“Educational programs, ranger hikes and service events would be canceled.” “If a shutdown occurs, national park amenities including visitor centers, campgrounds, research facilities, museums and other facilities would be forced to close as well,” the National Parks Conservation Association said. The National Park Service operates 63 national parks and “hundreds of additional monuments and sites” that would be impacted by a government shutdown, The Hill reported. This means national parks like Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Redwood, Mount Rainier and, potentially, Yellowstone, may not be open come next week. What does the closing of national parks mean? Gavin Newsom’s administration said the state isn’t planning on keeping national parks open, The Associated Press reported. Mark Gordon is waiting “more information from Interior and White House officials to better understand the state’s options” and California Gov. Greg Gianforte has not announced plans to keep Yellowstone or Glacier national parks open. Jay Inslee does not plan to fund Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks in the event of a shutdown and Montana Gov. Jared Polis “issued an executive order Thursday directing the state’s Department of Natural Resources to develop a plan for continued operations and the resource protection of Colorado’s national parks,” per The Associated Press. Kristi Noem was reportedly reviewing what the impact of closing national parks like Mount Rushmore would be in her state. Other states have looked into what to do with national parks in their states. John Curtis are sponsoring legislation that would require the Secretary of the Interior to pay states back for what they spend to operate national parks during a government shutdown. Katie Hobbs said state funds will be used to keep the states’ national parks open, which include Grand Canyon, Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands, according to The Associated Press. Utah and Arizona are among the states who have said they will keep national parks open if the impending shutdown occurs. Curtis propose way to keep national parks open during shutdown with federal dollars

Jay inslee press conference today