co-produces NPCA's podcast, The Secret Lives of Parks, and writes and edits a wide variety of online content. She has won multiple awards for her audio storytelling.
