x
Breaking News
More () »

Congaree National Park affected by government shutdown

It may look like business as usual at the Congaree National Park, but that's not quite the case.

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — As the partial government shut down slips into its second week, agencies across the nation are feeling the effects, including national parks.

At Congaree National Park in Hopkins, SC, it seems to be business as usual on Saturday, but a closer look at common spaces will show that this is no normal day at the park.

There are signs on trash cans and bulletin boards advising visitors that "no visitor services will be provided."

That means no trash collection or maintaining roads or walkways and, if you're wanting to go to the restroom, those won't be available either as maintenance and janitorial staff aren't around to keep up the space.

Only essential personnel are available, like law enforcement rangers for safety.

"For some people, they're still expected to work even though they're not being paid as of right now," John Kupfer, a University of South Carolina geography professor who researches the park, said.

"Whenever this ends, they'll be paid because they've been expected and required to continue working. For other folks, there's uncertainty as to when it's gonna end [and] they'll be able to come back to work," Kupfer said. "That's really a concerning thing for people in terms of meeting their day-to-day budgetary needs."

Minimal staffing has left some parks across the nation muddied with trash, but here, at Congaree, Kupfer says he's thankful to not have experienced that.

"There's a few spots here, but I haven't necessarily noticed it at this park," Kupfer said.

Visitors share similar feelings, but all just seem to be hoping the shut down ends soon.

"The national parks are great for our nation and need to be taken care of," Matthew Gregory, a visitor, said.

Before You Leave, Check This Out