1. United States
2. Ind.
3. Letter

I am writing to ask you to call for the closure of our national parks for the duration of the shutdown. The Trump administration has ordered the parks to stay open despite the majority of their staff being furloughed, and the remaining staff are being paid from the parks’ admission fees. That money is supposed to go towards park infrastructure improvements, maintenance, and repair, and won’t last long if it’s being used for wages. Forcing the parks to stay open when they are severely understaffed is dangerous for staff and visitors since there are fewer people to respond to emergencies, not to mention take care of all the day to day tasks that every facility depends on to stay functional (maintaining bathrooms, cleaning spills, restocking supplies, etc). Until the government is back up and running, the national parks should close immediately. The staff cannot safely handle the regular amount of traffic when the majority of them are furloughed and people are getting hurt. The use of admission fees to pay exempted workers is short-sighted and will leave the parks unable to maintain themselves throughout the rest of the year when the money runs out. Close the parks. I would like a response to my concerns. Thank you.