Sabra Purdy is just back from Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, which was crammed with tourists. The result: hundreds of thousands of federal workers were sent home without pay, including 21,383 employees of the National Park Service (NPS), responsible for 418 facilities nationwide, including national parks, monuments, historic sites and even the White House. “The NPS will not operate parks during the shutdown — no visitor services will be provided,” it said. In California, the popular Death Valley and Channel Islands national parks remain open. At Joshua Tree, the coming days are expected to bring a surge of tourists, with zero official staff to greet — or police — them.

Source: Egypt Independent December 31, 2018 13:52 UTC