As of midnight on October 1, the U.S. government officially shut down after a budget resolution failed to pass through Congress. Hours before the shutdown became official, the Department of the Interior posted the National Park Service Contingency Plan , directing national parks to remain open on a trimmed-down staff providing only essential services.

The contingency plan dictates that 9,296 of the 14,500 National Park Service staff will be furloughed, and that funding for the limited staff will come from the retained park recreation funds.

Unsurprisingly, the internet is already abuzz with the idea of national parks remaining open practically unchecked. However, national parks do not exist in a bubble. Shutting down, or not shutting down, the parks not only affect the rangers and the

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