Overflowing bathrooms . Illegal off-road driving through fragile habitats. Historic petroglyphs damaged beyond repair. Iconic Joshua trees chopped down.

Those were the impacts to national parks during the last federal shutdown in 2018, the longest in U.S. history, which lasted 35 days. With the federal government shutting down again, but national parks slated to remain open, advocates fear the situation may be worse because it comes after the Trump administration slashed staff.

The U.S. government officially shut down at midnight Wednesday after a deadlock between President Donald Trump and Congress over spending. Federal employees across the country were furloughed, including around 12,000 National Park Service employees. • ICN Weekly Saturdays Our #1 newsletter delivers the week’s cl

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